Tinkering is about inquiry. It is about taking an idea, belief, tradition or way of being and letting it bounce around in the head awhile - shaping and reshaping thinking – perhaps mentally taking it apart and then putting it back together as a way of knowing, or completely restructuring it aided by new knowledge and inputs. Tinkering is finding a new use for an old thing.

We human beings are wired to learn right from birth. As Alison Gopnik¹ describes, ‘Children see more, hear more, feel more and experience more than adults do. They are
far better learners than we are. These remarkable learning abilities reflect special features of children’s brains; features that may actually make young children more conscious than adults.’

Children are voracious investigators, tinkering with and studying everything around them. They are naturally propelled to take action- to test hypotheses and study the world around them in a systematic way. That is, until we adults come along, with our opinions on the “RIGHT” way of doing things. As Magda Gerber, founder of Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE®) and the Educaring® approach says, children are scientists at work and adults need to be their research assistants.

Furthermore, tinkering is not just for the children in our care. It applies to us caregivers too. When we want to be able to observe without judgement or change the lens of our own perspective and education or shift away from the pressures of society that believe in making children compliant rather than thinking, curious individuals. This is possible only if we allow observations and ideas to be questioned and tinkered with, so that our children may be capable, independent, emotionally secure, authentic, and intellectually wired to learn for the love of learning- we tinker too!

At Tinker Lab, we focus on all aspects of the child. As guardians of their childhood, it is our aim to ensure that we -

• Provide an emotionally and intellectually stimulating environment that advocates and facilitates tinkering and self-directed play.
• Create an environment that has the security of home and feels like the child’s own space in which to play, learn and grow; where their physical and cognitive development are nurtured as per their readiness and at their own pace.
• Hold space for every child to explore the full range of their emotions. So when things get stressful or don’t go their way, we can model the healthy way to self-regulate.
• Present children with multiple opportunities daily to reflect on and interpret their experiences, discovery, and problem-solving abilities with careful adult intervention or scaffolding.
• Provide access to open-ended and natural (as much as possible) materials that do not determine or direct the experience or outcome of play. That way a child may challenge themselves and determine the developmentally appropriate risk they are willing to take – be it intellectual, emotional, or physical.
• Enable them to be problem-solvers by helping to determine rules of play and co-play and by modelling ethics of care, responsibility, and kindness towards all members of Tinker Lab, all materials used, and their environment at large.
• Offer sensitive and respectful care giving which is attuned to the unique needs of each child, which in turn encourages collaboration and kindness towards one and all.

True play or free play is essentially characterised by deep and uninterrupted engagement in an activity or materials out of one’s own choice. Traditional play is usually adult driven or orchestrated by an adult to varying degrees. In True Play every child determines their readiness to take on physical, intellectual, or emotional risks instead of being coaxed or pushed by an adult. We carefully curate materials and environments suited to each child and our observations of the children at play mean we continue to provide support as needed, which further boosts confidence and the ability to take risks. True Play makes space for Joy- the joy of discovery, of overcoming frustration, of deep engagement, and of skills learnt.

True Play is the best way for children to learn about the world, themselves, and others. This is based on research by and finds consensus amongst doctors, educators, policymakers, and scientists.

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics:

“Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at an incredibly early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers. As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges. Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills. When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue. Ideally, much of play involves adults, but when play is controlled by adults, children acquiesce to adult rules and concerns and lose some of the benefits play offers them, particularly in developing creativity, leadership, and group skills. In contrast to passive entertainment, play builds active, healthy bodies. In fact, it has been suggested that encouraging unstructured play may be an exceptional way to increase physical activity levels in children, which is one important strategy in the resolution of the obesity epidemic. Perhaps above all, play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood.”

A number of well-controlled studies have compared the effects of academically-oriented early education classrooms with those of play-based classrooms The results are quite consistent from study to study: Early academic training somewhat increases children's immediate scores on the specific tests that the training is aimed at, but these initial gains wash out within 1 to 3 years and, in some studies have shown, are eventually reversed. Perhaps, more tragic than the lack of long-term scholastic advantage of early academic instruction is evidence that such instruction can cause lasting harm, especially in social and emotional development.

So yes, in a True Play based system your child will be emotionally and intellectually equipped for the rigors of school and life! The goal is to grow learners who are resilient, who have grit and a growth mindset. We want young adults to leave the education system with a love of learning; they who will rise to new challenges with a thirst for life and learning. The foundation to raising such adults lies in early childhood!

At Tinker Lab we are inspired by Learning Stories – a mode of recording child development, developed by Dr. Margaret Carr, in New Zealand, when they overhauled their early childhood education system in 1996.

A Learning Story is a format used to document a child's learning. It uses “story-telling” to describe a child's learning process. There are many details that are incorporated into a learning story to describe the experience or event that unfolded- of how the child responded during the experience or interacted with others, conversations they had, interests they developed, skills they learnt, etc. Simply put, it is a narrative of recognizing and describing the learning that is taking place through a child's play.

A Learning Story is different from observations such as a running and anecdotal record of the day. Learning Stories focuses on what a child CAN do, rather than on what they cannot do or on a developmental area which may have no basis in that moment; as we know, every child is different and develops skill-sets at their own pace.

Learning Stories are also used as an assessment tool to interpret a child's learning habits during the experience. This helps us evaluate and plan for further experiences to extend and strengthen the child's interests and curiosities.

As far as possible, natural and open-ended materials and loose parts are made available. We provide 'silent toys and books' –toys and books which do not dazzle with sounds and lights but compel the imagination and tinkering in a child's brain.

Please note that this is a broad plan, but at the end of the day, we believe in child-led learning, and hence, what the children decide will always have a veto vote over the best laid plans that we adults make, especially with regards to what they choose and how they choose to learn.

9.30 am or 2.30 pm – Arrival

First one hour after arrival - Open-play indoors / outdoors depending on weather.

20 minutes post open play – Teacher led activity but with no pre-determined outcome - such as music/ process art / sensory activity / dramatics / STEM etc

15 minutes – Snack break – parents can send a mid-day snack, which the child can eat on his/her own and a bottle of water. The idea is to get them accustomed to eating on their own and hence we will not force feed them.

30 minutes post snack break – Open play indoors with loose parts and other open-ended materials

30 minutes - Teacher led activity but with no pre-determined outcome - such as music / process art / sensory activity / dramatics / STEM /Story time / reading activity

15 minutes - Conversations regarding the day's experience and learnings, and using those to help children decide rules for play, sharing, collaboration, anything in particular that they may want to engage in or learn the next couple of days so on and so forth and tidy up time.

12.30 pm / 5.30pm – Parent pick -up