A welcome with your child’s name
Luna and Alex welcome your child by name into the Academy of Explorers. That first letter makes room for curiosity, their own questions and a gentle beginning in a new world.
Read the welcome letter ↗
TheUnschoolSchool · ACADEMY OF EXPLORERSOne letter.
One letter.
So much to discover.
A daily letter invites your child to discover the world in their own way. You are there beside them as everyday things become the beginning of questions, experiments and adventures you share.
Playful learning ideas for children aged 5–10 — at home and outdoors.
For children aged 5–10Starts the next weekdayMonday–FridayA personal PDF letter
5 adventures, free — no payment details needed
AN IMAGINED ACADEMY. REAL DISCOVERIES.Your story begins with a letter ↓
You do not have to think of something new to do together every day.
A daily email brings an idea for an adventure you can make your own.
FIRST: “THERE IS A PLACE FOR YOU HERE”This is where
This is where
your story begins.
Once you confirm your email address, a welcome from Luna and Alex will arrive. Open it together, take your time reading it, and prepare a little place your child can return to with their ideas before the first daily adventure begins.
Take a closer look ↗A certificate to mark the beginning
Your child’s certificate can hang above their desk or sit beside their pencils and favourite finds. A small keepsake of joining the Academy and beginning a journey of their own.
A little exploring before you begin
Decorate a folder together, find a magnifying glass, a torch and some colouring pencils, then pack an explorer’s bag. With things you already have, you create a place ready for the first adventures.
Look inside the preparations ↗Here you can see examples of the welcome pack, now available in English or Polish. Your child’s name and start date are added personally. Names and dates in these previews are examples.
HOW MY CHILDREN EXPERIENCED THEIR FIRST ADVENTUREWhat if your table became
What if your table became
a restaurant today?
Your child puts together a menu and welcomes their first guest, while you notice how much is happening along the way. Reading, counting and making decisions sit alongside listening to a guest and learning how to look after them.
These are my children during our restaurant adventure. I love seeing how seriously they take their ideas and how much they discover in things we adults tend to call “ordinary”. Making a menu, shopping for ingredients, welcoming a guest — for a child, it is a chance to step into the grown-up world for a while and feel that they really can create something. Watching their enjoyment helps me notice more, too. In your home, the same adventure may become quite a different story.
Mike Heldt
THROUGH YOUR CHILD’S EYES“I can open my own restaurant!”
A sheet of paper and someone your child would like to invite to the table are enough to begin. You can play restaurant without cooking, or let the idea grow into shopping and preparing a meal together.
We send a separate email to the parent’s address for each registered child. Their PDF includes a letter with their name, a page for memories and a Parent Compass to help you notice the learning within your shared adventure.
Look inside · three parts of a daily PDF
Mia,
Today, you are opening your own restaurant!
Imagine someone sitting down at your table, ready to order something you have thought of yourself. Today, your restaurant can welcome its first guest. What will you call it? What will be on the menu? Draw or write your choices, prepare something together with an adult, and invite your guest to take a seat. Watch what happens when your idea becomes something you can share.
To get started
Luna and AlexBegin with a sheet of paper, some pencils and one idea for your menu. A simple snack and one guest can be a lovely beginning.
What will you remember from today?
My menu or a moment I want to remember.
What was the loveliest part of today?
What was difficult today?
What surprised me when I welcomed my guest?
Your child can draw, write or tell you what they would like to remember. You can write down their words and keep the page in your folder. These memories belong to you, so keep what matters to your family; there is no need to answer every question or send anything back.
A restaurant at your table: a real reason to read, count and care for someone.
An idea with room to grow
A younger child can draw dishes, find ingredients and help stir. An older child can write the menu, work within a shopping budget and compare costs with selling prices. Follow the questions that become interesting to your child.
What you can notice
Making a menu brings words and choices together. Preparing a meal introduces quantities, time and care. Welcoming a guest gives your child a reason to listen, explain and take responsibility for something they have created.
Your part in the adventure
Read the letter together, help your child begin safely, and stay nearby when they need a hand. Once an idea takes hold, give them room to see where it leads.
REAL MOMENTS WITH MY CHILDREN
A little of our everyday discovering.
Sometimes at our table, sometimes between the trees. These are our own photographs, taken as we discover together. Your family will bring its own questions, ideas and little surprises.
Light that follows your hands
A torch, a wall and a pair of hands are enough. We move our hands, change their shape and watch a shadow grow or become another creature. Each small movement gives your child something new to investigate.
What is hiding in an ordinary leaf?
We collect different leaves and look closely at their shapes. With paper and a crayon, a network of veins begins to appear. A moment ago it was simply a leaf. Now there are so many details to compare and draw.
