Numerous studies link exposure to nature with enhanced physical, social and cognitive outcomes for kids. And because nature is both calming and stimulating for kids, it provides an ideal environment for learning!

Tinkergarten combines a live session facilitated by a certified (and amazing) Tinkergarten Leader with an At-Home Guide that parents and caregivers can use to keep kids playing and learning outdoors all week long. The program, which is designed by education experts, engages children in play-based activities that foster a sense of joy and wonder, all while developing essential skills.

Each live session follows a structure that includes community building, songs, movement, learning about nature, guided play time, and a closing community share time. We also have tools families can use to upload photos of the play that continues at home between live class sessions so Leaders and the whole class community can celebrate your child and family's play!

Every Tinkergarten lesson is designed to inspire open-ended exploration and play through which kids actively engage in imagining, exploring, and/or problem solving.

While each lesson is designed by Tinkergarten and guided by a trained Leader, the children decide how to play in response to the lesson's play scenario, and the children's interests play the leading role in shaping the way play unfolds. To kids, it's pure and joyful fun.

Our program is designed to be done outside. Families can enjoy the weekly online classes wherever is most convenient, whether outside or inside, and then continue the outdoor play all week long with the help of their At-Home Guide!

Continuing in Fall 2021, we will be expanding the option for families to experience the live class component in person, in a local green space.

Our current programs are designed for children ages 2 to 8. Leaders take time to get to know each child and adapt our approach to best fit the child's interests, strengths and needs. To make sure that the live session and at home guides are as engaging as possible, we also tailor our program towards two different age groups: 2 to 5 and 5 to 8. Read more here about how the classes differ by age group.

Tinkergarten, by design, is a multi-age program flexible enough to support kids of all ages. So, please feel free to bring younger students to an older age range class, especially if they will have the support and modeling of an older sibling! Likewise, Leaders can support older children within a younger class, offering them the chance to play the role of teacher and leader-helper.

At Tinkergarten, we refer to adults as 'Guides' — and we support you as you support your child's unique learning process. Here's how:

It's Easy to Support Your Kids
Each week before your class you will be notified by email what few household materials kids will need for the live session.

You'll also get access to a weekly At-Home Guide with a read-aloud and three easy activities to do during the week after the live session to keep the learning going at home!

Join in!
Adults are most welcome to participate alongside their children during live sessions. Tinkergarten classes are designed to support kids and adults in playful learning together.

If you do plan to step away during class, try to be available at the start and end of the session so kids are set up and you are set up for the week after class. If online, make sure you practice using Zoom with your child beforehand, too.

Adults Learn at Tinkergarten Too! Each week, we’ll provide you with resources that help you learn more about how kids learn through outdoor play—actionable insights that you can put to use every day!

Yes! If you are new to Tinkergarten, we welcome you to try a free online class. Available throughout the week, complimentary classes are a great way to experience a taste of the program firsthand.

Our Fall, Treasure Hunt season is designed to engage kids in the kind of wondering, exploring, pretending, and problem solving that helps them develop focus, a core Tinkergarten (and life!) skill. To kids, it will all feel like joyful, autumn outdoor play!

The season’s weekly lessons are organized in three units:

• Our Favorite Treasures: We’ll wonder what “treasure” means to each of us, supporting kids in gathering, sorting, and creating special collections. We’ll also learn ways to savor treasures while still caring for our local ecosystem.
• Treasures Across Time and Peoples: Each week, as we play, we’ll explore and better understand each of the four elements. We’ll also deepen our curiosity as we learn how people across the world and across time have treasured these incredible elements of nature as we play. (Along with “fire,” we’ll include our lantern-making tradition, too!)
• Treasure our Planet: To wrap, we’ll engage explorers, guides and our whole community in easy, effective ways to care for our earth.

Each week, we’ll also support grown-ups with videos and resources designed to help understand how kids learn to focus and how to use play time to boost kids’ focus and self-control.

