What ages does your program serve?

The Tinkergarten curriculum is designed for children ages 18 months to 8 years old, however Children both younger and older than those parameters have enrolled and engaged in fulfilling ways. Whether or not the class is right for a younger or older explorer varies, and we highly recommend families to come to a free trial and see for themselves!

Tinkergarten Babies classes are designed for children ages 6 to 18 months old. While younger babies are more than welcome to join, children older than 2 years should find another activity (with another caregiver) during class.

Can siblings come for free?

Siblings outside the official age range of 18 months to 8 years old are welcome to attend class free of charge. Siblings in the age range are welcome to attend twice per season at no extra charge, but please contact your leader so they can prepare any extra needed materials. If you are enrolling more than one child, use our sibling discount code, SIBLING15 for two children or SIBLING20 for three children, both of which equal 30% off the additional siblings. For more than three children, contact your leader for a code.

Can families try a class for free before registering for the program?

Yes! We strongly encourage you to come to a free trial! You can enroll for an in-season trial or contact us for more information.

Can families pay per class instead of per season?

To build community and to allow children to gain confidence in the outdoor classroom, families are asked to commit to an entire season. The Tinkergarten curriculum is designed with an overarching flow to the entire season, plus littles tend to take a few weeks to really get into a rhythm and form that sense of community and bonding.

Families are able to attend an in-season class as a free trial, and families who enroll partway through the season will receive a prorated rate.

Do you do birthday parties?

We do! Please contact your local leader for further details.

Do you offer refunds?

If you request a refund five days before the season starts, we can offer a full refund—minus a 10% processing fee—or credit towards future classes. If you request a refund after that five-day mark, we can refund for half the value of the remaining sessions of the season, minus a 10% processing fee. Please contact us for any refund requests or questions.

Do you offer makeup classes?

Yes! You are more than welcome to attend another class by the same leader as a makeup. Please discuss this with the leader so they can make sure to have the proper materials on hand. We cannot guarantee the ability to make up the same lesson plan, however, as different classes might be on different schedules.

Will you offer a credit or refund for missed classes?

There is no credit or refund for misses classes. You are more than welcome to connect with your leader about making up with another class. All in-person class enrollees are also able to subscribe to Tinkergarten Anywhere—on-demand video lessons that follow the same curriculum as in-person seasons—at a reduced monthly rate.

If we have to cancel a class rather than reschedule, families will be refunded the cost of that class.

Must a grown up accompany children who participate?

Yes, a grownup must accompany explorers each week. When enrolling, families indicate which grownup(s) will bring those explorers to class. Other parents, caregivers, grandparents, family friends etc. are all welcome to join, but please touch base with your leader so they are aware of the change.

What happens in inclement weather?

At Tinkergarte, we believe there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. That being said, there is some weather that is not safe for outdoor play. Leaders will make a weather call—using local weather guidance and a weather chart—90 minutes before the start of class and will contact families about the need to reschedule (which is always the first preference) and, if necessary, cancel. But weather is weather, and sometimes things take a drastic turn for the worse on a dime—it is possible leaders will make a call to reschedule closer to the start of class if they believe it is unsafe to continue.

Weather that warrants reschedule includes anything dangerous—thunderstorms, tornadoes etc.—high winds in a highly wooded area where falling branches may be a concern, heavy rain in weather below 40 degrees, etc.

What is the approach to health/illness safety in class?

A grownup guide accompanies all explorers in class. Leaders support guides in providing an environment conducive to safe risk-taking and discovery.

Leaders have first-aid kids on hand. A few simple guidelines help everyone stay safe:

• Explorers should stay where they can see their grownup.

• Sticks and other objects need space from other friends’ bodies.

• Any wee one exploring with their sense of taste can be supported to do so in a safe way—i.e. with larger objects that don’t present a choking hazard.

• Leaders will check in with explorers as they engage in risky play to make sure they feel sturdy and safe. Ultimately we want to help children learn their own limits while still playing in a way that keeps them and their friends out of true harm.

Participants are asked to remain home if they have a fever, vomiting or a cough/sore throat with an unknown cause (i.e. not leftover from a cold or the result of allergies).

During class, we design the space so explorers have free range of movement and can maintain a healthy personal space bubble (as well as young children can). We believe being outdoors with fresh air, wind and copious amounts of space—as well as working with young children who rarely stay in one place for long—limits the risk of spreading germs. We do ask that any snacks happen at your nests/mats.

How will you alert families if you need to reschedule or cancel?

Leaders will attempt to make calls to reschedule or cancel 90 minutes before the start of class. They will send out a class-wide email about the reschedule, including the reschedule date, as well as text families. Canceling is a last resort, but that would be outlined in the communication and a refund issued for that class.

Sometimes weather comes up within that 90-minute window, and a leader may reschedule sooner to start time if they deem conditions unsafe. In this case, the first communication may be a text message to ensure all families receive it, with an email follow-up coming later.

How will photos be used in your program?

Leaders take pictures during class as a learning tool and also to free guides up to enjoy the play and learning with their explorer! These pictures primarily serve as a way for the leader and guides to look back on learning, development and progress that occurs over the season, and leaders will send these photos to caregivers as part of the post-class message.

Leaders do occasionally post pictures from class on social media. Leaders will always ask permission before posting any of these photos.

I have purchased my enrollment, what happens next?

Look for email confirmation of your enrollment. If you don’t receive an email within two business days of enrollment, please contact us in the case of a typo or technological glitch.

Feel free to reach out to your leader with any information you think might be important.

If you would like to, enroll in Tinkergarten Anywhere for access to pre-recorded lessons of each class to go along with the in-person season experience.