How Brave Wings
Works

What it is

Finland replaced isolated subjects with cross-curricular enquiry. Children explore real-world phenomena drawing on maths, science, language, and arts simultaneously — driven by genuine curiosity, not a textbook schedule.

Brave Roots (ages 0–5)

Every Brave Roots activity connects sensory experience to a real-world phenomenon — weather, water, plants, animals. Children explore naturally, guided by observation and play rather than structured instruction.

Brave Wings (ages 5–11)

The entire weekly structure is built around a Big Question. Monday's Enquiry, Tuesday's Quest, Wednesday's Maths, Thursday's Literacy — all connect back to the same real-world theme. No subject is taught in isolation.

What it is

Wales built its curriculum around four outcomes for every learner:

• →Ambitious, capable learners
• →Enterprising, creative contributors
• →Ethical, informed citizens
• →Healthy, confident individuals

Brave Roots (ages 0–5)

The five pillars of Brave Roots (Communication, Curiosity, Confidence, Connection, Character) directly mirror the Four Purposes. Every activity is designed to develop the whole child — not just skills, but values, identity, and wellbeing.

Brave Wings (ages 5–11)

Each Brave Wings theme addresses at least two of the Four Purposes. Quests develop creativity and enterprise. Kitchen Table Chats develop ethical thinking. Discovery Day develops confidence and healthy exploration.

What it is

Developed by Jerome Bruner and refined by Singapore's Ministry of Education, CPA teaches every concept in three stages: Concrete (physical objects), Pictorial (diagrams), then Abstract (symbols) — only once truly understood. Singapore consistently ranks #1 globally in maths.

Brave Roots (ages 0–5)

The Concrete stage begins in Brave Roots — children explore quantity, shape, and pattern through physical play long before numbers are introduced. Counting objects, sorting, and matching are embedded in early activities.

Brave Wings (ages 5–11)

Every Wednesday Maths session follows the C→P→A sequence. No abstract number work is introduced until children have physically handled and visually represented the concept. This builds deep, lasting mathematical understanding.

What it is

Harvard's Center on the Developing Child identifies the critical early years as the foundation for all future learning. Their Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework focuses on five core skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Brave Roots (ages 0–5)

Brave Roots is built directly on this framework. The five pillars map to Harvard's five SEL competencies. Every activity, routine, and conversation prompt is designed to strengthen one or more of these foundational skills during the critical 0–5 window.

Brave Wings (ages 5–11)

SEL continues into Brave Wings through Kitchen Table Chats, collaborative Quest projects, and Discovery Day reflection. Children who come through Brave Roots arrive with strong SEL foundations that Brave Wings continues to build on.

What it is

The UK National Curriculum defines expected knowledge and skills for Key Stage 1 (ages 5–7) and Key Stage 2 (ages 7–11) across core subjects: English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Art, and Computing. It is one of the most widely referenced primary frameworks globally.

Brave Roots (ages 0–5)

Brave Roots covers the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) — the pre-KS1 stage of the UK curriculum. The seven areas of learning in EYFS (Communication, Physical, Personal, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts) are all addressed within Brave Roots activities.

Brave Wings (ages 5–11)

Each Brave Wings year is mapped to KS1 (Years 1–2) and KS2 (Years 3–6) subject coverage. Families using Brave Wings as their sole curriculum can demonstrate alignment to national expectations through the progress tracker and portfolio tools.