The Odyssey Of Learning - TOOL

We know we aren't the only ones.

After 25 years of dealing with various systems and services, there are times when we're just completely exhausted by it all.

You shouldn't have to become an expert in everything just to make sure your child gets the support they're supposed to get.

But so many parents and carers do.

And sometimes you just need to say it out loud.

And celebrate the wins.

Have you ever wondered what that little "star" at the bottom of an apple is? 🍎

It's called the calyx, and those little dried-up bits are actually what's left of the sepals from the apple blossom.

We love little details like this, that we've probably seen hundreds of times without ever really thinking about where they came from.

Next time you pick up an apple, have a look!

It's something we discovered whilst creating How Flowers Become Fruit: The Fruit of the Bloom.

The Fruit of the Bloom

Watching flowers turn into fruit through the seasons is something that always fascinates us.

Apple blossom becomes apples... and eventually apple crumble on the table. 🍎

Tomato seeds become plants, then flowers, then onto our plate in salads. 🍅

Strawberry runners become new plants, flowers appear and then come those lovely juicy strawberries. 🍓

There’s always something happening in the garden when you take a closer look.

And that’s exactly what inspired our newest adventure...

🌸 How Flowers Become Fruit: The Fruit of the Bloom is out now.

🔗Link in comments.

Social media absolutely drives us up the wall! 😂

There are so many unwritten rules. Post this often. Make more reels. Use trending audio. Get people commenting. Watch the algorithm...

And quite honestly, we don't want to play that game.

We'd much rather be out there actually doing things than worrying about whether we're posting about them in the right way.

Coming up with ideas, creating things, planning adventures, exploring places, enjoying games, meeting people and spending time with our family.

That's where we'd rather put our energy.

We'll still be here sharing what we're getting up to, but we're going to stop worrying quite so much about whether we're doing social media "right".

We're just going to keep doing our own thing, our own way, and see where the adventure takes us.

Yesterday's adventure took us to Bodrhyddan Hall.

Beautiful gardens, woodland walks, a rather fed-up looking gargoyle, a game of noughts and crosses and plenty of little things to discover along the way.

We walked, talked, laughed and enjoyed the most delicious slice of cake!

Usually on a Tuesday we'd be taking a closer look at one of our Adventure Quests.

This week, we're a little delayed in finishing it.

Family needed our time, so family came first.

T.O.O.L. has always been about recognising that learning, life and adventures don't follow a perfectly planned timetable.

Apparently neither does creating them! 😂

From Flower to Fruit will now launch on Monday as the fourth quest in our Blooming Cycle series.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other adventures and topics waiting to be explored in our store.

🔗 Link in comments to our store.

We have so much fun creating short videos to enhance our adventure quests.

They are fantastic for visual learners.

So many families are having to fight in a broken system that is anything but inclusive. Will a positive change ever happen within schools and colleges?

If you've been following T.O.O.L. for a while, you might have noticed we've been sharing all sorts of different things lately.

It might seem like lots of separate ideas, but to us they're all connected.

So we've created The Adventurer's Hub. A place where we share the journey behind T.O.O.L., bring all the different strands together and invite families, educators and adventurers to contribute their own ideas and experiences.

We'd love you to be part of it.

LINK IN COMMENTS to join!