Sparklelab

Come join our family!

The Discovery Academy of Innovation offers a fun, engaging, student-centered curriculum and employs a pedagogy that will make your child fall in love with learning.

Enrollment for preschool (ages 3 and 4) and Kindergarten (ages 5 and 6) is now open!

Message Rosanna for a parent packet, conversation or to organize a school tour.

The Discovery Academy of Innovation by SparkleLAB Learning Inc.
We make learning extraordinary!

Storytellers. Artists. Game developers. Scientists. Anthropologists. Public servants. Architects. Engineers. The possibilities are endless!

At the Discovery Academy of Innovation, we help kids grow smart, curious, creative and kind -- and equip them with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and dispositions necessary for success in the 21st century.

Learn more about our programs at www.dailearning.com or get in touch with Teacher Rosanna for a parent meet up and school tour by sending us a private message.

Our libraries and dramatic play spaces nurture the imagination, foster empathy and give rise to pretend play and storytelling.

Take a glimpse at our reading nooks and you will find kids pouring over books and magazines. They aren’t just building foundations in literacy - they’re going on adventures in ancient Egypt, meeting artists in 20th century Paris and exploring forests dark and deep — right in the comfort and safety of their beanbags.

Our pretend play spaces house everything from a bank, post office, corner store and car repair shop to rocket ships, the pyramids of Giza and Wonderland. You’ll find kids dressed up as firemen, farmers, fairies and anything else they dream up.

Kids build communication skills, imagine possibility and are empowered to tell their own stories. Sometimes these stories resemble oral traditions. Other times, kids create comic books, music videos, animations and short films. Through reading, play and by taking on diverse roles and identities, kids come to develop empathy.

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

Learn more about how we raise readers and future storytellers at www.dailearning.com

Wellness practices are key in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. Kids learn about the virus and its transmission through stories and simulations. They learn how to wash their hands, keep their masks on and maintain social distancing.

But wellness practices go far beyond the pandemic.

We help kids adopt healthy habits so they can grow smart, strong and kind.

Music and movement, Spiderman yoga, obstacle courses and lots of playground time are some of the ways we help kids develop physical health. Kids also learn about nutrition, prepare healthy meals at school and understand the value of sleeping right.

Playing with peers, sharing, taking turns and resolving conflict are opportunities to learn. Kids come to understand the concept of community and the importance of social connectedness for their well-being and happiness. When emotions are overwhelming, our teachers help kids discuss their feelings, manage their emotions and practice mindfulness on a daily basis.

By making simple and healthy choices on a daily basis, we help equip our kids for success.

Our Commons houses a small cooking area where kids can whip up all kinds of things.

While learning about fiestas and Philippine traditions, you may find our kids preparing adobo, sinangag and halo-halo.

While learning about their likes and dislikes, you’ll spot our kids making pizza and decide on their very own toppings.

While learning math concepts like fractions, ratios and proportions, you’ll spot our kids counting, measuring, mixing and stirring as they bake cookies.

And while learning about superheroes and their vulnerabilities, you may find our kids squealing in delight as they create glow-in-the-dark Kryptonite candy.

Who said learning couldn’t be delicious?

To learn more about what’s cooking at DAI, visit www.dailearning.com - so much learning and adventures await!

Our sensory play area delights and stimulates the senses – from light boxes that allow children to experiment and play with color to bins where kids explore textures as diverse as slime, play-do, water and grass.

Watch our little archaeologist learn about ancient Egypt and discover the wonders of the human body while examining artifacts and digging through the sand.

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

Learn more about the Discovery Academy of Innovation and how we prepare kids for success in the 21st century by visiting www.dailearning.com

With a strong emphasis on the arts, humanities and STEM and a pedagogy that nurtures a love of learning, we help our students pursue their passions, develop projects of impact and work alongside peers and mentors in communities of practice so they may contribute to their respective fields in meaningful ways.

Our science center is a place of discovery. Here, we pique children’s curiosity about the world around them and inspire them to learn about the way things work.

At our science center, children create terraria and nurture plants as they grow. They learn about animals and care for classroom pets, explore the human body, play with prisms, simulate volcanic eruptions and so much more!

As kids level up on their science skills, they engage in skill building missions and design challenges in the field of STEM.

At any given moment, you will encounter our little scientists exploring, investigating, discovering, hypothesizing, experimenting, testing and problem solving.

