SPARK PA

08/18/2025

Hello Families!

We are excited to share our Fall 2025 semester is open for enrollment.
Here's what we are offering:

Spark Nature Forest School ***Due to all of our existing families returning for year two, we only have a WAITLIST option available***

When: Mondays 10am to 3pm
Who: Mixed Ages 4-12 years old

We have created an amazing curriculum and absolutely love what we have planned. This year we will be weaving in a meditation each week, working on skill building, motor processing and planning, cultivating respect and reverence for nature and making incredibly creative art projects. In addition to theming each day, we are also theming each month:

September - Foundations of Forest School
October - Cycles of Nature
November - Animals and Ancestors
December - Winter Reflections

This is to deepen our knowledge, build cohesion and create a scaffolding approach to the children's learning. Check out the curriculum below and if you want to claim one of the spots, DM us!

Thursday Homeschool class
When: Thursdays 11am-12:15pm
Who: Mixed Ages 4-12 years old

Our signature class weaves together yoga, meditation, and art for a truly unique experience. We begin by grounding the body through mindful movement, then drop into stillness with meditation, and finally open into creativity with art-making. This flow nurtures the whole self—body, mind, and spirit—offering a space for expression, reflection, and connection.

This year we are also theming each month with September being Root + Rise. We are also sharing the medium and intention of every class. See below for the various projects we will be working on.

Saturday Art Class
When: Saturdays 11am-12:15pm
Who: 8+

We took your feedback and are offering an ART class for older kids on Saturdays. In this class, kids dive deeper into creative expression while learning new techniques and working with a variety of materials. We’ll explore drawing, painting, and mixed media projects that encourage both skill-building and imagination. Older kids are given the freedom to experiment, develop their unique style, and create art that reflects who they are.

Wednesdays at It Takes A Village Homeschool Hybrid Community
We will also be returning to the best hybrid homeschooling community as an enrichment provider every Wednesday at 1pm. See link below to sign up for these classes via their website.

All details can be found on our website: https://www.thespark.nyc/pa/

We are hear to answer any questions and very much look forward to an incredible semester ahead!

08/07/2025

We are THRILLED to welcome back Mr. Adam as part of our Spark Nature Dream Team. Today we mapped out 13 weeks of the fall semester. We have a fantastic curriculum planned thanks to our collaborative insights, vision and shared values. Mr. Adam is a wealth of knowledge, a nature expert, a wonderful teacher and a devoted father. We feel very grateful to have him as part of our forest school. Enrollment opens August 15th and curriculum will be shared soon!

08/06/2025

Spark Fall Semester coming soon! We begin September 15th. This year we will be holding our once per week forest school on Mondays, a homeschool class on Thursdays and Saturday morning classes. Additionally, we will be an enrichment provider for It Takes A Village Homeschool Hybrid Community on Wednesdays!

We are also always open to creating pods, classes and programs if you have a specific need, group or day/time in mind. Feel free to reach out. Enrollment opens next week!

07/28/2025

🌟 Thank You for a Magical Spark Summer! 🌟

Three unforgettable weeks.
90 hours in true devotion.
Over 60+ incredible children.
And a community that came alive through creativity, connection, and care. 💛

As we wrap up our 2025 Spark Summer Camp, our hearts are full. Together, we explored a wide range of art mediums and projects—from collaborative murals to figure drawing, watercolors to paper maché, from charcoal to clay. The creativity, imagination and ingenuity was so inspiring to witness week after week.

We moved through our days with yoga and meditation, grounding ourselves in stillness and play. We learned how to stretch our bodies and our hearts, the importance of getting our bare feet on the ground and how to breathe deeply and intentionally.

We practiced life skills and social-emotional tools that matter—how to compliment, how to repair, how to truly listen and care for one another. Each morning and closing circle reminded us of our shared intention: to grow, express, and belong. We practiced how to be present, give our undivided attention and most of all, how to listen. We worked through conflict, learned the art of an apology and the power of slowing down to savor.

We learned to call in the direction and sing to honor the earth. Music wove its way through it all—with sound bowls, saxophone melodies, rhythmic drum circle, and heartfelt guitar session and added a whole new layer of interest and joy.

We sat in stillness for tea ceremony. We practiced ethical foraging and learned to honor the Earth and each other with deep respect. We had water parties, climbed trees and co-created a nature altar that reflected our shared love of this land.

Our time on this magical land—by the stream, beneath the trees—offered so much more than a camp. It gave us a community that uplifts, includes, and creates together. A space where kids felt safe to try, fail, feel, imagine, and shine.

