Excursions and outdoor skills
Day trips, longer outings, and skills practiced outside. Gifts can cover tickets, transportation, and the other costs of a day away. Fire-building beside the red barn is one of those outdoor projects.
Parent-led 501(c)(3) for Acton Academy Champions in Houston
We fund hands-on learning.
Pencil Parents raises money for the quests and real-world projects learners take on at Acton Academy Champions in Houston, Texas: trips, outdoor skills, the makerspace, the reading corner, and the school flock.
What we fund
Parents choose the projects. The gifts pay for quests and real-world work: time off campus, tools in the makerspace, the school flock, and the studio itself. Acton Academy has not endorsed these projects.
Makerspace
Tools and materials for hands-on building. The group has funded Bambu Lab 3D printers for the makerspace, along with supplies that keep them running. Learners also build with LEGO beside the studio laptops.
School flock and coop
A real-world project on the school yard. Young chicks and pullets live in a grassy run, and a new wooden coop is up. The next step is predator-proofing it.
See the coop appeal
Reading corner
Books and other materials for independent studio work. The reading corner, with bean bags, a window seat, and shelves of books, is one of the spaces these gifts are for.
Community events
Showcases, shared meals, and other gatherings for families. Learners also sit in a circle to talk things through. Socratic discussion is part of the Acton model in general. This photo is our own studio circle.
Stories from the work
These photos were shared by the parent group. They show real scenes at Acton Academy Champions. They are not quotes, and they are not fundraising totals.
The chicken run
The school chicken project at Acton Academy Champions.
A mixed flock
A second view of the same run, from above.
Sorting eggs
Hands-on studio work, shared by the parent group.
How to help
A gift, an hour, or a sponsored project all move the work forward. Start with whatever fits.
Donate
Give any amount on our Givebutter page. Card numbers stay off this website.
Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 41-3701998. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Volunteer
Parents and neighbors can help with events, trips, and makerspace upkeep. The chicken coop also needs hands for a build weekend.
[PLACEHOLDER: how volunteering works and who coordinates it]
Sponsor a project
Cover a specific cost, from a field trip to a batch of maker materials. The community appeal for the coop invites gifts of $25 to $100 to sponsor the hardware wire, plus material donations and a build weekend.
[PLACEHOLDER: current projects open for sponsorship]
Corporate matching
If your employer matches charitable gifts, Pencil Parents is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Our EIN is 41-3701998.
[PLACEHOLDER: matching-gift instructions and any registered platforms]
Upcoming needs
Predator-proofing the chicken coop is the project we can fund now. The rows under it are still labeled placeholders, not current requests.
Current project: predator-proofing our chicken coop
The wooden coop is framed and roofed. The open bays still need a barrier that predators cannot push through, and the ground needs an apron so animals cannot dig under the walls. The school flock is already in the run.
The community appeal asks for three kinds of help.
Sponsor the hardware wire
A gift of $25 to $100 sponsors the 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth. Give on our Givebutter page. Card numbers stay off this website.
Donate materials
If you would rather give supplies than money, the build can use:
- 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth
- Staples
- Screws and washers
- Lumber
- Gravel for an anti-dig apron
Join a build weekend
We need volunteers for a build weekend. Tell us you can come and what you are able to do.
- Placeholder[PLACEHOLDER: makerspace material, such as filament or a tool]
- Placeholder[PLACEHOLDER: upcoming excursion and what it needs]
- Placeholder[PLACEHOLDER: classroom or studio supply]
- Placeholder[PLACEHOLDER: community event cost]
About Pencil Parents
Pencil Parents is a parent-led 501(c)(3). We support learners at Acton Academy Champions in Houston, Texas. We are not the school. Acton Academy has not endorsed Pencil Parents, and this site does not speak for Acton Academy.
In general, Acton Academy studios worldwide are learner-driven. Learners work in mixed-age studios. They hold Socratic discussions, take on hands-on quests and apprenticeships, and do real-world projects. The path is called the Hero's Journey. Learners are called heroes and eagles. That is a description of the model, not a statement from Acton Academy, and not a claim that every studio does each part the same way.
Pencil Parents funds the quests and projects that bring that kind of work to life here. That includes excursions, outdoor skills such as fire-building by the barn, the makerspace and its Bambu Lab 3D printers, the reading corner, and the school flock and coop.
The IRS recognizes Pencil Parents as exempt under section 501(c)(3) and as a public charity described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). Exemption is effective January 13, 2026. The EIN is 41-3701998.
We do not publish a street address. Mail: [PLACEHOLDER: mailing address]
Questions families ask
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. Pencil Parents is a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 41-3701998. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Exemption is effective January 13, 2026. Keep your receipt and check with a tax advisor about your own return.
Where does the money go?
Excursions and outdoor skills, the makerspace (including Bambu Lab 3D printers), the reading corner, community events, and the school flock. The current project is predator-proofing the chicken coop. The community appeal invites gifts of $25 to $100 for the hardware wire, material donations, and volunteers for a build weekend. We have not published a spending breakdown.
[PLACEHOLDER: link to a financial summary or Form 990 when one is available]
How do I volunteer?
Send a note through the contact form and tell us how you would like to help. A build weekend for the chicken coop is one way to start.
[PLACEHOLDER: how volunteering works and who coordinates it]
Are you part of the school?
Pencil Parents is an independent parent group. We support learners at Acton Academy Champions in Houston, Texas. We are not the school. Acton Academy has not endorsed us. The notes on this site about quests, Socratic discussion, the Hero's Journey, heroes, and eagles describe the Acton model in general. They are not an official Acton Academy statement.
Will I enter a card on this website?
No. Donate buttons open our Givebutter page in a new tab. Pencil Parents never collects card numbers here.
Contact
Questions, volunteer offers, and sponsorship ideas are welcome. The form stores your message in the server log. It does not send email yet.
[PLACEHOLDER: contact email or form destination]