Tinkering broadens their mind. It makes them open to things that they can do.
Jeanne Gonzalez. Family, Friend, and Neighbor educator, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation.

Tinkering and Making…

supports social-emotional dispositions through STEAM mindsets.

empowers children and educators with agency, belonging, and joy.

is an asset-based, equitable approach to learning

The Tinkering Studio

The Tinkering Studio is a learning laboratory, supporting learners of all ages to explore playful ideas with science, art, and technology, and to think with their hands by actively constructing and exploring with tools, materials, and STEAM phenomena.

The Tinkering Studio is physically located at the Exploratorium, a museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco CA, and also exists online as a community of artists, scientists, developers, educators, and facilitators who explore and share the tinkering approach through a broad collection of tools, materials, and technologies.

tinkering.exploratorium.edu

Early Childhood Tinkering

Tinkering Studio educators and designers are exploring ways in which tinkering can open new possibilities and pedagogical alignments with the early childhood field. Tinkering and Making are well-aligned with developmentally appropriate, early childhood teaching and learning. The tinkering approach emphasizes the importance of the child’s play and exploration, which is at the center of early childhood learning experiences.

The Tinkering Together Festival

Tinkering Together has been created by The Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium, in close collaboration with early childhood learning experts from around the country. Project advisors and contributors representing a broad spectrum of informal learning environments and early childhood settings have contributed to the media and materials that we are sharing here. This project was made possible through the generous support of the National Science Foundation Award Number: 2006098. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.