Eugene & Springfield Kids

04/15/2023

It’s never too early to boost kids' empathy, a superpower that can help our kids navigate the ups and downs of childhood and the complexity in the world they'll grow up in.

It helps to break empathy down into smaller parts and look for opportunities to support each one. When all three of these components of empathy are in place, they can work together to support strong connections and relationships.

Bit by bit, experience by experience, our children's empathy can grow stronger and more refined–what a gift to them and the world. Imagine the impact if we all do that together!

Learn more about supporting and boosting kids’ empaty today: https://tinkergarten.com/blog/now-is-the-time-to-teach-empathy

Empathy is our human superpower—and our kids need it now more than ever. Luckily, boosting kids’ natural empathy is easier than you think.

04/13/2023

I'm thrilled🤸 to offer you my Tinkergarten Teacher discount on a subscription for Tinkergarten Anywhere so you can keep the playful learning going between class sessions. For only $5 per month, you can get a full set of related resources to use alongside each lesson we do in class (and more).

It includes a weekly 10-minute video lesson, DIY activities, content just for grown ups and tools to help you keep track of kids’ progress.

You also get an iron-on badge at the end of the season. Just click here http://www.tinkergarten.com/rc/himashim3ada to automatically get my Teacher discount when you register.

On-demand, outdoor play lessons for kids aged 2-8. Designed to inspire 9 weeks of child-led play. Just $49 per class.

01/04/2023

𝔽ℝ𝕆ℤ𝔼ℕ 𝕀ℂ𝔼 𝔾𝔼𝕄𝕊
Let’s make frozen ice gems! All you need is food coloring or liquid watercolors, water, and a container. The end result is treasures to behold or to use to design, build and even transform the world around us!

👧𝐀𝐆𝐄: 0 to 8+🧒

⏰𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄
Under 1 hour

📋𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐒
Ice molds, muffin tins or other containers; food coloring or liquid watercolor paints; water.

ℹ️𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
Prepare your ice gems.

Collect your food coloring/watercolors and some containers in which you can freeze water. If you have shaped ice molds, they produce rather eye-catching results. But, you can use regular old ice trays, muffin tins or even recycled containers just as well to freeze gems.

Put a few drops of color into each container, and then pour in the water. If you want even color, mix water and color first, and be generous with color. Adding a wee bit of salt or dish soap to the mix can help keep color even, too.

Freeze for about 24 hours.

Take them out of the freezer (or bring them indoors from the freezing cold) and give them a minute to warm up, then pop them out into a bowl.

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐒
🔍Discover, explore and play with ice gems!
✅Take your gems outside and let the play unfold! A few ways to spark engaging gem play:
✅To add a little extra intrigue, hide the treasures and “stumble” upon them.
✅Explore gems using all of your senses (avoid taste if you used the dish soap trick!) Beware the lasting impact of food coloring, too!
✅Talk about what you see, feel and hear as you play.
✅If it’s frigid out, put on mittens and use sticks or spoons to move gems around.
✅Arrange your gems to create beautiful designs.
✅Keep busy transporting, hiding and even building with gems.
✅If you have snow or sand around, place the gems just so to create sparkling masterpieces or to transform a snow fort or sand structure into a winter castle.

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘?
Anyone who has added frozen gems to outdoor play sees the magic.✨

✳️Ice gems feel, look and even sound intriguing and they stimulate multiple senses at the same time, which is great for the brain!
✳️Our imaginations respond to the unusual beauty of ice gems and that opens up a world of pretend play possibilities.
✳️Taking what could be a challenging part of winter (cold!) and making it the focus of joyful play is a super lesson in persistence!

For even more free activities check out the monthly calendar: https://www.tinkergarten.com/calendar?tga=fce12eca5031

01/03/2023

Happy New Year! ✨ We’re kicking 2023 off with a First Day Hike. First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors.

Whether you join an official First Day Hike or simply head outside with family, we’ve compiled a full list of tips to make your hike work for your whole crew, including tips for picking trails, finding the right snacks and gear, and inspirations from other organizations we love: https://tkgtn.com/3vvi76i

More Tinkergarten fun : https://www.tinkergarten.com/tg_home?tga=fce12eca5031

12/27/2022

𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝕍𝕀𝕊𝕀𝕆ℕ 🤓
All parents are empowered as their child’s most important teacher; all families nurture our planet; and all kids learn how to thrive in our dynamic world.

𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝕄𝕀𝕊𝕊𝕀𝕆ℕ 🏆
Help kids and families learn together through well-designed, outdoor play experiences.

𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝕍𝔸𝕃𝕌𝔼𝕊⭐️
-ℙ𝕦𝕣𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕖 💯
We share an unwavering commitment to make a lasting, positive impact in the lives of children and families.

-𝕁𝕠𝕪𝕗𝕦𝕝 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 ☺️
We create inclusive spaces in which every person is celebrated, valued, connected and encouraged to flourish.

-𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟 👩‍🏫
We are curious, humble, and playful, driven to learn from every experiment, collaboration, and experience. We all have much to teach and even more to learn.

-ℙ𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 👥
We embrace our diversity and work together with mutual reverence in order to grow as individuals and serve our greater purpose.

-ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕖 🌳
Nature is our north star. It’s an ideal classroom and our shared home. It is our duty and promise to nurture the future stewards of our planet.

Check out out classes available using the link below⬇️
https://www.tinkergarten.com/tg_home?tga=fce12eca5031