A museum that did not exist yesterday
The children choose objects, arrange their exhibition and write their own labels. Then they welcome a visitor. Suddenly someone at our table knows the story of every exhibit and cannot wait to tell it.
See four more momentsShow fewer moments
Can your hands recognise it too?
Soft, rough, smooth — we feel different materials and find words to describe them. You can cover your eyes and see what your hands notice on their own. Guessing the name is just the beginning of the conversation.
It begins with a little seed
We pick up pea seeds and prepare a place for them to grow. Then we return to see what has changed. A plant of their own gives a child a reason to look closely again tomorrow.
A forest worth slowing down for
We stop to notice our woodland finds: their colours, shapes and where they grow. With mushrooms, an adult helps everyone observe safely; we do not pick or taste unfamiliar specimens. Sometimes one discovery gives us plenty to talk about.
A table full of discoveries
Leaves sit beside the children’s drawings and notes. We compare our finds, show each other small details and record what we want to remember. Later, a page like this brings back the question: “Do you remember when we discovered that?”.
Let’s discover five adventures together →
A glimpse of different activities we have enjoyed at home and outdoors — not a preview of the exact five free adventures. Each day’s letter gives you a starting point to make your own.
THE BEGINNING OF YOUR STORY
Meet your first five adventures.
One day brings a restaurant, another a bridge or a small museum. Each letter offers a different beginning, helping your child discover what interests them and giving you something to enjoy together.
Adventure 001
Your own restaurant
Your child invents a menu and welcomes a guest to a restaurant they have created at your table.
Adventure 002
A bridge to the other side
Your child builds a paper bridge, places small objects on it and finds out how much it can hold and how extra supports can make it stronger.
Adventure 003
Your little museum
Your child chooses three objects, gives them labels and invites someone to a museum where they tell the stories themselves.
Adventure 004
A game of your own
A few things from around the house become a game, with rules your child invents and develops with another player.
Adventure 005
A mysterious trail
A map and clues of their own lead someone they love to a surprise your child has hidden.
Over time, you have more and more to look back on. Luna and Alex become familiar guides, and your folder fills with drawings, photographs and words you want to keep. Open it together later and see how much there was to discover in your everyday days.
A YEAR IN THE ACADEMY OF EXPLORERSTwelve worlds.
Twelve worlds.
One unfolding story.
Behind the daily adventures is a map of twelve worlds. Nature meets numbers, building meets imagination, and children’s ideas meet conversation and cooperation. These are the directions of our year-long journey, woven together rather than divided into separate subjects.
- 01
A world of hidden clues
Looking closely, following tracks and setting off on little expeditions.
- 02
The secret language of patterns
Rhythm, movement, numbers and codes of your own.
- 03
How does a home come together?
Building, space and the needs of those who live there.
- 04
The journey of a beam of light
Light, shadow and questions explored through doing.
- 05
Who invented time?
Calendars, measuring and the rhythms of everyday life.
- 06
Nothing lives alone
Relationships, cooperation and connections in nature.
- 07
From a tiny beginning
Seeds, growth and the patience of watching closely.
- 08
The secret journey of water
Water, weather and discoveries indoors and outside.
- 09
Little creatures, big jobs
Small living things and the important work they do.
- 10
The story that brought it here
The histories of objects, families and places.
- 11
Finding another way
Experiments, changes and ideas we keep developing.
- 12
A museum of my discoveries
A collection of your own, memories and sharing them with others.
We return to skills and discover something new in them. Counting begins with a menu, then helps measure a bridge or compare things found on a walk. Each adventure gives your child another chance to use what they have discovered and take it a little further.
Every adventure has a beginning of its own. You do not need to complete the ones before it. Join at any time of year, leave a day aside and return to exploring. You choose how far to take an idea to suit your child’s age, curiosity and your day together.
The twelve worlds are a map of themes, rather than a September school calendar or a fixed month-by-month schedule. The spiral represents connected skills that return in new settings.
Begin with five adventures and see how they fit into your home →SHARED MOMENTS, DISCOVERIES OF THEIR OWN
The same idea can grow with your child.
This edition is for children aged 5–10. One child may want to draw the dishes, another to work out their restaurant’s costs. You know your child and can help them find a beginning that feels interesting to them right now.
“This is my menu!”
- Draws the dishes on their menu.
- Finds the chosen ingredients while shopping together.
- Unpacks and stirs with an adult’s help.
- Welcomes a guest and explains what they have made.
“How does my restaurant work?”
- Writes a menu and plans shopping within an agreed budget.
- Compares costs and sets prices for the dishes.
- Adds up takings, subtracts costs and sees what is left.
- Reads cooking times and temperatures with an adult.
These examples show how an idea can grow, rather than what a child should already know. We do not send separate programmes for different ages. You choose the scale of the adventure, with an adult’s help wherever it is needed.
What does your child discover along the way?