To our Spark NYC teachers, our local guest teachers, and every parent who trusted us—we thank you for trusting us and sharing in the vision of what we are creating here.

To the kids who showed up with open hearts and curious hands—you are the soul of Spark. You created something beautiful, and you reminded us that when we lead with love and respect, the world becomes a more vibrant, caring place.

Until next summer... 💫
With gratitude,
The Spark Team

07/25/2025

We did it! Week 3 has reached completion with today being all about or "Gallery of the Heart." It was amazing and the perfect end to a fantastic week.

🧡 We started in circle with the intention to slow down and savor each and every moment. During the shares, we expressed how we were feeling - mostly excited for the water party but sad camp was ending. We opened up the space for the children to offer and receive compliments as a practice of extending kindness and acknowledgement to others. We discussed how complienents cost us nothing but can really have such a positive experience on others. It was really special to hear all of the loving words kids had towards each other and what left a lasting impression.

🧡 For yoga, we reviewed all of the poses we did this week and culminated into an epic game of Yogi Says. It was almost impossible to get a handful of the remaining kids out so we turned it into a friendly yet competitive plank-off to see who could hold it the longest. Almost FOUR MINUTES LONG and yet they were still going strong. It was seriously impressive 🙂

🧡 Mr. Sebastian led a beautiful meditation called "My Best Self" inviting children to tap into this vision of themselves and I reminded them of all the tools we practiced this week so when life gets hard or challenging, they have support. Things like yoga, the breath, meditation, art, nature, music and community are always available to help anchor and guide them.

🧡 This morning we also had each child complete a peace flag to be strung together to represent our community. The children were invited to think about this whole camp experience and using puff paint either draw a symbol or write a word that reflected this week. There were pictures of flowers, the sun and trees and words like joy, free and fun. This is now hanging in the art studio where it will remain as a collaborative keepsake from this past week.

🧡 For the only art lesson today, our daughter requested to be a guest teacher. She opted to teach origami, the Japanese art form of folding paper. Quite ambitiously, she guided everyone to make a dog, envelope and swan. The kids were super into it, excitedly engaged and gleefully calling her Miss Arya as she walked around to help the kids. It was a really cute moment and we are so proud of her confidence in sharing her love of origami with others.

🧡 Next we gathered all of the art we made this week and set up our art show. Kids displayed their favorite and best pieces and taking a step back, we are amazed at how prolific and creative we have been. Charcoal moons, figure drawings, clay sculptures, cob houses, splatter abstract, logos and all of the creations the children did on their own. Absolutely stunning.

🧡 Once that was complete, we had everyone's favorite - the water party! With the slip and slide, water balloons, pool and music, the kids had a blast sliding, slipping, dodging and throwing. Most of the kids were covered in mud and grass but the laughter and free abandon made it so worth it. We enjoyed ice cold watermelon, refreshing ice pops and or bare feet on the wet grass. It was truly a quintessential summer moment.

🧡 For closing circle, we offered gratitude but we also asked the kids to consider how they have grown this week or what they have learned about themselves. The water party was top of the list and many kids were thankful for the whole experience but the real gems of wisdom that were shared included things like:

If I believe I could do something, I could do it.
I'm better at art than I thought.
It's fun to make new friends.
I enjoy trying new things.
Art doesn't have to be perfect.

🧡 The art show was a true reflection of the brilliance and unique spark of each kid. Before we clapped to close for the final time, we reminded everyone that we are better together, kindness matters, we are always learning and growing and we remain a safe sanctuary where they are welcomed back anytime. And we truly mean that.

And that’s a wrap for Spark Summer Camp! Three weeks of pure magic, we are so grateful.

Thank you to all the parents who supported us, all of our NYC teachers, all of our guest teachers and most of all, the wise, inspiring and extraordinary children 🧡🙏🏽🧡

07/24/2025

Day 4 in the books! Today our theme was "Color and Contrast" and it was most definitely a colorful day!

🩷 We started the morning in circle with special guest Miss Kassandra who strummed while we sang our signature song, The Earth is Our Mother. We noticed the contrast of previous days when we drummed the ground and sang loud and proud while today was much softer and gentler. She then led us in two additional songs as we reminded the kids how music can be such a beautiful form of healing, expression and connection.

🩵 Since it is the new moon today, we drew inspiration from the lunar calendar and learned moon salutations. This is a set sequence of poses that took us around the mat. We flowed through it four times, each round improving as we found our groove. Mr. Sebastian led us in a two minute meditation instructing us to sit tall, breathe deep and focus. It is always a sight to behold when everyone can be still and silent!

