Do you know what our Boundless Hour is? 

Have you heard of Google’s ‘20% Rule’? 

How many axolotls remain in the wild? 

What’s an axolotl?! 

I ‘axolotl’ questions right?! OK, OK, my jokes are a bit fishy, but read on for answers to all these questions, meet Boundless Explorer, Li-Lou, (our axolotl expert) and, maybe, one more joke. 😜

Boundless Hour is a favourite feature of our regular education timetable amongst our Explorers - especially our Foundation group (aged 7-12). It is based on Google’s ‘20% Rule’ which prioritises the setting aside of 20% of work time for employees to spend dedicated to their own personal passions and interests that are not directly related to their day jobs. This policy has been credited with the development of many of Google's most successful products, including Gmail, Google Maps, and AdSense. Great, right?

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What are the educational and personal benefits of Boundless Hour?

✅ It encourages children to be creative and explore their own interests. When children have the freedom to pursue their own passions, they are more likely to be engaged in their learning.This in turn, helps to nurture a love for learning and ongoing self-development. 

✅ Boundless Hour helps children to develop problem-solving skills. When our Explorers are faced with a challenge on their own, they must learn to think critically and come up with their own solutions.

✅ It can help Explorers to develop a sense of ownership over their own learning. When the children are responsible for their own projects, they are more likely to be invested in their success.

Boundless Hour is a simple but powerful way to encourage creativity, problem-solving, and ownership in children's education. By giving our Explorers the time and freedom to explore their own interests, we can help them to develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.

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Boundless Hour in action with Li-Lou 

I have never told her this (until now, that is) but I was instantly blown away by Li-Lou when we met in Sintra last spring. She was incredibly confident, articulate and super smart! I would not be at all surprised if she goes on to be a world leader or top scientist. 

Like so many of our Explorers, Li-Lou LOVES Boundless Hour. Here she is talking about her chosen topic: Axolotls!

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‍Can you tell us a little about your chosen Boundless Hour project and why you selected the topic of axolotls?

I think it's an adorable and fascinating animal!

What was the most interesting thing you learned?

Did you know that axolotls can regenerate their body parts? Axolotls also sometimes eat their siblings' body parts. There are only about 1,000 of them in the wild around the world, but in captivity, there are almost 1 million.

Was there anything you found challenging? If so, how did you overcome this?

I was stuck and did not know what to do. But I listened to a podcast that was recommended by another family and it helped me. I learned further about how the axolotl regenerate itself. More specifically, it was fun to learn about stem cells and how axolotl’s cells can uniquely go back from specialised cell stage to stem cell stage. 

What was the most fun part of the project?

Drawing the axolotl. Because the axolotls are so cute - they cannot not smile, their cute frilly gills, legs and tail.  And that makes them great drawing characters! 

If you do a follow-up project, how would you take it to the next level?

I would write about where they live and how to care for them. I would also make an instruction page on how to draw them!

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I would ‘axolotl’ more questions, but I don’t want to sound like I'm fishing for information 🎣(I said there’d be another joke - I didn’t say it would be a good one!). Here are some BONUS fun facts about these superb salamanders!

🦎 Axolotls are neotenic salamanders. This means that they retain their juvenile features, such as their external gills and fins, even into adulthood.

🦎 Axolotls can regenerate limbs and organs. If they lose a leg or tail, it will simply grow back. This is an amazing ability that very few animals have.

🦎 Axolotls can change colour. Their skin can adapt to the colour of their surroundings, which helps them to camouflage themselves from predators.

🦎 Axolotls are carnivores. They eat small insects, worms, and other invertebrates. As Li-Lou said, they can even eat each other. However, this only usually happens when they are stressed or not kept in the right conditions. 

🦎 Axolotls are critically endangered in the wild. They are only found in Lake Xochimilco and the surrounding canals in Mexico City.

🦎 Axolotls are popular pets. They are relatively easy to care for and they have a lot of personality. As with all pets though, prospective owners need to do their research first to ensure they can properly care for them. 

Does your child have a passion or interest that they would love to share during Boundless Hour? If so, we would love to tell you more about the opportunities to join Boundless Education in one of our wonderful locations.