Several skills meet within a single adventure. Your child makes something of their own, and you begin to see just how much learning a day like this can hold.
Reading, writing and conversation
Menus, stories of their own and questions worth looking into.
Counting and comparing
Prices, measurements, budgets and finding out what is more or less.
Nature and its little mysteries
Watching plants, animals and the changes you notice on a walk.
Building and imagination
Bridges, maps and constructions your child makes and tests.
Drawing and creating
Their own designs, new uses for familiar objects and ideas put on paper.
Movement and getting to know the body
Inventing games, finding balance and discovering their own rhythm.
Listening and working together
Agreeing on rules, welcoming a guest and noticing what others need.
Feelings and patience
Talking about what feels good or difficult and finding another way forward.
Everyday independence
Preparing a space, shopping and making decisions they can take responsibility for.
Finding and checking information
Asking how we know something, comparing answers and using an adult’s help safely.
With Luna and Alex, you discover the world your way.
Luna and Alex guide our story, but your home, conversations and ideas bring the adventures to life. You explore as a family; the Academy does not run group classes or replace formal schooling.
“It began with my children and a wish to make more room for their curiosity. I see how much they discover when someone they love is beside them and there is space for an idea of their own. That is what I would like to share with you: a way of finding more in the days we already have.” Mike Heldt · father and creator of TheUnschoolSchool
FIRST, GET TO KNOW OUR WORLDGet to know us through five adventures.
Get to know us through five adventures.
Your first 5 adventures are free.
You begin with a personal welcome and a certificate with your child’s name. The first of five daily adventures arrives the next weekday. We send one each day, Monday to Friday, and continue your sequence after the weekend. Every daily PDF also includes a Parent Compass to help you understand what your child discovers through doing.
Join for free
You do not enter any payment details. After five adventures, you decide whether you would like to stay.
If you would like to stay a little longer
If this way of discovering finds a place in your home, the adventures can keep arriving Monday to Friday, including during school holidays.
9.99 USD
per month · per child
Monday to Friday, you receive a letter with your child’s name and a Parent Compass to help you make the ideas part of everyday life together.
Your month begins when payment is confirmed. You pay 9.99 USD per child, with the next payment one month later and monthly renewals after that. Your Stripe (Link) purchase confirmation includes a link to manage your subscription. Choose cancellation and confirm it to turn off the next renewal; your participation continues until the end of the paid period.
99 USD
for 12 months · per child
One payment gives your child twelve months of personal adventure letters and the Parent Compass.
The plan ends after twelve months without automatic renewal. Compared with twelve monthly payments, you save 20.88 USD.
These are the prices for the English programme. The Polish programme is priced in PLN. Your saved programme language determines the plan offered at booking. Existing subscriptions keep their original price and currency. Stripe may offer payment in your local currency, showing the conversion and final amount before you pay.
Siblings can share one child’s materials, because the idea for a given adventure is the same. If you would like each child to receive their own letters with their own name, you pay for each child separately.
If you stay, there is more to discover together.
Already tried it? We would love more adventures →
- An email for the parentIf you opt in when registering, after adventure five you will receive one invitation to continue. You can also request your continuation link below whenever you are ready.
- Choose children and a planChoose which children will continue and a plan: 9.99 USD per month or 99 USD per year for each child. Payment is through Stripe.
- Your story continuesYour children’s details are already saved, so there is no need to register again. Once payment is confirmed, we return with your next unsent adventure on the next weekday, after 8:00 a.m. Warsaw time.
You can return after a break, too. Once payment is confirmed, your next letter arrives on the next weekday after 8:00 a.m. Warsaw time. While your registration is still stored, we can use your saved names and pick up where you left off. Once those records have been deleted, a new registration is needed. Your paid month or year begins when payment is confirmed.
The first adventures were lovely. Let’s discover more.
Already registered? Use the same email address. We will send you a private link to choose your children and plan, without starting another free trial.
We would love more adventures →This works while your registration is still stored. If it has been deleted, you will need to register again.
THE BEGINNING OF YOUR STORYWe begin
We begin
with a name.
Tell us your child’s name and we will prepare a welcome just for them. Then take your time discovering what the first letters bring and how the ideas fit into life at home.
Your child’s name will appear here.
Their letter and certificate can become the first keepsakes of discoveries you share.
If you confirm your email today:
first daily adventure · 16.11.2026
Before that first adventure arrives, the welcome letter invites you to prepare an explorer’s corner of your own.
5 ADVENTURES · FREE
Your family is welcome here.
What else would you like to know before you begin?
Are these activities with other children?
In this edition, you explore within your own family. Every child begins with adventure 001 and continues in their own delivery sequence. The same adventure number brings the same idea, although families may discover it on different days. We share the Academy’s story and its guides, Luna and Alex. There are no live classes, group chats or meetups. The Academy is an imagined world you bring to life through your own adventures.