During the Fall 2021 season, we will offer in-person live instruction as an option in a growing number of locations. Click here and enter your zip code in the Tinkergarten In Person section to see if classes are available in your area. And stay tuned: we will continue to expand our reach in seasons to come.

For our summer and fall seasons, we will follow one intentional approach to safety in all of our in-person Tinkergarten programming. This approach is informed by CDC recommendations for operating youth and summer camps and aims to ensure that everyone has as engaged, joyful and safe an experience as possible. Read more about our safety approach here.

Tinkergarten classes follow a predictable structure designed to build a strong sense of community, connect participants to nature and introduce lessons that support our 8 core skills. You can read more about them in this article or try a free online class.

Click here and enter your zip code in the Tinkergarten In Person section to see if classes are available in your area. We'll be expanding our in-person offerings in the fall and beyond.

Join us At Home today! All you need is a connected device and you can join Tinkergarten live, virtual sessions any day of the week. Please note that we are gradually expanding our in-person classes for our Fall 2021 Treasure Hunt series, and will continue to expand our reach in seasons to come.

Our Fall, Treasure Hunt season is designed to engage kids in the kind of wondering, exploring, pretending, and problem solving that helps them develop focus, a core Tinkergarten (and life!) skill. To kids, it will all feel like joyful, autumn outdoor play!

The season’s weekly lessons are organized in three units:

• Our Favorite Treasures: We’ll wonder what “treasure” means to each of us, supporting kids in gathering, sorting, and creating special collections. We’ll also learn ways to savor treasures while still caring for our local ecosystem.
• Treasures Across Time and Peoples: Each week, as we play, we’ll explore and better understand each of the four elements. We’ll also deepen our curiosity as we learn how people across the world and across time have treasured these incredible elements of nature as we play. (Along with “fire,” we’ll include our lantern-making tradition, too!)
• Treasure our Planet: To wrap, we’ll engage explorers, guides and our whole community in easy, effective ways to care for our earth.

Each week, we’ll also support grown-ups with videos and resources designed to help understand how kids learn to focus and how to use play time to boost kids’ focus and self-control.

Most weeks, families just need to bring water bottles, sunscreen and seasonally appropriate layers. On a few special lessons, families may be asked to bring a few household items for their child(ren) to use safely along with the materials provided by their Tinkergarten Leader. To help you plan, enrolled families receive a Season Program Overview that includes the short list of materials you’ll need each week!

We love to play in (nearly) all weather at Tinkergarten. But, in the case of unsafe weather, your Leader will update families at least 90 minutes prior to class by email and text message. Families will either be offered an alternative time to meet during the same week or will be welcome to utilize the prerecorded lesson content available in their My Tinkergarten (parent dashboard). If more than 2 sessions need to be canceled, families will be eligible for a refund for those additional sessions. Read all of our in-person class policies here.

In-Person enrollees receive the following each week:

• Three at-home activities that align with the weekly theme and lesson goals.
• A weekly video read-aloud of a related children’s book.
• Information about the week’s featured creature.
• A tip of the week to help grown-ups learn a bit more about the skill of the season or how to support kids’ learning.

Plus, they will have access to other resources like a season map kids can color in to track their progress or articles and videos to help kids and parents support kids all season long.

Tinkergarten In-Person sessions are designed for grown-ups and child(ren) to experience together. To provide for the safety of all enrolled, children attend along with an adult from their own household or pod.

Yes! Our mixed-aged classes are the perfect experience to enjoy with siblings. Siblings under 12 months of age may join at no cost. Siblings over one year should enroll in the class, and a 30% sibling discount is automatically applied at checkout.

As is stated in our approach to health and safety, Tinkergarten does not require that attendees wear masks. We do recommend wearing face masks for people who are not vaccinated, over the age of two and are not otherwise exempted from wearing masks. In some cases, the location at which Tinkergarten class meets does require attendees to wear masks. Before your class starts, we will clearly communicate by email and on our My Tinkergarten (parent dashboard) if there is a mask requirement at your location.