At The Story School, our magical professors and master sorcerers weave together fascinating lessons with epic tales to create the most enchanting education you've ever experienced.
Passive learning is out and immersive activities are in!
Our students don't just read about physics -- they become warriors in a gripping historic adventure who build catapults to defend their castle. They don't just listen to lectures about geometry -- they become jousting knights who use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the perfect striking distance.
Every one of our classes and educational events is built around an intriguing and imaginative story.
Live the STORY and bring the facts to life!
Join us for a Class, Event, or Summer Camp
Whether you participate in our unique classes, educational Live Action Role Playing events, or immersive fantasy STEAM summer camps, you'll become an integral character in a curious and fanciful adventure.
Are you ready to battle monsters, solve mysteries, build alliances, brave challenges, and learn about science, math, technology, mythology, languages, history, fencing, and more?
Activities are available both online and in person.
WHAT WILL YOU JOIN US FOR?
CURRICULUM
What do our heroes learn?
TEAM BUILDING
Heroes learn team tactics and cooperative skills to succeed in their adventure
CREATIVITY
Activities are designed to foster creativity, innovation, and self-expression
STEM SKILLS
Physics, chemistry, biology and more. Our heroes practice STEM through creative play
LANGUAGES
Our scrolls and spells are in Latin and other languages, just waiting to be deciphered
COURAGE
Students face their fears and learn to find strength in the face of adversity
WORLD CULTURES
Heroes are exposed to other cultures, adding an ethical dimension to our adventures
PROBLEM SOLVING
Students learn to view problems in a different light and to utilize creative problem solving
COMMUNICATION
Our adventures emphasize communicating thoughts and decisions
HISTORY
Heroes learn about characters from around the world and throughout history
STORY-BASED LEARNING
Online & In-Person
for students aged 4 - adult
Make learning an adventure!
Prepare yourself for any possible challenge you might encounter on your heroic journey. We'll teach you everything from handling weapons, to triangulating the location of a hidden enemy, to counteracting poisons. And we won't just lecture you -- all of our classes are story-based. That means that your heroic character will be called upon to USE the skills you've just learned to complete a quest, save a community, or even topple a foe.
CLASSES
Roleplaying
Games
Interactive
Games
Fencing
Adventures
Historic
Weapons
Learn critical thinking skills, self confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills as you fight monsters and solve mysteries!
Build rapport & community, learn teamwork and problem-solving with fun improvisational games and group challenges.
Study all aspects of Olympic foil fencing techniques, skills, and theory right from the comfort of your own home!
Take a “world tour” of swords and other weapons, and learn about historic battle techniques by re-enacting their styles.
EVENTS
What adventure will you join?
Explore fantastical worlds, brave formidable challenges, forge bonds with courageous comrades and gain heart, spirit, and self-confidence along the way. Whether you choose to physically transform into your own heroic character to participate in our Live Action Role Playing events, or you prefer to mentally inhabit your character and roll the dice to determine the outcome of your adventures at our Dungeons & Dragons games, we offer a full slate of immersive story-based educational adventures to test your resourcefulness and bravery.
STORY-BASED EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Online & In-Person
for ages 7 - adult
Suit up in character to stand against the forces of darkness. Join with your fellow heroes to battle monsters, solve mysteries, and enjoy all manner of immersive fantasy adventures.
Join weekly games of intense roleplaying and imagination using 5th Edition materials. Games focus on immersive adventure and are available for all ages.
Magic, mysteries and monsters await! Spend a half or full day immersed in a thrilling fantasy adventure, collaborating with your fellow heroes to save the day!
CAMPS
Wizards & Warriors™ Summer Camp combines Live Action Role Playing with STEAM education to give children ages 8 – 18 the opportunity to become heroes in their own stories. During their camp sessions, campers suit up as their own unique characters and immerse themselves in the ongoing adventures of the fantasy world known as Sidleterra. Camper-heroes complete STEAM lessons to earn strength points and magical abilities, which they’ll use to battle a range of monsters and save the day.
NEW: Overnight camp will take place at
The Publick House Inn in Sturbridge Mass this year!
