During the Summer of 2019, our girls were 7 and 9 and their favourite camp was the Lemonade Stand Challenge with Build a Biz Kids. Over the course of a week, they learned the hands-on skills needed to plan & execute all of the elements of a lemonade stand as a team with a group of kids. My whole extended family is entrepreneurial, so it was exciting to see that camp spark a love of business in them at a young age. Now going into Fall 2021 at the ages of 9 and 11, I feel fortunate that they can join the year-long BBK Innovators Academy that will take their learning a step further - enhancing their practical education far beyond what they'll learn in elementary school.
Parents who register their kids for the BBK Innovators Academy get to watch their excitement & confidence grow through foundational skills development & experiential learning. Foundational skills - otherwise known as soft skills - are those that last, regardless of technological advancements and changes in our economy. These include communication, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, adaptability, and many more. They also serve to support your child’s ability to acquire additional technical skills, understand and solve complex problems, and develop a lifetime learning mentality. By participating in hands-on, real-world projects, children are given the opportunity to develop foundational skills and exercise their problem-solving abilities. This will equip them with the experience & confidence necessary to prepare them for whatever the future holds.
BBK YEAR 1 - Innovation & Discovery
Year 1 is all about learning through trial and error, that mistakes are temporary, and ideas are nothing without action and effort. Students will learn to identify problems, develop solutions, and take action on their ideas. Concepts & projects in Year 1 include inventing & prototyping, product innovation, business & commerce, branding & marketing, pitching & live selling, and stock markets & finance.
BBK YEAR 2 - Accelerating Social Impact
Year 2 leverages the skills they started developing in Year 1 and gives them space to flex their empathy & creativity muscles on real-world social initiatives. Students will gain perspective on the world around them and feel empowered to want to make a positive difference in their communities & the world. Concepts & projects include e-commerce & web design, social impact & sustainable development goals, writing & storytelling, economics & resource management, and communications & marketing.
BBK YEAR 3 - Immersive Economics & Gamification
Year 3 is the ultimate experience of learning by doing. A significant focus of the projects are on developing their critical thinking, learning to ask the right questions, and finding their own answers. Students will be immersed in real-world scenarios and be given the opportunity to play them out in gamified experiences. Concepts & projects include cyber security, digital product design & prototyping, YouTube & social media, contracts & law, economics & resource management, and digital marketing & communications.
No matter what time of year you register, your child will be enrolled in the entire 30 week BBK Year 1 Program online. Their first day will start at the beginning of the next upcoming semester (January, April, or September), and we're excited that the next one starts the week of September 13th, 2021! Depending on their age, your child will be in the 8-10 year old or 10-12 year old cohort, and you have a choice of a few days/times each week. Our kids will be in separate cohorts on different weekdays, and that works well since they'll share a home computer!
Beyond the obvious benefits of the BBK Innovators Academy, as a parent, I also love the following aspects:
- These classes are once a week online for 75 minutes, and with my kids going back to other in-person programming like soccer this fall, I'm psyched that this one doesn't require more time in the car;
- Parents are discouraged from supervising during class time to foster the kids' independence & ownership;
- I can access all of my kids' projects, updates, and resources through the same BBK Portal as my kids;
- All my kids need is a computer with a keyboard and mouse, a notebook & pen, software that's either free or at a minimal cost, and basic craft supplies that vary by project;
- If my kids can't avoid missing a class, they'll send us a recording to make sure they don't fall behind; and
- They offer great payment plan options and have a very reasonable refund policy!
I'm pretty excited for my kids to start the BBK Innovators Academy this fall, and yours can too!
Born & raised in Vancouver, and co-founder of Healthy Family Media and the Healthy Family Expo, Angela is a reformed divorce lawyer turned healthy family champion! By day, she thrives on connecting conscious brands with busy Vancouver families. By night, you’ll find her wrangling two feisty daughters, choosing between instant pot or healthy freezer meals for dinner, and singing with MomChoir. She especially loves sharing her favourite family-friendly finds with other Lower Mainland parents!
