Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Rice.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My entire life has been a series of goals I have set for myself, and, working hard enough, I have achieved them all – graduate college, have a successful career, start a family, buy a home, etc. The one goal I never thought I would achieve is my current career – stay at home mom.
No one teaches you in college the emotional roller coaster a mother goes through juggling a newborn baby, a career, a home, a family. The first year my son was alive was, hands down, the most stressful one in my life, and by then, I had already managed to successfully work in New York City for ten+ years in the Music Industry, sustained a long distance relationship for four years, started college 200 miles away from home at 17 years old. All of these milestones were a cakewalk compared to taking care of a newborn, in all aspects.
Fast forward three years, my second son was born. I had him in daycare for ONE day. I decided right then and there, I had to be home for my sons. That was my calling. I have never been happier.
Tinkergarten fell into my lap when my oldest was five and my youngest two. I had heard of it from a friend and signed both of my boys up for a free class to try it out. I ended up missing the class, sending my husband with them, since I was on Matron of Honor duty for my best friend that day. My husband came home with minimal information about the class and I just forgot about it. Until one day, it popped up on my Facebook feed about becoming a Tinkergarten leader. I was intrigued because I did miss working. I missed the adult conversations, the responsibility, and quite simply, earning and supporting my family financially. Tinkergarten was an opportunity.
Tinkergarten allowed me not only to work and earn, but I could stay at home with my family AND my children could come with me to class! I thought, why not apply? I could always back out if it didn’t interest me. It did interest me and with every step of the interview process, I became more and more excited about the opportunity to be a Tinkergarten leader and to bring such an amazing program to my hometown of Medway, MA.
I am currently leading my third successful season and I built my classes on my own. Tinkergarten gave me the tools to market, to market Tinkergarten, to market myself and to market the impact that nature play has on children. How important it is for a child to laugh, play, make a mess and just enjoy life naturally. I lead at Choate Park and this current season will allow us to watch the weekly change of nature as it leaves Summer into Fall. I cannot wait for this change to occur and to show its importance to children in my community.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have never owned my own business, where my work determined if I was going to lead a class or not. When I was a salaried employee, of course, there is the prospect of being fired, but if you were good at your job, you knew it was going to be there for as long as you deem fit.
Tinkergarten runs four seasons a year, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. If I do not get enough people to sign up for my class, I do not get to lead that season. I do not get to make money. It is stressful when you don’t have enough people signed up and class starts in less than two weeks.
Determination has gotten me through these last three seasons. I have always believed that if you love what you do, success will come naturally. This has led me through my life and my careers. Persevere, do not quit.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Tinkergarten story. Tell us more about the business.
Tinkergarten is a nationwide movement to get young children outside. This day and age, our children are bombarded by screen time, be it television, tablets or phones. I personally didn’t have a cell phone until I was 22, even then it had a basic T9 keypad. I didn’t live on my phone. I grew up being outside, playing in the dirt, making true connections with my neighbors and classmates. Tinkergarten wants to bring the importance of nature play and community back into our children’s lives.
Classes are built for a mixed age group, between 18 months and eight years. This dynamic of child-led play allows younger children to learn from the older ones, and the older ones have a responsibility to lead and include their younger counterparts. Each class provides an engaging sensory activity, allowing children a start off point to their play, the rest of it is up to them. Children naturally move in and out of play scenarios and Tinkergarten is a place where we teach parents how important this is in their child’s development. Children need to learn life skills like focus, grit, problem solving and creativity. All these attributes give a child the tools to lead a successful life. We at Tinkergarten are honored to be the ones to teach these amazing life skills in the best classroom ever – nature.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
My local library. I went back once I became a stay at home mom. I hadn’t been to one since college. It’s an amazing resource for children to discover and enjoy books. My boys love going there. There is pure joy on their face when they are able to bring home a book.
The library became a resource for me when I started leading Tinkergarten. Every class has some type of literature relating to the activity. My library allows me access to these books, and in turn, access for the families in my classes to extend their learning beyond my classroom.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tinkergarten.com/leaders/tara.rice
- Phone: 508-440-6521
- Email: tara.rice@mail.tinkergarten.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/tinker.tara
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinkergarten/
Image Credit:
Tara Rice
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