💜 For art lesson #1, we went BIG! Inspired by Jackson Po***ck, we covered the driveway with plastic tarps and set out a large canvas for each child. Then we passed out cups of paint and brushes and encouraged the kids to splat, splatter and spill it. There was even the option to stand on chairs to gain a little height, gravity and perspective. It was thrilling, messy, fun, chaotic and such a joy to witness the kids expressing themselves. This project contrasted the more detailed projects from earlier this week, namely the figure drawing and logo design. Everyone loved letting loose and the final pieces are as unique as each individual here.

🩷 For art lesson #2, Miss Chyna did a watercolor called Me and the Tree. First, she had each child choose a warm and cool color to create the background. Next she had everyone walk around the land and find a tree that felt drawn too. Then using black they painted the tree almost like a silhouette against the watery background to really make it stand out. They definitely POP and came out really striking.

🩵 In closing circle, we practiced something called "Air and Share" where kids got to voice grievances or anything that was bothering them. We learned the art of repair which is essentially apologizing if we made a mistake or hurt someone's feelings, taking ownership and agreeing to do better. We emphasized that we are all human, all learning and growing and that sometimes we can make a mistake but having this skill to repair is essential for a community to flourish. So proud of how maturely and responsibly everyone handled this.

💜 During free time, just like the previous days, the real hits included the stream, climbing dome, playground, swings and bamboo forest. Today we also encouraged kids to make their own art with any of the materials at the studio. We used air dry clay to make mini sculptures and little potion jars to make colorful creations. It was smooth and fast and we can't believe tomorrow is the last day! So excited for "Gallery of the Heart" celebration 🩷🩵💜

07/23/2025

“Hands on the Earth" was a full, fun, forag-y, messy, muddy and wonderful day!

💚 We started the day in circle asking what kids love about nature. We received so many amazing responses like trees, plants, the wildlife and our personal favorite, how it comes back after destruction. Indeed, LIFE always does find a way.

💚 Our focus for yoga was poses that required our hands to be on the ground. We played with moving cat cow, thread the needle, downward dog and plank. We tried our best to float in crow and go upside down in handstand! Then kids partnered up and created nature inspired poses. The one rule? Hands had to be on the ground. Every one was so creative - from volcano to giraffe pose, the collaboration and creativity really shined.

💚During our meditative rest, we felt the sensation of gratitude for all that the planet provides, honoring the elements of earth, air, fire and water. We reminded kids that all of us are responsible to be take care and be good stewards of the earth. We talked about action steps we can take to be more respectful and honoring of nature. The answers were so brilliant - from recycling to compost, to using less paper to buying second hand. We talked about picking up trash and planting trees. It was inspiring and definitely gave us hope for the future!

💚 Then, we had the deep honor of welcoming Miss Victoria to camp. She is an herbalist in the Wise Woman Tradition, a devotee of nature and a mama and a medicine maker at Moth and Mourning Dove Folk Remedies. She is filled with so much wisdom and we were so grateful to learn from her. She taught a class called "Wild Plant Friends and Forest Food: Learning to Forage and Feast Respectfully."

💚 We cast a circle, called in the directions and learned how to ethically harvest. We looked around the land and found woodland sorrel, goldenrod, native and introduced plantain, dandelion and violet. She gave us little bags to collect our goodies and we even popped in our garden for extra lettuce, carrots and fennel.

💚 Then we added it all together to make a wild salad, added some delicious dressing and enjoyed eating the fruits of our labor! (PS. Most kids tried it!) She kindly made us red clover tea with honey and sent everyone home with a little gift for an at-home cup. Miss Victoria also gave a handout on the 10 best ways to forage respectfully so we hope you learn a thing or two too. I know we certainly did!

💚 After lunch, we ventured to the stream for our only art lesson or the day - Building Cob Houses. Kids had to find a flat stone then they had to harvest mounds of clay and finally they had to build! Using sticks, wood, leaves and branches, the children created an entire village of homes - each unique in design and decoration. We are really proud at how the children jumped right in despite it being quick messy! Some of you catch a glimpse but the big reveal will come Friday.

💚 Today also our beloved fish Bruce died so we did give him a proper burial and the kids rallied to offer their condolences. There was also a lot of tree climbing, vine swinging, wood whittling and salad eating!

07/22/2025

Day two in the books! Today our theme was "Story and Symbol" and we had so much fun getting to know everyone better through sharing, art and play.