Will I receive one email for the whole family?
We send a separate welcome and daily letters to your email address for each registered child. The adventure is shared, but each child sees their own name in their letter. Administrative messages, such as email confirmation, are for the family as a whole.
What about holidays or a longer break?
Letters arrive Monday to Friday, including during school holidays. If you have other plans, the ideas stay in your inbox. You can return to them when you feel ready for another adventure.
What ages is this edition for?
We designed it mainly for children aged 5–10. Each adventure offers a shared idea, with room for every child to explore through drawing, storytelling, building or counting. You can help choose how far to take it, based on their interests and what they can already do.
Does my child need to be able to read?
No. Reading the letter together can be a lovely way to begin, and your child can respond by drawing, telling a story or doing something. Reading and writing appear where they make sense to your child, with your help when needed.
Will I need to prepare something every day?
Some adventures begin with paper and a pencil. Others involve preparing something together or heading outdoors. The Parent Compass explains what you will need and how to begin; you decide how far to take the idea that day.
Do I need to buy anything or print the letters?
Usually, you begin with things you already have at home. The PDF explains materials and safe preparation. You can read the letter on a screen and draw on ordinary paper. If you enjoy keeping paper letters, the documents print on A4, including in black and white.
Do siblings receive different activities?
You can register as many of your children as you like. Each receives a letter with their name, while the daily idea remains shared. Siblings can discover together and each child can take the adventure in their own direction.
When do we begin?
Once you confirm your email, we send a personal welcome, certificate and an invitation to prepare an explorer’s corner. Your first daily adventure arrives the next weekday after 8:00 a.m. Warsaw time. Confirm on Tuesday and you begin on Wednesday; confirm on Friday or over the weekend and you begin on Monday. Every child starts with adventure 001. Five free adventures means five delivery days; weekends do not shorten them.
What if we do not do today’s adventure?
Sometimes the day has plans of its own and you can follow them. The letter stays in your inbox for another time. There is nothing to catch up on or pass.
What if my child does not feel like joining in?
Start by listening to what they feel like doing. They can change an idea, take one small part of it or do something else. Sometimes looking at the letter together starts a conversation; sometimes it is better to leave it for later. Luna and Alex invite children to discover. They do not check attendance or completed work.
Can we keep photographs and recordings?
Of course, if your child wants to keep those moments, too. We collect drawings, photographs and recordings in a private family chat called TheUnschoolSchool. I love returning to them and remembering what we discovered together. The children are proud of what they have made, tell family and friends about their adventures and enjoy showing the photographs. At the end of the month, we print them and put them in an album. Little by little, it becomes a keepsake of a year full of shared adventures. You might use a folder, a digital collection or an album of your own. These memories are for you; you do not send them to us as proof of completed activities.
What determines the currency when I book?
The English programme costs 9.99 USD per month or 99 USD for twelve months per child. The Polish programme is priced in PLN. Your family’s saved programme language determines the offer, rather than your country or a temporary change of website language. Existing subscriptions keep their original terms. Stripe may offer a conversion into your local currency; you confirm the final amount and currency before paying.
Is the price per child or per family?
The price of 9.99 USD per month or 99 USD for twelve months is for one child receiving their own personal letters. Siblings can share the materials of one registered child. If each child is to receive separate letters with their own name, you pay for each child. Adventures with the same number contain the same idea. Children registered together can discover together; families starting at different times receive letters in their own sequence.
How do I stop the next renewal?
Your Stripe (Link) purchase confirmation includes a link to manage your subscription. Open it and confirm cancellation to turn off the next monthly renewal. You do not need to write to us. Letters continue until the end of your paid period. The annual plan ends after twelve months without automatic renewal. Stopping the letters alone does not cancel a monthly subscription.
What if I pay later?
Come back when you are ready. Once payment is confirmed, we will continue with your next unsent adventure on the next weekday after 8:00 a.m. Warsaw time. While your registration is still stored, there is no need to register again. If your records have been deleted, a new registration is needed. Your paid month or year begins when payment is confirmed.
What happens after five adventures?
If you opt in when registering, after adventure five we will send one invitation to continue. You can also return without that permission: choose “We would love more adventures” on this page and request a private link to your registered email address. If you stay, we use your saved details and send the next adventure on the next weekday after 8:00 a.m. Warsaw time. The English monthly plan is 9.99 USD per child and renews until you cancel further renewals. The English annual plan is 99 USD per child for twelve months, without automatic renewal. You pay when booking, and your paid period begins when payment is confirmed. If you do not choose paid participation, delivery ends after five adventures.
A SMALL BEGINNING FOR TODAY
Ideas for discovering together.
At your table or out on a walk, a good question can begin something worth remembering. Here are a few practical ideas to make your own.