Tinkering School

San Francisco, United States

4.8

11 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 415-701-7777
Website:
tinkeringschool.com
Address:
1960 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA, 94110
b/t Mariposa St & 18th St
Mission
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.6 mi16th Street Mission
0.7 miMUNI 10 Townsend Route
0.7 miKansas Street & 23rd Street
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (San Francisco) 18:49 Wednesday, 25 June 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Summer camp, After School, Weekend Workshops. The use of real tools to tackle real problems creates a unique atmosphere of trust and responsibility. From six-​year-​olds to highschoolers, we empower our tinkerers with tools, autonomy and space. Big responsibilities build competency and leave lasting memories.

History

Established in 2005.

Gever Tulley founded Tinkering School in 2005 as an overnight summer camp that he ran out of his back yard. It all started because he found out his friends weren’t letting their kids have the kind of adventures they had all enjoyed when they where young. In year one they build a working roller coaster out of lumber, screws and wagon wheels. 10 years and two TED talks later, we have still have our overnight camp but now offer a day camp, weekend workshops and after school programs.

Meet the Business Owner

Gever T.

Business Owner

Gever founded Tinkering School in 2005 in order to learn how children become competent and to explore the notion that kids can build anything, and through building, learn anything. A self-​taught computer scientist with no formal education, Gever’s expertise is really in… thinking. Gever has taught workshops and made presentations to both kids and adults around the world. He has spoken at TED, twice, written articles for MAKE, and authored the book Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do).

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11 reviews of Tinkering School

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My son is quite a tinkerer. He attended a few after school classes as well as two welding workshops. All were wonderful and he had a great time. He especially liked that he got to use the tools himself. The kids really learn to do the projects themselves. The space is wonderful and the teachers are engaged, enthusiastic and fun. There are very few programs like it.
Place rating: 5
Portola Valley, CA
(My son is writing this) I’ve been to the Tinkering School camps (overnight and day camps) several times, and every time has been amazing. I love all of the projects, and all of the outstanding opportunities and freedom that we are given. The fact that we are able to use so many tools and are given so much independence and responsibility is phenomenal. To add to that great experience, all of the counselors and kids have been amazing interesting people. At the age of 13, I would certainly say that Tinkering School has had a large positive impact upon my life, and I would definitely recommend it.
Place rating: 3
Oakland, CA
I’m updating the review because the manager, Joshua, reached out and apologized. He even offered a spot for my son even though he was waitlisted. It’s very nice, and we would love to attend next year. This year, however, we made other plans since this fell through. My sister will not be able to use her airline credits to send my nephew up here because they will expire, and we now booked another summer camp that is ridiculously reasonably priced! I commend the school though for simply existing and reinvigorating the concept of «shop class. «I’m now inspired for us to do our own tinkering project at home since we couldn’t get in this summer. Next year, I may need to take the morning off work to make sure we get registered for class on time.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My kids — 8 year-​old boy and 11 year-​old girl — have had the privilege of attending Tinkering Camp for the past two summers. The first year they did it, on the second day, my son woke up early, got dressed and was ready to go 30 minutes before we could leave for camp. When I told him camp didn’t start until 9, he lay down on the floor and cried and said he couldn’t wait that long! Bottom line is that they love it.
What’s neat is that it gives kids a chance to use tools like chop saws, drills, hammers and things that might otherwise be considered «dangerous» to build whatever the group decides. My kids have built a double decker bus, a working zipline, and a suspension bridge (inspired by the GG Bridge), among other things. Keep in mind that the scale is BIG, which only adds to the coolness of the whole experience.
This summer they’re both doing the overnight camps, and we can’t wait to hear about what they do! If you can get in, I highly recommend this experience.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
There are few times in my life where I drop of my son for a camp or after school program and feel like he will be engaged in ways that he’s never been before. That’s how I feel about Tinkering school. My Son, 6yrs old, literally talks my ear off after coming home from here. He talk about the human size Hungry-​Hungry Hippo he’s making out of pulleys and wood, about the working Air hockey table and how good he is getting at using real tools. Joshua and Nathan and everyone else there are kind, attentive and passionate about what they do. I leave feeling like I’m actually enriching my child’s life instead of just leaving him with somebody to babysit him. Registration was easy and They are pretty good at getting back to my emails. Not sure why the bad review here said it was hard. I guess I’m just good at using a computer.
Place rating: 5
Mountain View, CA
This is a wonderful program. I’ve been going for three years and just started my fourth working on tinkering school adventures. I can’t say just how wonderful it is its always a highlight of my summer and I’m never bored there. Definitely recommend.
Place rating: 5
Burlingame, CA
Both of my kids have been to multiple Tinkering School sessions, both the sleep away camp and the day camp. Every time, it has been a fantastic experience. Things happen at Tinkering School that just do not happen anywhere else. The staff treat the kids with such respect, really allowing them to make their own decisions and claim full ownership of their projects. Kids respond to this trust with amazing enthusiasm and ingenuity. There’s no question that if you asked my kids they’d say that Tinkering School is the best camp there is.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
We love the concept of Brightworks, but we couldn’t commit to such an experimental education full-​time. But we’ve attended three years of summer camp, and our child who had sensory issues and is a bit of a loner loves it. The staff are absolutely fantastic. I was a little scared the first week — they teach 5 year olds how to handle real power-​tools after all… but after 20 weeks no actually injuries, so they are doing something right! Brain-​child of Gever Tulley (500 dangerous things you should do with your kid). You might also thing of it as «Waldorf with Chainsaws». (I exaggerate, there are no actual chainsaws for K-2’s!).
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I can’t say enough good things about Tinkering School. My 9-​year old daughter has been to several of their camps and workshops and every time, she has been completely engaged and enthralled. We can see the gears turning in her brain – she can draw engineering schematics, use serious tools like a pro, and is learning invaluable lessons about collaboration and teamwork. She loved the session where they built a Yellow Submarine so much that she dressed up as John Lennon for Halloween. The instructors are patient, nurturing, creative and expert. I can’t recommend this place enough…
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
This program is fantastic. The workshops are incredibly engaging and our kid comes home practically levitating with excitement and new skills. Really great experience.
Read more: Learning Through Tinkering
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My daughter and son are coming back from Las Vegas just for the summer camp experience. Tinkering School has done far more than keep them busy in the past. This is a life shaping experience that will pay back in life skills in ways that monetary value doesn’t even translate from. I’d give anything to make these kind of experiences available to all children. The world would be a much better place. For now I’m simply grateful that I can share this with a few amazing families. If you’d like to contact me personally to talk about this in depth, please go right ahead.