As I shared a few weeks ago, after a lively debate, Discovery democratically decided to move forward with their mural project. In Spark, no vote was needed—everyone agreed from the start that creating a mural was something they wanted to do.
Since then, the Pumas have been engaging in different exercises to reflect on composition, style, proportion, color, and other elements involved in creating a collective artwork.
On a Monday morning with the Sparks, I asked, “How was your weekend, Pumas?” The Pumas usually share the activities they did, what they had for breakfast or lunch, whether they visited someone, or if they went to the park. But that Monday was different. Something had happened that the Sparks were trying to understand in their own way: the second round of Peru’s presidential elections.
Reading Grit by Angela Duckworth was a game changer in my life. In the learning environment I grew up in, the adults leading us often praised those who finished quickly, those for whom things came naturally and effortlessly. But when I understood that what mattered wasn’t doing it fast, but perseverance, the ability to get back up after difficulty and keep trying, that was my wake-up call.
In Acton, one of the most important responsibilities of a Guide is to lift a Learner’s eyes to the horizon, so they can imagine what’s possible and find their path with a clear vision of what they dream of, and the effort required to make it real.
At Tinkuy, we’re carefully preparing the ground to open our Launchpad Studio for High School in a couple of years. It may still feel far away, and we’ve been walking toward it for almost a decade. Our first Launchpadders will arrive after growing with us for 7 to 10 years. That’s the kind of foundation we can build on.
By Giannira Giunti
There is a different kind of energy at the end of a Quest. The Studio becomes louder, faster, fuller of movement. You can see it in simple moments: notes spread across tables, groups discussing decisions, plans changing after trial and error, or learners testing ideas more than once.
During session 2, the Pumas stepped into the challenge of building a business from the ground up. The final goal sounded simple: sell lemonade. But what does it actually take to turn an idea into something real?
Before the lemonade stand existed, there were questions. How much should a cup cost? What happens if ingredients are too expensive? How do you convince someone to buy your product? What makes a recipe worth coming back for?
The Quest slowly transformed those questions into action.
Some days were dedicated to testing recipes, adjusting sweetness, comparing flavors, and deciding what made a “good” lemonade. Other days focused on researching prices, calculating costs per cup, organizing materials, or discussing how to make a profit without losing quality.
And somewhere in between the math, the tasting, and the planning, something else started to happen.
Different Pumas began shining in different ways. Some discovered they enjoyed leading conversations. Others became deeply focused on details and calculations. Some learned how to adapt quickly when things did not go as planned. Others noticed the importance of teamwork or patience under pressure.
The lemonade stand itself lasted only a short time. The learning behind it stretched much further.
For some Pumas, the most memorable part was seeing a customer enjoy something they had created. For others, it was realizing how much preparation exists behind even the smallest business. A few walked away thinking about money and value in a different way. Others discovered confidence in speaking, organizing, or making decisions alongside their tribe.
And maybe that is one of the most interesting parts of learning by doing: everyone experiences the same Quest, but no one leaves with exactly the same lesson.
When learning becomes tangible, it changes shape.
Math becomes strategy.
Writing becomes persuasion.
Collaboration becomes necessary.
Mistakes become information instead of failure.
So what does learning by doing actually look like?
Sometimes it looks like spilled lemonade, rewritten calculations, changing plans, nervous smiles before opening sales, and proud reflections afterward.
And sometimes, it looks like a group of Pumas discovering that they are capable of much more than they thought.
Like every year, the second session Quest is E-Ship (Entrepreneurship).
It is an experience in which the Pumas imagine, design, and execute their own entrepreneurship project.
Although we often see the final result during the fair or Exhibition, the real learning happens throughout the entire process: in the decisions they make, the changes of ideas, the organization, and the challenges that arise along the way.
Who is Bernardo? Some of you who still haven’t met him might be wondering.
Bernardo is Tinkuy’s dog. Although, sometimes, the Pumas say he is one more Puma and even debate about which studio he would belong to.
Over the past year, new families have joined the community, and I think it’s important to share a little about Bernardo and how he arrived at Tinkuy.
I couldn't help noticing the stark contrast between the world our children are growing up in and the one I knew. In Lima in the 1990s, when people around me finished high school, if they were lucky, they got to choose from the top local options: “la PUCP”, “la Pacífico” or “la de Lima”; San Marcos or Cayetano; maybe UNI or “la Richi”. For us, studying abroad for undergrad was simply unimaginable.
For our children, “abroad” is an option, not a fantasy.
There are moments in the day that aren’t scheduled, announced, or planned, yet they end up shaping the atmosphere of the studio. One of those moments is D.E.A.R, Drop Everything and Read.
The invitation is clear and bold: pause whatever you’re doing and read. No option to “let me finish this first.” Just a quiet shift, choosing a book you are interested in and stepping into it.
Last Tuesday, the Spark Studio engaged in a dialogue about body care. The objective was simple yet meaningful: to help children recognize their own body sovereignty, and express, in a concrete way, what types of contact feel comfortable, uncomfortable, or context-dependent.
Through a dynamic activity using colored paper, valuable reflections emerged from the children. And their families, who joined us to observe during a Parents Coffee, got to see the process first hand.
A few weeks ago, Inés and Gianni (guides of Ascend and Discovery, respectively) traveled with the Pumas who attended the international Acton network gathering in El Salvador. Some Mapaches (parents of the Pumas) took turns accompanying the Discovery Tribe while they were away.
Our task was clear: simply be present, without intervening, unless there was an imminent safety risk.
In this blog we share three parent perspectives of what we observed.
This year in Ascend we are testing a new format for the weekly 360. One single question. The new format asks them to connect the score to what happened, and to name the impact on themselves and others. It also gives them shared language for what we actually care about: honoring promises, protecting teamwork, and keeping the Studio healthy.
We are starting the year and, with it, new adventures in the Spark Tribe. We have new members, and that makes us very happy. This blog will focus on this reconfiguration of the tribe, the mixed-age structure of the group, the adaptation process, and how these young Heroes gradually get to know and recognize one another along their journey.
As we begin a new year at Tinkuy, I return to something simple and powerful: the words we choose can strenghten us or wear us down. A cooked rice experiment in Discovery reminded us that the body listens, that complaining carries weight, and that loving words can protect, heal, and strengthen our bonds, especially when it’s time to repair.