💛 We started the morning in circle, singing and drumming, while also checking in to see how everyone was feeling. Major emotions included tired, hungry, happy and excited 🙂

💛 We grounded to the earth and enjoyed a yoga practice focused on heart openers. Heart openers are backbend poses that stretch the chest and shoulders. It was so fun to try some new poses like devotional warrior, camel, bow and reverse prayer.

💛 We talked about how the heart is the symbol of love, empathy, compassion, kindness and forgiveness and during the closing meditation, we embodied this energy and sent it out to the friends, family and people we love.

💛 For art lesson #1, we drew inspiration from famous graffiti artists like Banksy and Basquiat to create "Graffitti Stories." First kids made a running list of their interests, hobbies, ancestry, family members and pets. They added favorite foods, movies, characters, musical interests and sports. Once they had at least 10-15 items, they sketched out symbols and brought it to life using paint sticks and paint markers. While so much of art tends to be precise, we encouraged them to let loose and allow the creativity to be messy, chaotic and fun.

💛 For art lesson #2, we put on our designer hats and enjoyed a project called LOGO DESIGN! Mr. Sebastian first discussed what a logo is, how to create an icon and reviewed some famous ones like Nike, Starbucks and UPS. Then we gave out graph paper and blue pencils and children were given instructions to sketch several rounds of ideas and come up with two logos: one that represented themselves and one that was for an imagery business. Once they finalized their ideas, they drew them on cardstock and added color and detail with pencils and pens. They came out AMAZING!

💛 Today was another huge day for the stream with most of the kids spending their free time swinging on the vines, getting stuck in the "quicksand," finding fish and frogs and using nets to catch water skidders. Other kids really enjoyed the playground, climbing trees and running around the land but a real favorite today was whittling wood with potato peelers and knives.

Only day 2 but already so much cohesion, community and creativity 💛 Looking forward to tomorrow getting our “Hands on the Earth!”

07/21/2025

Day one is DONE! The overarching theme of this week is Rooted in Nature: A Journey of Creativity and Balance but today's theme was Foundations of Form. We are off to a great start and we are thrilled to welcome so many new and old children to this camp. Here’s a little recap:

💙 The children started by making name labels to help keep their art work organized. This was a great opportunity to familiarize themselves with the vast array of materials and mediums they have access to use freely.

💙 We also went over the agreements and the foundational principles that help things to run smoothly. We agreed to: be a community that takes care of each other; respect ourselves, each other and the earth; do our best but aim for excellence; leave no trace; have the most fun and stay on the property.

💙 We also went over the flow of each day and what to expect before heading out for a tour of the land. Because we offer kids a lot of unstructured time in nature, we wanted to be sure the kids knew the boundaries and all of the great nooks to explore. It is already obvious that this particular bunch loves the stream!

💙 We then gathered for morning circle and as a way to show our respect and reverence for the earth, called in the directions and sang the song, "The Earth is Our Mother." We went around introducing ourselves, sharing our age and interests.

💙 Then we got right into yoga, exploring poses that focused on feet and legs - because this is the foundation of our bodies! We lunged, we kicked, we rooted down to rise up, we moved from chair pose to tree pose and felt our feet connected to the earth. We also took some time to practice grounding, getting our bare feet on the land and encouraged everyone to find a nature item to place on our collaborative altar.

💙 For art lesson #1 we explored figure drawing. Using pencil, Mr. Sebastian guided up on how to draw shapes to create a realistic person - a real study in form. Kids were amazed to move beyond stick figures and one child even exclaimed, "This was the best art lesson of my life!" After the sketch was complete, kids were given the option to add details, colors and some personality. We are so proud of how everyone tried even though it was a bit challenging.

💙 For art lesson #2, we also used a foundational medium - charcoal! First we did a practice round learning how to create a gradient, smudging with our fingertips and casting shadows before moving on to making charcoal moons. We used compasses to create perfect circles and then charcoal to add craters, texture, shade and dimension. They are stunning and we appreciated how the kids were all so open to getting their hands dirty.

💙 We saw many kids make new friends today which is always an added bonus of having children from all different places and at different ages. There was a lot of catching wildlife with nets, building in the sandbox, swinging and climbing at the playground and crafting at the studio.

💙 At the closing circle where we express gratitude for the day, the overall consensus was that everyone is grateful to be here.....and so are we! We even had a baby goat stop by at pick-up which was the perfect cap to a great first day.

Tomorrow our theme is "Story and Symbol" - so excited for what's to come!

07/20/2025

07/18/2025

Nature's Palette: Creating with the Earth week 2 of Spark summer camp is officially done!

