Tinkergarten with Jodi

I spy with my little eye an explorer hiding behind a Magnolia tree 🧐😍 The open ended nature of lessons allows for kids to lead the way. This week’s class ended with an impromptu hide and seek behind trees and in a sea of grass. We’re approaching the end of the season and the relationships between explorers reflect that they’ve had time to get to know one another and feel comfortable initiating play together.



@ Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)

We went in search of wind. We found it in some places and not in others. What to do when you thought would be there isn’t? Make your own wind! May our children always go in search of what they’re looking for and if they don’t find it, look inward for the resources that surely lie within.

Y’all. This cutie 😍 My youngest explorer hung back for the first few classes but he has now made himself right at home. He loved using the transporting schema as he carried two pails around and was quite pleased with himself when he discovered the sounds he could make by clinking them together. I spend a lot of my teaching time with single aged groups and I love that Tinkergarten gives me an opportunity to work with mixed ages. It’s really inspiring to see how the same play scenario can be meaningful in so many different ways. ⠀
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@ Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)

This explorer is all about the MUD. On our first rainy day, she was a bit unsure, but she has found a way to include mud play in every class since then. Our Tinkergarten meeting place is still pretty squishy from all the rain last month and this week when she got her flag, she headed straight for her favorite puddle spot. Tinkergarten lessons have enough structure to set the scene for play but leave lots of room for child-led play. I love watching how it unfolds every week.

This week’s was loved by all. The addition of the ribbons caught explorers attention and they loved finding new ways to interact with it. I love how very simple changes in play scenarios can freshen things up just enough to open up a whole new world of play.

Join me on March 23 for our last free trial before spring Tinkergarten! Link to sign up in bio.

When was the last time you laid on the ground to marvel at the ?

@ Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)

The simple joy of hunting for materials! Each of our classes this season included a hunt for materials that our squirrel friend had cached away for us to find. The movement kept us warm and the thrill of the unknown kept our energy high. 🐿 🔎 🌳

We missed a week of and this little punkin was so happy to be back at it this week. She sings the song all week and loves when I tell her it’s Saturday morning because she knows that means Tinkergarten. I’m so grateful for what this experience is doing for me and my family.

To start your day with Joy: A happy boy in muddy boots holding a pail of flowers. You’re welcome. 😉
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“Repetition is the secret of perfection.” Maria Montessori ⠀
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If you’ve ever spent much time at all with young children, you’ve surely heard an eager “again!” And then probably 100 more times. Repetition is calming and centering for children. It helps build neural pathways and as children develop competence with the skills, repetition frees up room for creativity. This week, we peck, peck, pecked like woodpeckers and all of these little ones zoned in to the repetitive motions to get their work done. ⠀
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And guess what? Repetitive activities can be calming and centering for us as adults too. What do you enjoy that is both repetitive and calming? ⠀⠀
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@ Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)