Take your adventure to the next level!
FOR AGES 8 - 18
Wizards & Warriors™ Summer Camp combines Live Action Role Playing with STEAM education to give children ages 8 – 18 the opportunity to become heroes in their own stories.
During their two-week camp sessions at The Publick House in Sturbridge, MA, campers suit up as their own unique characters and immerse themselves in the ongoing adventures of the fantasy world known as Sidleterra. Camper-heroes complete STEAM lessons to earn strength points and magical abilities, which they’ll use to battle a range of monsters and save the day.
FOR AGES 8 - 15
Not ready for in-person or overnight camp? You can still spend the summer in the magical world of Sidleterra! Our fearless leaders are searching the world for heroes who will stand against the forces of darkness, who have the heart to see their missions to the end, and who have an insatiable appetite for adventure. Will YOU step forward to join the adventure? All of our interactive virtual adventures utilize the STEAM-focused story-based educational style of our in-person adventures.
Wizards & Warriors™ is a trademark of Guard Up, Inc.
MISSION & PHILOSOPHY
Our Mission
To promote story-based education for students via summer camps, events, workshops, and other outreach activities
To gather and provide scientific research and information on the benefits of story-based education
To provide training for the betterment of curriculum in educational institutes
To provide scholarships for students pursuing story-based education – especially as it pertains to research which promotes the benefits of story-based education
Our Values
We believe that stories are a profoundly effective vehicle for learning
Our Purpose
To create a greater understanding of how stories improve lesson comprehension and retention
Our Vision
To be a resource for educators and learners for improving the distribution of and access to story based learning
Every child is a hero.
The Story School gives them the chance to prove it to themselves
and you will see your child grow into the hero they want to be.
Because our stories are your child’s practice for real life.
Parents & guardians: take a moment and imagine how your child will feel
when, in a moment of strife, they discover their courage…
When they stand before a villain and fight for those who cannot defend themselves…
When they speak for those who suffer from lack of a voice…
When they face failure and continue forward because they know, deep in their heart,
that they can survive this setback and try again…
When they bond with other kids who feel the same call to action and
desire to be greater than the moment before them…
When they celebrate their victory with an intense feeling of accomplishment –
because they had a part in this story and they made a difference…
When they realize that learning is an intriguing, life long endeavor
that is exciting to explore outside of the boundaries of school.
TESTIMONIALS
“This is the best camp experience my son has ever had! He can’t wait to go back! My son Ryan is usually the brainiac who no one really knows at home, but when we went to camp for the feast and heard he stood up in front of everyone to defend a spirit who no one else believed in and changed the minds of the rest, he experienced what I knew he could accomplish. Everyone was telling him how brave he was…I always knew my son could do wonderful things…but camp allowed him to show himself.”
- Marianne Murphy Harris
Testimonial of a Practicum Student: Brianna Priffer (May 2021)
HELP SAVE THE STORIES!
All humans are wired for stories. This is how we have passed information from generation to generation since we lived in caves. Our desire for a good story can even outweigh our desire for food or safety. Stories inspire us and heal us. They give us direction and they light the spark that becomes the fuel for pursuing a passion. They are also our most valuable tool in education. Stories provide context for lessons and help with both comprehension and retention. Why do you think fables, myths, and legends persist through the centuries? It is because they provide us with a much-needed vehicle for learning. This is the purpose and foundation of The Story School.
The Story School, a 501c3 nonprofit, provides story-based education to kids, teens, and adults of countless backgrounds. We use stories to teach everything from world cultures to STEM to essential learning skills. Our teachers, counselors, and instructors are professional storytellers who invite the students into an adventure where the student is the hero and the lesson is the obstacle that we must conquer together in order to complete the journey.
In previous years, fundraising allowed us to keep our highly immersive and involved educational experiences affordable for our students. However, 2020 forced a seasonal closure of our in-person camps. While The Story School was able to move programs online, the loss in campers, revenue, and fundraising opportunities we typically receive was staggering. We have seen many of our fellow summer camps and educational organizations close their doors permanently. These are very difficult times for small organizations without an endowment to lean upon. This is why we are asking for your assistance.
