FOR TEACHERS
OUTDOOR CURRICULUM
Designed by experts and loved by families, our curriculum helps kids ages 1½ to 8 learn essential skills and connect to the natural world. Get 10 lesson plans with videos and printables each season.
Try 14 Days FreeMISSION-FOCUSED COMMUNITY
Become part of our community of educators committed to the power of purposeful outdoor play.
TRAINING & SUPPORT
Get on-demand training, mobile-friendly teacher tools, exclusive access to teacher forums, and our Tinkergarten Teacher Certification program. You’ll feel inspired, prepared, and fully supported at every step.
With Tinkergarten Pro, you’ll get training and support in starting and growing a business, promotion in our Teacher Directory, and continued support through DIY marketing collateral, social media campaigns, and direct marketing programs.
ULTIMATE FLEXIBILITY
Set up Tinkergarten your way. Teach when and where you want, with flexible payment options. Pay with a credit card, or have your school or center fund your subscription. Learn more
Whether you want to teach in an existing learning setting or you’d like to bring Tinkergarten to your community, we have the plan to support you.
Plus
Teach Tinkergarten in your classroom, early learning center, or homeschool.
Core teacher training
Seasonal curriculum guides
Weekly lesson plans
Activities and printables
Live, online teacher meetups
Access to our online teacher forums
7 day/week email support
Seasonal iron-on badge to celebrate progress
Pro
Earn money and make an impact—offer Tinkergarten classes in your community.
Core teacher training
Seasonal curriculum guides
Weekly lesson plans
Activities and printables
Live, online teacher meetups
Access to our online teacher community
7 day/week email support
Seasonal iron-on badge to celebrate progress
High quality printed resources ($39/curriculum value)
Training and expert guidance to get your program started
Marketing training and support
Promotional listing on Tinkergarten website
Grab-and-go marketing materials
Social media and direct marketing programs
Official Tinkergarten T-shirt ($29 value)
Sign up to get a 6-minute “how it works” video to learn more and find out how to get your questions answered.
What are the learning goals of the Tinkergarten program?
Tinkergarten’s core program is designed for learners age 1.5 to 8 years old. Our child-led, play-based approach is designed to support a wide range of learners in engaging in deep, meaningful learning.
The curriculum guides learners through play experiences designed to support the development of the following 8 essential skills—all while deepening children’s connection to the natural world we all share. The 8 skills include:
• Communication
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Focus
• Persistence
• Problem Solving
• Sensory Development
• Wellness
Each series of 10 lessons supports the development of one skill and is designed to be completed within a 10-13-week period at whatever frequency works for the teacher and learners.
Every two years, we repeat our 8-skill cycle, allowing learners to revisit core concepts at a more advanced developmental stage and adding new twists to the curriculum to delight teachers and children alike. Visit our What We Offer page to learn more about the current and upcoming series of curricula.
Are Teachers paid to teach Tinkergarten?
Tinkergarten teachers are able to run programs in whichever way(s) works best for them, their family and their community. Teachers set the cost of classes, collect fees directly from families and can adjust their own costs and fees to reach their own, personal goals. Tinkergarten has always been a program designed to include and support teachers who have Tinkergarten-aged children in including the children they love.
Tinkergarten for Teachers includes resources and guidance to make it easy to manage the logistics surrounding running your own Tinkergarten programs, covering topics like finding a location, setting up a registration process and policies, collecting payment from families, and more. As a member of the community, you’ll also get to see the different ways teammates bring the program to life—but in truth, the sky’s the limit!
Do Tinkergarten lessons take place outdoors?
We strongly believe that quality outdoor learning can take place in a variety of locations! We can “tinker anywhere” and classes have taken place in local parks, community green spaces, local businesses, libraries, private residences, schools and more. The curriculum is designed to take place outdoors.
To reach all kids, we also design for flexibility, so Tinkergarten lessons can be adapted to use a hybrid indoor/outdoor environment as well. Your Tinkergarten for Teachers subscription will include resources to support you in choosing a location for classes, seeking permission, setting up your teaching area and more.
How do I sign up?
Tinkergarten for Teachers is a subscription service designed to support you in delivering the Tinkergarten curriculum on an ongoing basis. You can elect to be billed on a monthly basis or one year at a time (and save up to $89 per year!).
Our series curricula are designed to support kids in developing 8 critical skills, and each series highlights one as the “focus skill” through a 10-week learning plan.
Subscribers gain immediate access to resources for the current series including lesson plans, training, and more. Tinkergarten will deliver four, 10-week series and new accompanying resources per year. Please click here for more details about what’s included in a Tinkergarten for Teachers subscription.
Who can sign up?
Anyone who wants to teach the Tinkergarten program and share the transformative power of outdoor play with families in their community and/or with students in a learning setting like a classroom, forest school, homeschool coop, day care, etc.
Whether or not you have experience teaching in formal learning settings, if you have a passion for nature, feel play in your bones and want to help all children and the grown ups who love them thrive…you can be a wonderful Tinkergarten teacher!
Our community values our shared commitment to serving all families so deeply that we do ask all Tinkergarten Teachers to review, accept and uphold our TG Teacher Agreements in order to participate.
How can I get my own nature play classes and programs started?
Tinkergarten for Teachers includes resources and guidance to help you manage the logistics surrounding setting up and running your own Tinkergarten programs. This includes topics like finding a location, setting up a registration process and policies, collecting payment from families, getting insurance and more.
Subscribers can download a Getting Started Checklist to keep track and make the process easier.As a member of the community, you’ll also get to see the different ways teammates bring the program to life—but in truth, the sky’s the limit!
Have more questions?
Check out the full set of Tinkergarten for Teachers FAQs here.