About this class

Karin R.

By far my favorite day of the week. I love having a dedicated time to spend outside with my toddler doing nothing but following his lead in play. It calms, centers, and recharges me.

My 2.5 year old loves it too, of course! The rest of the week after or class he is singing the songs, talking about what he saw and did, and recreating the play we engaged in during our class.

Leigh D.

Tinkergarten has been the perfect blend of structure and free play for our 3 year old son and his class! They all look forward to the class time each week. My son has also incorporated many of the ideas into his own outdoor play at our home and in school. We take our "nature bucket" to the park, lake, and sometimes school to share with friends. Nature is such an important part of our lives and we are so happy to have found this wonderful, fun class.

David E. S.

I'll admit that we were skeptical at first. How much fun could we have playing at the park? Well, I am blown away. Tinkergarten has quickly become a highlight of my 2.5 year old's week. The play based learning approach has opened the door to lot of unexpected experiences. We have learned about sharing, worms, how to make mud, how to find sticks, how not to hit our friends with our sticks and many other great lessons. The learning is not over when we leave. We see the crossover in his play at home too. His imagination takes him the best journey's and I see linkage with the Tinkergarten experience almost everyday. Finally (and somewhat selfishly), Tinkergarten has provided some dedicated Dad and son time. I am not sure I would consistently set aside the time on Saturday morning to go to the park and play in nature unless we had our group. For that, Dad is very thankful. I highly recommend this experience for any family that loves learning and playing at the same time in the beautiful outdoors.

Ashley G.

I discovered Tinkergarten last summer when I was looking for fun nature based activities to do at my son's third birthday party. We ended up making bubble wands and the kids loved it- Now, Tinkergarten classes are available in my community and I couldn't be more pleased. This company has pushed me to become a better mother and educator- to not be afraid to get my own hands dirty. Now, my kids don't whine when I tell them it's time to go outside. They are the ones dragging me out the door and that makes me so happy.

Sarah D.

My little ones have done three seasons of Tinkergarten and LOVE it. There is a perfect combination of structure and predictability and free time for play and exploration. They have developed teamwork and empathy skills as well as creativity, confidence and independence. Tinkergarten instills a love and appreciation for the beautiful world around us which I feel is very important in this culture of overwhelming technology.

Mom to a 22 month old

The leaders are amazing, ours truly made the class fun for the kids. My daughter now can't get enough of mud.

Mom to a 3-year-old

I learned how and when to step back and let my son be himself in certain situations. That was a lesson that I needed so much as a parent. The leader was able to communicate this in such a gentle and generalized way that I was able to step back and see myself. Not only was that a useful lesson, it was life changing.

Dad to a 3 year old

Everything was perfect. I liked being reminded that it's okay for my child to be messy.