Tinkergarten Classes
Tinkergarten classes run for 6-9 weeks each season and offer outdoor, play based, mixed age learning experiences. In these classes children and their caregivers engage in one-hour lessons which highlight a core character-building skill, such as persistence, problem solving, or creativity. After learning about a “featured creature,” we engage in play that reflects what we have learned about that creature and hones the character-building skill for that season. Guided play is at the heart of each lesson, allowing children to play and explore in a way that feels right to them under the direction of grownups who observe, model, and encourage children where they are.
Teacher: Elizabeth McKenna is an early childhood educator thrilled to be partnering with Melrose Montessori to bring Tinkergarten-inspired classes to our community. She graduated from Clemson University with a BA in Communication Studies and went on to get her MAT in early childhood education at the College of Charleston. A former kindergarten teacher of eight years who strongly believes in the power of play, music and movement, and nature as the ideal “classroom”, she first began her journey with these classes as a parent during the pandemic with a young toddler at home. Elizabeth began teaching the program just a few months later in the summer of 2022 after watching her daughter thrive in them. She believes Tinkergarten provides the perfect opportunities for playful experiences, and thus LEARNING, to unfold. Elizabeth also runs a local nonprofit serving our Down syndrome community, spends lots of time on Lake Murray, enjoys walking to stay active, and keeps busy as a mom of two young children!