Each Tinkergarten class is about one hour long and takes place in Washington Square Park. A leader guides the group of children and parents through one or more activities that fit to a progressive curriculum, each of which develop skills that are critical to early childhood development. The activities focus on outdoor play, including creative use of natural resources.
Tinkergarten brings early childhood education to a park near you. In our classes, kids enjoy the freedom of independent exploration through well-designed play-based activities that lend from the best of research and best practice to promote the development of critical capabilities, including self reliance, creativity, persistence and problem solving. Tinkergarten classes are led by a trained, certified community of leaders — often parents — who bring a healthy, social, and engaging learning experience to their community.
Tinkergarten was founded in 2012 by Brian and Meghan Fitzgerald.
Business Review
“Research shows the links between play and foundational capacities such as memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school.”
NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
“Exploration and play during early childhood turns into adults who are flexible and sophisticated thinkers.”
Dr Alison Gopnik, Professor of Psychology at University of California at Berkeley, author of Scientist in the Crib
