Brookstone Academy

Choosing the right learning environment for your child to thrive is a BIG undertaking, and one of the most important decisions you can make! Sometimes, the best way to know if a place feels right is simply to step inside and experience it for yourself.

Join us for Brookstone’s Information Evening on Wednesday, August 26th, from 6pm to 8pm, at 299 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie, ON, where a presentation will walk you through how everything works and introduce our Elementary Academic, High School, and After School Enrichment programs at the Discovery Lab. Get a feel for our community, bring whatever is on your mind, and ask away following the presentation. Reserve your seat today!
https://forms.gle/Uph1tyQ1QDA4Bqhu9

For more info about Brookstone please visit www.brookstoneacademy.ca
or get in touch today! [email protected]

Ask a child at the Creativity Lab how they spent their day, and they'll happily tell you they built a robot, recorded a podcast, or played a round of D&D with their friends. 🤖

They probably won't call it learning. That's just how we like it.

When a child chooses to build, create, or record something they genuinely care about, they lean into the tricky bits. They stretch further, stick with it longer, and remember more. Interest is what pulls them forward.

That's the heart of the Creativity Lab. Real programming and real guidance in the things kids love:

🤖 Engineering & Robotics
🎨 Visual Art & Multi-Media Projects
🎧 Digital Music Production & Podcasting
🎲 Interest-based skill building like crochet and D&D
🌳 Plenty of outdoor time, trips, and more

And because our ratios stay low, a group of thirty is never one big crowd. Smaller clusters form by age and grade, so every child is seen, guided, and gently stretched. The adult in the room knows your child's name, their pace, and what lights them up.

The learning is real. It just happens to look a lot like fun.

📅 August 10 to 20
🕘 9:00 to 3:30, with extended care from 8:00 to 5:30
📍 Barrie & Area families, we'd love to have you

Spots are limited, so send us a message if you'd like to join us this summer.

Come grow with us this summer. 💚

There's something special about meeting a school and the people behind it, in person, so this month we're setting aside an evening to do just that.

On Wednesday, August 26th from 6pm to 8pm, we're hosting our Annual Information & Registration Kick-Off Evening at Brookstone Academy.

Come in, experience our cozy learning space, and meet our incredible facilitators. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/JvJ2eUCF5EFJzsCt8

📅 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th
🕕 6pm to 8pm
299 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie
Lower Level

We'll start with an interactive presentation sharing details about our research based philosophy, our AWARD winning programs, and some exciting new partnerships. You'll learn more about:

🎓 Elementary Day School: innovative, personalized, small-group learning that's meaningful and engaging

🎓 Brookstone High: Barrie's first official alternative high school, pairing the safety of small-group learning with high-quality online course support

🌿 Discovery Lab: After-school programming: where kids get the freedom to decompress, explore, collaborate, build, and develop REAL thinking skills

New Partnerships:
Our new partnership with Oaknine Healthcare brings therapy right into our school. OT, physiotherapy, speech, and talk therapy, all available for your child during the school day, without the extra driving and juggling of appointments.

We've also teamed up with Young Inventors Lab, where LEGO® meets electricity and robotics. Hands-on, curious, and exactly the kind of building that lights kids up!

Accessible Fees:
Because personalized, meaningful, discovery-led learning shouldn't be something only a few families can reach, we work hard to keep our fees accessible. Ask us about our exchange of services program to help offset fees.

That's also why we're offering an extra discount to families who attend our evening. Sign up for our Evening and Weekend Discovery Lab Programs by September 1st and a 10% discount is yours!

We'll finish the evening with a Q&A & Tour. So ask away! Anything you've ever wondered about our approach, we'll answer it here!

Save yourself a seat: https://forms.gle/JvJ2eUCF5EFJzsCt8 💚

We look forward to having you over!

💡 You'll notice we call our teachers facilitators.

It's a small word choice, and it says a lot about how we work with your child.

A facilitator coaches. Guides. Partners in the learning journey.

Sometimes that means leaning in with a good question. Sometimes it means stepping back so a child can work something out on their own.

Both take skill. Both take really knowing the child in front of you.

Our low student-teacher ratio is what makes this possible. It gives our facilitators the space to plan for each child's learning style, strengths, and goals.