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

Our media center and maker space for preschool and Kindergarten is a place where ideas come to life and where passions and projects meet. You will find kids tinkering with all sorts of technology, digital fabrication tools and new materials.

In this space, kids take on the role of storytellers, creating their own games, music videos, short films and animations. Kids also take on the role of tinkerers and makers, creating everything from salt water powered robots and 3D printed jewelry to clothes that light up and toys that move, speak and think.

At any given moment, you will encounter our little makers imagining, designing, creating, testing and problem solving. If they can dream it, they can build it!

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

Our engineering center for preschool and Kindergarten is a place of possibility where imagination, creativity and innovation rule the day.

At our engineering center, you will find kids tinkering with toys, circuits and old clocks, tearing them apart and putting them back together again. You will find kids playing with gears, exploring a wide variety of tools and building models forged of blocks, toothpicks, cardboard or pixels.

As kids level up on their engineering skills, they engage in progressively difficult skill building missions and design challenges in the field of STEM.

At any given moment, you will encounter our little engineers imagining, designing, measuring, building, testing, problem solving and learning through trial and error.

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

Our preschool and Kindergarten math center is a place that lays the foundations for mathematical thinking as kids explore and play with a variety of toys, manipulatives, puzzles and games.

At our math center, kids sort objects according to color, shape or size and explore patterns. They learn to count, measure and gather data on everything from classroom demographics to the most popular recess time snacks. They also engage in pretend play that builds knowledge of operations and encourages entrepreneurship, such as launching their very own lemonade stand or ice cream cart.

As kids level up on their math skills, they engage in skill building missions and design challenges in the field of STEM.

What would you like to be when you grow up? The possibilities are endless!

"We all want to raise smart, successful kids, so it's tempting to play Mozart for our babies and run math drills for kindergartners. After all, we need to give them a head start while they're still little sponges, right?"

"It doesn't quite work that way," says Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and co-author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children with Roberta Golinkoff. She's been studying childhood development for almost 40 years."

"So how does it work? NPR Education reporters and Life Kit hosts Anya Kamenetz and Cory Turner talk with Hirsh-Pasek about the "six C's" that kids need to succeed — collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation and confidence — and why raising brilliant kids starts with redefining brilliant."

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/10/769052767/the-key-to-raising-brilliant-kids-play-a-game

📷 Image from article: LA Johnson /NPR

Humans Are Strategic; Machines Are Tactical

From the Harvard Business Review: "McKinsey has been studying what kind of work is most adaptable to automation. Their findings so far seem to conclude that the more technical the work, the more technology can accomplish it. In other words, machines skew toward tactical applications.

On the other hand, work that requires a high degree of imagination, creative analysis, and strategic thinking is harder to automate. As McKinsey put it in a recent report: “The hardest activities to automate with currently available technologies are those that involve managing and developing people... or that apply expertise to decision making, planning, or creative work.” Computers are great at optimizing, but not so great at goal-setting. Or even using common sense."

Learn more about the Discovery Academy of Innovation and how we prepare kids for the changing world of work by visiting www.dailearning.com.

https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-future-of-human-work-is-imagination-creativity-and-strategy

📷 Image by davisuko of Unsplash.

"Every child begins their journey through life with an incredible potential: a creative mindset that approaches the world with curiosity, with questions, and with a desire to learn about the world and themselves through play."

"However, this mindset is often eroded or even erased by conventional educational practices when young children enter school."

"The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking is often cited as an example of how children’s divergent thinking diminishes over time. 98% of children in kindergarten are “creative geniuses” – they can think of endless opportunities of how to use a paper clip.
This ability is reduced drastically as children go through the formal schooling system and by age 25, only 3% remain creative geniuses."

"How can schools foster skills like problem-solving, creativity and collaboration? Through play, of course!
"If we agree on the urgent need for developing skills of complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity, it is essential that we recognise that these skills are built by learning through play across the lifespan."

"As we invest in our children’s future, let’s be sure to guard against directed learning, “schoolification” or three-year-olds learning their alphabet and numbers in written form when there is no evidence that this will make them better readers."

"We need to challenge ourselves on the logic of flashcards and homework for our youngest at home, and see the value of continuing to create joyful, meaningful play moments with our children.
The natural ability of children to learn through play may be the best-kept, low-cost secret for addressing the skills agenda with potential to equip both our children and our economies to thrive."

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/skills-children-need-work-future-play-lego/

📷 Image from article: REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

From our family to yours, have a wonder-filled Christmas and a bright and hopeful New Year!

