Learn Through Outdoor Play

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(or buy just this season for $107)

Join current session. 8 of 11 live sessions remain in this series; watch any prior session on demand.

4.7/5 See Reviews

293 Classes Available

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Starts In June Camp Tinkergarten

Learn Empathy Friends and Feelings

Could there be a more important time to teach our kids how to understand and work with others?

Tinkergarten’s unique methodology combines a weekly online class and an at-home curriculum that keeps kids connected, playing and learning all week long. Our Friends and Feelings series is designed to help kids ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 8 develop numerous skills with a special focus on building strong roots in empathy—our human superpower.

What's Included?

11 weekly 30-min live online sessions with a Tinkergarten Leader. Choose a day and time that works for you. (8 live sessions remain)
11 At-Home Curriculum Guides with activities and resources to keep kids playing and learning outside all week long.
Watch past classes on demand: Revisit favorite activities or catch up on past sessions.
Tools and Resources Read-alouds, videos, and photo sharing tools help you track progress and share your child’s at-home play.

What Does Learning Look Like?

Fun, engaging lessons: Weekly lessons and at home activities are expert designed to be wildly fun and nurture kids’ development. From walking in the “paws” of different creatures, to concocting emotion potions to turning mud and nature treasures into whimsical faces, your child will want to play outside all week long!
At-home activities build on the weekly lessons and keep play and learning going in-between classes.
Three parts within the series: The series is organized into three parts, each corresponding to a different building block of empathy. The Our Feelings unit is designed to help children understand emotions. The Our Friends unit supports kids in learning to take the perspective of others. And, the Our Community unit helps kids see how to put empathy into action!
See a Lesson Map for Friends and Feelings.

2 Age Options

Leaders get to know each child and adapt the approach to best fit each child's interests, strengths and needs.
We also tailor our program towards two different age groups: 2 to 5 and 5 to 8. Learn more.

Logistics

Live classes meet for 30 minutes once per week online via Zoom. You will need a device (computer, iPad or phone) and an internet connection.
Only one registration required per family
Class size ranges from 5 to 15 families.
Two age level options: 2 to 5 years and 5 to 8 years.
Enjoy the live class inside or outside. After class, play outdoors all week long!
Read about our class policies (including our safety and refund policies).

Why Empathy?

Empathy is our human superpower—the art of stepping into the shoes of another person and seeing the world through their eyes. A strong base in empathy will give our kids the ability to understand and manage their emotions as well as the ability to understand, connect to and work with other people. Recent studies show that empathy has been declining among young people in recent decades, even though it is more important than ever. We want this generation to be empathy superstars! Read more.

What is Tinkergarten?

For families with young kids, spending purposeful time outside is more important than ever. To thrive in this dynamic world, children need outdoor play experiences that deliver the hands-on lessons, valuable social interactions, and restorative activity that can’t be gained from the tap of a screen. As parents, it’s our job to ensure they engage in these experiences early and often. But how?

While finding ways to create enriching outdoor moments is essential, it isn’t always easy. Getting outside might be a simple first step, but for a lot of us, knowing what to do next—and how to make it count— just doesn’t come naturally.

We’ve been there. That’s why we started Tinkergarten.

Tinkergarten helps families raise healthy, curious and capable kids. Designed by education experts and loved by busy families throughout the United States, our play-based outdoor curriculum guides parents in raising healthy, confident, and capable kids. Tinkergarten makes purposeful outdoor play doable for every family—rain or shine.

Reviews

Stephanie

Loved it! Simply contagious. Melissa kept the class moving, she modeled play, and gave me ideas as a parent on how to build imaginative play.

Kristin

I've been telling everyone about it! You are giving this mom great advice and activities no one thinks about!

Toni

This is some of the most important work being done ever!! I absolutely recommend Tinkergarten to everyone I know with young children!!

Yelimar

I was so surprised at how intimate and sweet the zoom group felt. It really worked out beautifully.

Chrissy

Mindy makes it fun and interactive! Love the activity ideas and sharing with other families. Songs are great too!

Melissa

Our leader does an exceptional job at including everyone, keeping all the children engaged and excited about the class and activities to do after class.