So when you visit a Brookstone classroom, that's the role you'll see in action. An adult who genuinely loves their job, walking alongside your child as they explore, take risks, and grow.

The little school doing BIG things. 💚

Want to see it for yourself? Send us a message or book a visit at [email protected]

💡 "Why do we need to know this?"

It's a question most kids ask at some point. And the answer changes everything about how they learn.

When academic content connects to something meaningful and tangible, learning starts to feel like it matters.

This is what we see every day at Brookstone, and it's what the research shows. Decades of work rooted in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and constructivist learning tell us the same thing: learning anchored and applied in real, meaningful contexts produces deeper retention and stronger engagement than abstract instruction on its own.

In plain terms, children remember more and care more when they can see why something matters.

It's a fair question for any family choosing a school: does this curriculum or skill actually connect or apply to the real world, or does it stay on the page?

At Brookstone, real-world applications are woven into daily learning and are a big part of how children here develop character, curiosity, and the confidence to think for themselves. 🌿

💡 When we say "individualized," we mean something specific.

For a lot of families, "individualized" has come to mean a few tweaks to a standard curriculum. A modified worksheet here. A little extra time there.

At Brookstone, it means starting from a completely different place.

We begin with your child. Their interests. Their pace. Where they actually are as a learner, right now.

Only then do we design the program around them.

Our facilitators meet each child where they are and tap into what genuinely lights them up. With low learner-teacher ratios, your child is truly seen, heard, and known.

That's the difference. The program is built for your child, every step of the way.

Explore freely. Think deeply. Create boldly. 💚

🔑 Picture a child stuck on a tricky problem. One of our facilitators kneels down and helps them find their own way through.

That's really what our teachers do. They're learning coaches, facilitators and guides, and often partners in your child's learning journey.

We meet each child where they are. We notice what sparks their curiosity. And we put the tools right into their hands, so the thinking becomes their own.

Yes, it takes more time than simply giving answers. And it's how children grow into bold thinkers, creative leaders, and compassionate contributors who are ready for whatever comes next.

That's the kind of learning we get to be part of every day. 💚

A bored child and an overwhelmed child often have the same thing in common. Both are stuck in the wrong zone.

We've all seen it. The book so easy it gets skimmed without a single word sinking in. The task so far beyond reach that a child freezes before they even begin.

Neither one is growing in that moment. 🌱

Vygotsky called the sweet spot in between the Zone of Proximal Development. We like to think of it as the growth zone, the narrow band where the challenge is high enough to spark real interest, but achievable enough to build confidence.

You know it when you see it. An hour disappears into a puzzle that was just hard enough. A child who "hates reading" finishes a book in one sitting because it finally matched them.

When the challenge fits the child, time seems to disappear and learning takes off.

This is why individualized programming matters so much to us. Every child arrives at their growth zone in a different place, and it shifts as they grow. Meeting them there, again and again, is the whole work.

The right challenge teaches more than a skill. It teaches a child that they are capable.

Moments like these are why we do what we do. 💛

Calling all Kempensfest Families! We are just down the road at 299 Lakeshore Drive. Come on by and say "Hi" to Benson & Millie!

By appointment only, please. 😉

[email protected]

Escape the heat (and rain!), enjoy a FREEZIE and refreshments on us, and discover all the exciting, AWARD-WINNING programs Brookstone Academy has to offer! 🧊✨

We’re currently running—and expanding this fall—to offer more enriching learning opportunities:

🎓 Barrie’s First Alternative High School — already underway!
🧠 Unique After-School Enrichment Programs
🧱 Weekly LEGO® STEM Enrichment Classes
🎨 Weekend Workshops
📚 PD Day Camps & Holiday Camps

And, of course, our AWARD-WINNING Elementary Day School, offering flexible enrolment and tuition options designed to make personalized, alternative education more accessible to families.

🌟 Only a few elementary spots remain for September!

Have questions? Get in touch today—or, even better, book an appointment to visit us this weekend and experience Brookstone for yourself!

📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.brookstoneacademy.ca

Explore freely. Think deeply. Create boldly.
💙 You belong at Brookstone.