Juliana Brady likes surprises, and when you’re 7, that enthusiasm sometimes sparks inspiration.
Such was the case with her new handmade product Soapy Surprises, which debuted at her school’s business fair last weekend.
So far, judging by the small crowd of children and adults lining up in front of her at the table, the product appears to be a big success.
Its secret? Two plastic sea animals hidden within the cavity of the glittery, deep-blue soap bar that will eventually be revealed after multiple washings.
Brady came up with the idea based on her love of bathing, hidden gems and anything sparkly, she said, though she can’t speak to whether the food coloring in the soap might temporarily turn skin blue after washing.
That part wasn’t tested in the research and development phase, but it’s all part of the learning curve as the 7-year-old learns the basics of being an entrepreneur as part of her school’s curriculum.
Hands-On Learning
Brady is one of 15 students at Homestead Learning, a microschool in rural Gillette that launched in 2024.
What started 18 months ago with eight students and a dream for building an alternative learning environment as an alternative to public schools has since doubled in size and added a teacher.
Homeschooling and microschools exploded with the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to grow, reports the National Microschooling Center.
It’s estimated that about 2% of the nation’s K-12 student population is microschooled, the organization says.
The school was cofounded by Brady’s mother, Alison Brady, and Jenna Walker as an alternative to public school.
It’s housed on the grounds of the Prairie Sky Venue off Highway 50, about 10 miles south of Gillette in rural Campbell County on sprawling land sandwiched between ranches.
The career fair is the culmination of months of work as students designed, crafted and practiced “elevator pitches” prior to the fair last weekend.
Along with Brady’s soap and her hand-painted miniature farm animals, students were selling slime, stress balls, diamond art coasters, bath bombs, leather saddle conchos and a host of other products and baked goods added to draw in customers.
School co-founder Alison Brady watched the crowds move between tables at the fair in what was a turnout better than she expected. Within 30 minutes, the students had mostly cleared out their products and were ready for the communal spaghetti dinner.
All In The Family
Engaging parents in their children’s learning experience is one of the hallmarks of the school’s foundation, Brady said.
This along with fostering lifelong learners using a mix of homeschool curriculum with a Montessori approach, including Socratic debate with multi-aged students, hands-on learning and inspiring students through exploration, curiosity and play while emphasizing their individual interests.
Playtime and family time are also key to their educational approach as is teaching practical life skills.
Along with studying core subjects, the school also teaches children to use a tape measure, balance a checkbook, basic sewing and cooking their own meals in the on-site kitchen as well as to seek out mentors in various fields to help foster their real-world business skills.
One of the selling points also is the small, interactive class sizes, Brady noted.
By definition, microschools typically serve anywhere from eight up to 20 students and offer both small classes and flexible learning environment that can be either religious or secular like their school.
The students are considered homeschoolers by the state of Wyoming and are supported through tuition and private donations.
Homestead Learning serves students ages 4 to 12, but ultimately plans to extend that to 18 as the children continue aging.
Independent Workers
The entrepreneurial aspect of the school is paramount to its co-founders.
Brady is a Gillette-based physician’s assistant with her own practice, and her husband owns a body repair and paint shop.
Likewise Walker, who formerly taught sports medicine at Campbell and Converse county high schools, also runs JW Walker Land and Livestock with her husband, Jason.
The pair, both mothers whose children also attend the new school, value also teaching life and business skills that will further serve them upon graduation.
Brady said trends show that young people are more likely to be independent contractors versus following traditional paths of employment.
“The world's changing, and we don't know what it's going to look like, so we want to make sure they are able to have their own businesses and control their own future,” she said.
This means developing their own abilities and skill sets that allow them to navigate their chosen career path, she said.
At this age, the children were not required to do their own fundraising for their products or reinvest their sales in their various businesses because their products might change.
That, too, is part of the learning process.
Everyone’s Learning
As the school continues to grow, she and Walker are also tempering the design of the school.
It’s been a learning curve for them to enmesh the various grades together, Brady said, and they found they needed to add a second classroom this year to provide the older students with quiet time so they could focus.
This meant bringing in a second teacher, or “school guides” as they are called, to oversee both groups.
Students have the option of attending one day a week for $2,700 a semester, which breaks down to $300 per month, up to four days for $600 a month per student.
It’s unclear how many microschools exist in Wyoming, but along with the Gillette school there are at least two others in Casper and Jackson.
Nationally, it’s also hard to gauge numbers though a 2024 report from the RAND Corp., a nonpartisan research organization, estimated there are between 750,000 to 2.1 million microschools operating across the U.S.
The same research shows that the microschool educational model is becoming increasingly more popular, particularly in states with educational savings accounts.
Last year, the Wyoming Legislature passed the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship, which Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law in March 2025.
This is a $30 million school choice program that would grant $7,000 annually per student in an education savings account for K-12 students to cover private or home education expenses.
The law, however, was blocked from taking effect last summer by a Cheyenne-based judge and is being reviewed by the Wyoming Supreme Court with the future hanging on that ruling.
Family Focused
Regardless of which way that pendulum swings, schools like Homestead Learning will continue to thrive because the model appears to be catching on, at least locally in Gillette.
That night at the business fair, both Walker and Brady commented on the wide turnout of customers who turned up to support the students.
Involving family is a huge part of the school’s philosophy, the women said, as is celebrating community and family roots.
This included Sayge Walker’s handmade leather saddle conchos, which he was selling — along with his favorite pancakes — under the company name SW Co. with the motto “Young hands, big dreams.”
Sayge also now sells his conchos at the Gillette Saturday Market.
Sayge is learning the skill from his grandfather, master leather craftsman and saddlemaker, John L. Blair, who said his grandson is a natural.
Letting children follow their own curiosity and natural talents is also paramount to their educational model, Brady said.
They’re also big on encouraging outdoor play, field trips and this summer will be offering a weeklong, nature-based camp focused on hands-on outdoor adventures.
The school will continue to grow and evolve in line with their students’ needs, Brady said, which is all part of the learning curve.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
