Tinkering at the Cooperative School

The Cooperative School’s play-filled summer program, "Tinkering at the Cooperative School" or "Tink" for short, is open to the community for children ages 5 to 10 and does not require co-oping. Children must be currently enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade.

Cooperative play and collaboration are the foundational underpinnings of Tink and the activities center on doing, creating, and building together. The children build dens, learn to whittle and how to use hammers, saws, tie knots, build fires, identify poison ivy and animal tracks, and read maps. Mostly, they learn how to work and play together, using real tools, to build things up and tear things down.

Program is licensed by MD Youth Camps. The youngest enrolled are rising first graders.

This is play!

This is childhood!

Overview

Meals brought from home. Session participants are capped at 18. Program is all-outdoors, all-weather (except for lightning storms, high winds, and code red air quality) with the exception of bathroom breaks. Please dress accordingly.

Session Dates and Times

<to be determined>

Fees

$390/week. No Prorated Rates or Refunds due to cancelation, illness, or weather.

Camper eligibility: Currently enrolled kindergartners to 10-years-old (birthdates between 09/01/2013 and 09/01/2017). Campers can sign up for just one session or multiple sessions.

What to expect

This slide show will give you an idea of how our summer adventures roll out (with the exception of mask requirements). It is our goal to protect and promote that special quality of summer inspiration, industriousness, and idle play.

Why mixed-age groupings? Our experience has shown that a wide age range instills positive, cooperative, and unique experiences for all our campers, in addition to providing siblings the opportunity to attend camp together.

Why the firm age cut-offs? Our camps seek to balance orchestrated Tink projects with campers’ independent and confident pursuits, while maintaining the safety of all campers and staff. Too great of an age gap between older and younger campers does not allow us to achieve this goal, or create the cohesion that both parents and campers are looking for.