Much affection,
The SparkleLAB and Discovery Academy of Innovation Team (Rosanna, Nicole, Justine, Bel, Daniel, Liana, and Jane)

Thank you for being part of our community. 😊 We would love to know more about you! We've put together a short social media habits survey that won't take up much of your time. In return for answering our survey, we would like to send you a free STEAM Education Guide. This will only take 3 minutes of your time: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRJR996

Grab a screenshot that says you've completed the survey. Just email it to [email protected]. That's it! Easy-peasy. We'll send you the file by email.

Are you passionate about education? Do you consider yourself a changemaker and an innovator? Would you like to form part of a team that reimagines the future of learning and redefines what Philippine education will look like?

In August 2022, we’re opening a one-of-a-kind school – the Discovery Academy of Innovation – that aims to make young people fall in love with learning. Beginning with Pre-K School and Kindergarten and adding an additional grade each year, this school will serve as a prototype for K-12 education and 21st- century learning: a space for research, product development, teacher training, and school leadership.

We are deeply committed to preparing children to be responsive and adaptive to our increasingly complex and challenging world. We seek preschool educators who share our playfulness, knack for fun, and passion for working with young people to come join our team!

We believe that:
- Age-appropriate learning experiences conceptualized and executed by a diverse team of experts can help nurture creativity and innovation;
- Academic rigor, grit, and the constant pursuit of excellence can happen in a playful and explorative environment;
- Play based and interest-driven education foster curiosity and a love of learning;
- Situated learning environments provide young people with opportunities for the application of knowledge and skills in real-world contexts, transforming the world into a learning resource and testing ground for their ideas and innovations.
- A culture of respect, social responsibility, and kindness must be modeled for our children by all the adults in our school.

What we’re looking for:
We are looking for experienced Lead Teachers to work with our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes.

The ideal candidate is someone who:
• Embraces change, is flexible and adaptive, and craves continuous improvement and feedback.
• Works collaboratively to not only build connections with our school team through relevant and meaningful experiences but also to enhance relationships with parents and the school community.
• Is passionate about creating intentional and spontaneous experiences that scaffold the child’s understanding of his or her connection to the world, feelings, dispositions, and skills.
• Uses a variety of classroom routines, classroom management tools, and age-appropriate motivational activities to create a safe and robust classroom culture that is responsive to individual interests and activities.
• Can see the big picture of the program and understands how the continually evolving parts, which includes the new technology and research, can help support or redefine the big picture.

A day in the life of a Lead Teacher:
• Preparing daily plans that follow age-appropriate Curriculum and Developmental Guidelines. This consists of the set-up for the different areas, the materials to be used, assessment materials, individualized student paths, and indirect and direct learning and play experiences.
• Organizing various scaffolded inquiry activities such as Discovery quests, Exploratory missions that will help students master skills and content
• Meeting and greeting the students for the day. This could include managing emotions and redirecting focus for the planned learning experience.
• Identifying emotional problems and addressing them with the child’s parents or guardians during parent-teacher conferences or other appropriate sessions.
• Leading routine procedures such as washing hands, roll call, and the quest for the day. Supervising and supporting station-by-station play.
• Helping students integrate with one another and interact in groups, whether they’re working on curriculum, completing tasks, or during play activities.
• Attending staff meetings and collaborating with colleagues to plan to prepare curricular learning experiences and discuss student progress.
• Supervising teaching assistants and volunteers following school procedures and guidelines
• Assessing student performance and academic and behavioral outcomes. Keeping narrative student records and providing parents or guardians with timely progress reports.
• Administering tests and formal assessments; evaluating students’ grade-level performance following school and DepEd. Standards; meeting with parents to discuss performance.
• Executing and planning based on insights from data and research to drive outcomes.
• Other duties as needed.

Qualifications:
• Bachelor or Masters of Elementary Education with a focus on Early Childhood Education
• 3 to 5 years experience in a lead teacher capacity for preschool, kindergarten, or elementary
• Excellent knowledge of child development and the latest education theories and practices
• Creative and artistic teaching abilities

If this sounds like the perfect job for you, please send your CV, cover letter, and any other materials you’d like us to review: [email protected] and [email protected]

“Young people everywhere need to develop a greater breadth of skills to evaluate and apply knowledge in ways that meet the new demands of our changing social and economic landscape.” - Stanford Social Innovation Review series on Education. Do you think your child’s current education options answer this need?

Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s World (SSIR) In a world of rapid change, young people need the right mix of skills to thrive. Access to information is increasing, and memorizing facts is less important today than in the past. Although academic skills remain important, they are not sufficient to foster thoughtful, productive, and engaged citize...

What kind of skills are required for children to succeed in the future? In this article, “Skills for a changing world: Advancing quality learning for vibrant societies” (The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C.), they are clearly 1) non-routine know-how, 2) analytical thinking, 3) adeptness at interpersonal relationships.

Skills for a changing world: Advancing quality learning for vibrant societies How can we best prepare children for success in their lives and livelihoods? In a new paper, Rebecca Winthrop and Eileen McGivney explain that recognizing the world’s constant evolution is key to preparing children for the rapid change in technology, increasing interconnectedness, and new forms em...

If you could change anything about education today, what would it be? 🤔 Let us know in the comments!



📷 Image by Joseph Sung of Unsplash

Many countries today are facing an education crisis, further amplified by the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This World Bank article states, “We know learning happens best when instruction is personalized to meet the needs and strengths of each child, individual progress is tracked, and prompt feedback provided.” Is this something that you currently experience in your child’s education?

The Education Crisis: Being in School Is Not the Same as Learning The world is facing a learning crisis. While countries have significantly increased access to education, being in school isn’t the same thing as learning.

We asked a group of educators and parents: If you could equip your child with one skill you deem necessary for success in the 21st century, what would it be? Here are the results! What are your thoughts?

Swipe ⬅️⬅️⬅️

Does today’s education prepare students for the rapidly changing and complex world?

"We are living in an era of high-stakes testing and global comparisons, which has engendered an urgent need to re-examine the world’s educational systems. The educational foundations that one could once point to with pride are now being brought into question as to whether this is an education worth having. The tectonic shift from didactic to heuristic pedagogy has left most school systems woefully unprepared to scale up for this progressive mindset and universal reality; the departure from predicated skillsets ideal for an industrial construct, and the shift to creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and non-cognitive skills is proving to be more apt and desirable for 21st Century life opportunities.... As Friedman (2016) states, “Average is officially over. When I graduated from college I got to find a job; my daughters have to invent theirs.” - Steven Edwards, PhD, President and CEO of Edwards Educational Services in Alexandria, VA.

https://www.educationworld.com/teachers/does-today%E2%80%99s-education-prepare-students-rapidly-changing-and-complex-world

Image by: Yasril Permanari of Unsplash

Space Camp: Adventures in Science

Junior space explorers, GATHER AROUND! Ever been curious about life BEYOND the Earth’s atmosphere? Over the course of 12 sessions, your very own junior space explorers get to deepen their understanding of space and all its wonders. They assume the roles of astronauts, scientists, and engineers as they participate in real astronaut training exercises, cook their own space food and build their own Mars rovers, without having to leave orbit! So sign up now and get ready to have your mind blown out of this world!

For kids ages 3 to 6
September 13 to October 8, 2021
2 – 5 PM
5x a week (M-F)
3x a week (M-W-F)
2x a week (T-TH)

If you’d like to learn more about our programs, please get in touch with us:
0917-528-5878, [email protected], or send us a message.
You can also sign up here: https://www.dailearning.com/space-camp-signup

Hoping you can join us for a talk on play, games and storytelling -- as our founder, Rosanna, discusses the power of playful museums to helps us connect, empathize and learn :) See you then!
---

Museums tell stories. Games tell stories. Both in their own way and with their specific intensity. Let’s combine the two!

Games are an opportunity for institutions to attract new audiences and interact in new ways with existing audiences. How can museums pivot their stories and experiences to become as engaging for broad groups of people as the stories and experiences that people have with games?

According to the DFC Intelligence report (via GameRant), more than 3 billion people worldwide play video games in their free time. That’s almost 40% of the world's population! Given gaming’s enormous popularity, how can museums use the creativity of game designers and players to realise their goals and visions? What would it take for museums to be more appealing and inviting to game developers and the creative scene?

We’ll talk about these questions as they relate to our Game Jam "A World in Motion", which took place just before the A MAZE Festival. Game designers from all over the world worked with seven Leibniz Research Museums to develop a game that connected the institutions.

A MAZE. / Berlin 2021 - Hyper Hybrid: Playful Museums View more about this event at A MAZE. / Berlin 2021 - Hyper Hybrid