A toddler waves a handmade pirate flag while an older sibling practices saying words in another language. Nearby, a recipe from Guam sits open on the kitchen counter.
For a growing number of St. Louis families, global learning isn’t just happening in a classroom or on a plane. It’s happening at the kitchen table.
That’s the idea behind Global Sprouts, a cultural education company creating screen-free activity kits and magazines designed to help children explore countries, traditions, foods, and languages through hands-on play. Founded in late 2024, the company is now expanding its reach through schools, libraries, museums, and homeschool communities, including here in St. Louis.
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The Background
“The purpose behind Global Sprouts is really just trying to break down cultural and geographical barriers for kids,” says Kaitlyn Ivancic, the company’s marketing chair and a St. Charles mother of three.
In practice, that means turning kitchens, playrooms, and living rooms into spaces for cultural discovery.
Each monthly “Passport to Play” magazine introduces children to a new country through activities tailored to different age groups, while the company’s larger culture kits include hands-on materials and crafts that families can complete together. Countries featured so far range from Australia and the Philippines to Guam, Cyprus, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“A lot of children in America are probably not leaving the country while they’re young,” Ivancic says. “We wanted to create something that allowed culturally curious families to explore different cultures and nationalities without having to leave their living room.”
As more families look for alternatives to screen-heavy entertainment and standardized learning, cultural subscription kits have become part of a broader shift toward hands-on, experience-based education.
The company launched its first box in March 2025 and has quickly found an audience among homeschool families, museums, libraries, and parents looking for more meaningful screen-free activities.
The Mission
For Ivancic, the mission is personal. Her husband previously lived abroad while serving in the military, and travel has become a major part of their family culture. Now, with children ages 5, 4, and 2, she says Global Sprouts has become part of how they talk about food, language, traditions, and life outside the United States.
“We really wanted our young kids to have that exposure and to be curious about what’s going on outside of America,” she says. “If we can help raise kids who are more open-minded and culturally aware, that’s the bigger goal.”
That early exposure matters, she says, because young children absorb information differently than adults.
“Children love what is different,” Ivancic says. “Global Sprouts is showing them that different is amazing and not scary. We want kids to grow up curious instead of intimidated.”
The Activities
The programming is intentionally multisensory. Kids might hear a story, color a country’s flag, practice greetings in a new language, try a recipe, complete a craft, or learn through music and movement—all within the same lesson.
“They need to see it, smell it, taste it, feel it,” Ivancic says. “That’s what makes a permanent impression on their brain.”
To ensure cultural accuracy, the company works with cultural ambassadors from each featured country, consulting them on everything from language pronunciation to traditions and storytelling.
“We don’t want to misrepresent the culture,” Ivancic says. “We want it to look, sound, and feel correct.”
The Expansion
The company has also started hosting story times and cultural play sessions at libraries, schools, and museums nationwide, including locally in St. Charles. Each session typically includes storytelling, crafts, flag coloring, music, and hands-on activities centered around a featured culture.
Global Sprouts is in talks with The Magic House about a future partnership and plans to sponsor a cultural exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis later this year. Ivancic says the response from St. Louis area homeschool groups and libraries has been especially enthusiastic.
“The kids don’t even realize they’re learning because they’re playing and creating and having fun,” Ivancic says.
For families interested in trying the program, Global Sprouts currently offers its first Passport to Play magazine for $1, with no expiration date currently set on the promotion. Families can subscribe monthly or purchase one-off kits depending on their budget and interest level.
And even for families who never leave Missouri this summer, Ivancic hopes the experience helps children think beyond their own backyard.
“The world is huge,” Ivancic says. “There’s so much to see beyond just our own backyard.”