Today's theme was all about Nature's Gallery: Celebrating and Sharing and was the perfect completion to a phenomenal week.

💜 We started the morning in our collaborative piece of art - the Thumbprint Spark Tree. Sebastian sketched the tree and outlined it with blank ink. Every child picked a color ink pad, placed five thumbprint leaves on a branch and signed their artist signature. This is a keepsake for the studio and a reminder of the incredible group of creative campers this week.

💜 We also took a morning stroll, a "Savor the Moment" walk where we visited all of the best spots on the property and reflected on everything we did this week. This was also an opportunity for kids to figure out their favorite spot for our last art lesson, "Hide and Go Paint."

💜 With a canvas, palette and brush in hand, kids scattered around the land and painted their top pick. The bamboo forest, stream and trails were top picks but we truly loved to see the diversity of everyone's choices.

💜 During yoga we reviewed all of the poses we learned this week and culminated into an epic game of Yogi Says (like Simon says but just with yoga poses!) The children got a kick out of it, even if they got out of the game. But it was amazing that everyone knew all the poses from half moon to eagle, from reverse warrior to side plank.

💜 We ended the practice with a long rest where we thought about how we grew this week and what we learned about ourselves.

💜 Today was also our water party and after everyone set up their art show display, they all jumped right into slipping and sliding. We also set up a pool with a slide and kids really enjoyed bopping from one thing to the next. We listened to music, enjoyed ice pops and spent time just chilling and playing.

💜 The art show was quite a sight to behold. Every section was packed with pieces - the crystal geodes, warm and cool trees, clay characters, pencil sketches, cubist masks - and then the wide range of pieces the kids made on their own. It was dazzling, rich and so vibrant and a testament to how much time they spent making art this week!

💜 At the closing circle, in addition to sharing what they feel grateful for, we asked kids to share what they learned about themselves this week, if they changed or grew in any way. While some kids weren't sure of the answer, others shared some profound things like:

I am a better artist than I realized.
I make better art when I slow down.
Not everything has to be perfect.
I really like to work with clay as a medium.

💜 It was really insightful and so beautiful to hear. All of the kids did amazingly well and we are proud of how we came together as a community. We loved seeing new friendships emerge and feel a sense of connection and cohesion with everyone present.

💜 We also want to take a moment to thank Miss Jomani who showed up with such love, devotion, creativity and JOY. She brought so much to the camp this week and we acknowledge her efforts and energy.

Only one week left. We have two spots left if you want your kids to experience THIS! 💜🙏🏽

07/17/2025

Day 4 Done! Today was all about “Shapes and Structures,” a day full of fun. Here’s what we were up to:

💛 In the morning we discussed different shapes and how structure relates to how things are built - perfect concepts for art and yoga!

💛 We had our morning circle where Miss Jomani led a special porton called soundscapes where we used solfege. These are hand signals that help identify the notes for sight singing. Very "Sound of Music" but an essential part of music literacy. The kids seemed to really enjoy singing "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do!"

💛 Yoga included a bit more challenging poses like revolving chair, twisted lunge and triangle. The kids paired up and created a partner pose that they shared with the class. This caused a ton of laughter and lots of imaginative stretches.

💛 During our rest we practiced "Loving Kindness," a meditation that goes like this:

May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I live with ease.

💛 Then we thought about the people we love, the ones we miss, those that we are upset with or who have hurt us and offered the same thoughts. Then we considered the world at large and sent it out to those who need it most.

💛 To close out the morning, the kids sat back to back and shared this meditation back and forth to each other. It was such a beautiful moment - real community in real time.

💛 Art lesson #1 was Cubist Collage. Most people don't know that Pablo Picasso's cubism was heavily influenced by African art so today we sketched African-inspired masks, colored them in with paint sticks and then cut them up! From there, kids reconstructed the masks from all the different pieces. Some were a little resistant to destroying their perfectly nice masks but they worked through it and every one came out soooo cool.

💛 For art lesson #2, we used polymer clay to “Create Your Own Characters.” We first sketched out our ideas and then brought them to life by sculpting the clay. It really gave children an opportunity to work with the main themes of shape and structure. We love all the personalities and flair the kids infused into foods, trees and animals.

💛 Today we also had a ton of self-directed art. The older boy crew has really started to gel and they all mentioned in the closing circle that they are grateful for each other. Today we also worked through some big feelings, a minor toe injury that really showed friends helping each other out, battles with bats and some epic climbs on the dome.

Can’t believe tomorrow is our last day of week 2!!!!