Winter 2026 Resources
Animal Superheroes, Persistence

Meet the Superheroes & Hibernation Station:
Tinkergarten Wednesday Lesson 1

Lesson Recap

Our explorers enjoyed discovering superhero tools and creating cozy dens for pretend groundhogs yesterday!  The natural world is full of examples of species who have evolved unique ways to persist and, in turn, thrive. We forget sometimes that we, too, are animals with tools that enable us to persist, thrive and play outdoors all 4 seasons! Just being outside together, keeping our bodies moving and warm, and welcoming winter helps us learn to persist. This lesson also lends itself to pretend play. When kids pretend, they develop cognitive flexibility—the ability to bend the rules, imagine new worlds and substitute one idea for another.

This lesson also reinforced other benefits for kids:

· Pretend and superhero play supports flexible thinking.
· Offering a simple tool helps kids slow down and take in the natural world. This is a super way to support focus skills while stimulating their senses.
· Kids began to navigate a new social group, learning rituals and routines and understanding that they are encouraged to play in their own way at Tinkergarten.
· Thinking about the needs of another creature supports kids in developing empathy.
· Using found objects to create a cozy space for a pretend groundhog supports problem solving, creativity and imaginative play.

Frozen Friends:
Tinkergarten Saturday Lesson 1 and Wednesday Lesson 2,
Tinkering with Nature Lesson 1

Lesson Recap

First, just thinking about how an ice worm survives such extreme cold can offer inspiration to persist in whatever winter weather we've got! Kids drew on both the "stick with it" and "keep trying new things" aspects of persistence as they tested out using different materials to free their yarn ice worms from our “glaciers”.

This lesson also reinforced other benefits for kids:
· Kids activated multiple senses — ice is dazzling to our sense of sight, touch and even hearing.
· Kids also activated hidden senses (vestibular & proprioception) as we bent over and used different tools to free our worm friends.
· Using different materials and different methods to free the yarn worm from ice was marvelous practice for problem solving skills.
· Learning about and pretending to be an animal builds empathy and the roots of stewardship in children.

Tinkering with Nature Lesson 1:
Frozen Friends

Lesson Recap

First, just thinking about how an ice worm survives such extreme cold can offer inspiration to persist in whatever winter weather we've got! Kids drew on both the "stick with it" and "keep trying new things" aspects of persistence as they tested out using different materials to free their yarn ice worms from our “glaciers”.

This lesson also reinforced other benefits for kids:
· Kids activated multiple senses — ice is dazzling to our sense of sight, touch and even hearing.
· Kids also activated hidden senses (vestibular & proprioception) as we bent over and used different tools to free our worm friends.
· Using different materials and different methods to free the yarn worm from ice was marvelous practice for problem solving skills.
· Learning about and pretending to be an animal builds empathy and the roots of stewardship in children.