Policies and Frequently Asked Questions

What ages does the program serve?

The program is designed for children ages 18 months-8 years. This is a parent/caregiver-child class and an adult over the age of 18 must accompany the registered child(ren). More than one adult is welcome to join.

Children younger and older than that age range are welcome to enroll.  If there are spaces in a class, families are encouraged to try a free class to see if it is a good fit for their child.

Can siblings come for free?

Siblings under 16 months of age may join at no cost. Siblings over one year should enroll in the class, and will receive a sibling discount that is applied automatically when the number of children is chosen on the enrollment form.

If a sibling needs to attend due to scheduling change (eg. day off at school), they can attend up to two sessions without enrolling. Families are asked to notify the teacher if an extra child needs to attend for a session so they can prepare any necessary materials.

Can families try a class for free before enrolling in the program?

If there is space in the class, families are invited to attend one session of the season for free to try Acorn Adventures.

Families are also invited to enroll in free trial classes or pop-up play dates prior to the start of the season when available.

Are refunds offered?

If a refund is requested BEFORE the season of classes begins, families can receive a full refund or credit towards a future class.

If a refund is requested AFTER the season of classes begins, families can receive a refund for half of the value of the remaining sessions in the season, minus 10% for credit card processing fees.

Are credits or refunds offered for missed sessions?

Credits and refunds are not offered for classes missed by families. Families are welcome to join class on a different day to make up a class if it works for their schedule.  Please inform the teacher if such a schedule change is needed.  Class passes, when available, are flexible and dates can be changed by reaching out to the teacher.  Acorn Adventures is not able to provide a refund if not all classes in a pass are used.

Every attempt will be made to reschedule sessions that need to be canceled by the teacher. If more than 2 sessions in one series need to be canceled by the teacher without rescheduling, families are eligible for a refund for those canceled sessions.

What happens in inclement weather?

Decisions about whether it is safe to hold class are determined by the teacher using local weather guidance and a weather chart.

The teacher will update families at least 90 minutes prior to class by email and text message.

The canceled session will be moved to the following week and an additional session will be added to the end of the season. At times, a rescheduled session may be offered at another time the same week.

How are photos used at Acorn Adventures?

Acorn Adventures uses photographs primarily as an end of season gift for each child.  Occasionally, photos are also used to illustrate learning concepts and promote outdoor play and playful learning on our website or in other materials/media. Before we would use any photo in that way, we would reach out directly to the parent of the child(ren) in the photo and secure their permission.

Parents often choose to share pictures of their kids at play at Acorn Adventures across social media, as they do with many other kids activities. Those choices are up to the individual parent.

How do teachers foster a safe learning environment during class?

Each explorer (child) is accompanied by a guide (parent or caregiver). Teachers support guides and do all that they reasonably can to provide a learning environment that allows for safe risk-taking.

Teachers bring a First Aid Kit to class, which can be utilized by guides (attending adults) if needed.

A few, simple rules help to address most situations:

Explorers (children) can explore on their own as long as they can still see or hear their guide or the teacher.

If explorers are taking physical risks, we check in to make sure that they feel sturdy and safe in their risk-taking.

Teachers encourage children to engage in risky play, but give clear redirection if or when safety and the safety of friends in the class could be compromised. For example, we celebrate that sticks are the #1 toy of all time, but we make sure that our sticks have plenty of space so they do not touch our friends' bodies. Ultimately, over time, we want to help children learn how to know their limits while still playing in a way that keeps them and their friends out of true harm.

We encourage children not to put nature treasures in their mouths. If a wee one is doing so as a natural part of exploring the world, we work with their guide to try to honor that need in the safest way possible.

What is the approach to health/COVID-19 safety in classes?

The child(ren) attending class and adult(s) attending with them should be 24 hours free from vomiting and fever (without the use of fever reducing medications) before attending class.

Please monitor for symptoms of illness and do not attend class if you or your child are ill.  If you or someone in your household who attended your class test positive for COVID-19 within 48 hours of participating in a session, please reach out to the teacher.

Eating or drinking should be done in “nests” with distance from anyone outside of participants' household.

Are there bathrooms available at the park?

There are bathrooms in the Senior Center that are available for use during Senior Center hours.  On Mondays, class attendees will consistently be able to access the bathrooms.  The Senior Center is occasionally open on Sundays for special events, but this is not guaranteed.

I’ve been to Tinkergarten before.  How will this program be different?

Same place, same class, new way to pay!  Going forward, all registration and class communications will come directly through Teacher Jenn and her business (Acorn Adventurers LLC).  The class itself will be very much if not exactly the same.  While new Tinkergarten curriculum will no longer be created, Teacher Jenn has access to all past lessons and years of experience with the curriculum to continue to bring Acorn Adventures classes to life!