June 22 through July 31, 2026Tinkering School:
Summer Camp at Brightworks
Summer 2026 Registration Opens Jan 30 at 10am
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Summer 2026 Registration Opens Jan 30 at 10am 〰️
Join our immersive, five-day maker experience in San Francisco's Presidio!
Each week's theme is different and each project that we do is unique. We offer multiple entry points for the youngest to most advanced problem-solvers so our Tinkerers stay curious and dedicated to the project as it unfolds.
Come build with the most creative summer camp staff in the Bay. Brightworks’ Tinkering Summer Camp runs Monday through Friday.
Book Summer 2026 Camp Sessions Today!
Our Programs
Our Tinkerers Camps range from 8 to 16 years, with different age groups attending each week. Tinkerers are trained to use power tools and work in groups to build projects that they dream up and design.
Past projects we’ve built include: a 25ft tall dancing marionette. A NASA-style space mission complete with launch tower, rocket, and mission control. A human-sized foosball table with suspended campers as the ball kickers. Tinkerers have lifted themselves into rafters, built cars they can actually steer, and created humongous robots that deliver flowers… this list could go on for a looooong time :-)
❋ Tinkerers (8-16 yr olds)
❋ Young Tinkerers (5.5-8 yr olds)
Young Tinkerers are our 5.5 to 8-year-old campers! They begin their week with tool training and spend the rest of the week building with wood, working on art projects, tinkering, exploring the Presidio, and playing. Check out the bridge that our Young Tinkerers built!
This offering is for artists leaving kindergarten to 16 years old, and is a mentored environment for both mentor-led and child-led art projects.
Our flexible framework supports those who need a place to do some art, and those who would like to build specific art skills. From charcoal to oil-paints, from realism to abstract - we do it all!
With a mix of guided lessons and ample time for artists' own personal exploration, we are here to help your artist thrive.
❋ Wild Artists (6-16 yrs old)
LARP is for the 8 - 16 year old campers. Come join us for a week of Live Action Roleplaying (or LARP) at Tinkering School camp in the Presidio! We'll use an array of props – padded foam equipment made to look like swords and spears – to create a shared story of fantasy adventure. LARP plays out as a combination of sports, drama, and tabletop role-playing games in which each player acts as a character who they themselves create. (A mighty warrior? Or perhaps a powerful wizard?) Together we’ll fight battles, find treasure, learn magic spells, and weave a fantastical tale unique to our players’ imaginations.
❋ LARP (8-16 yr old)
Week By Week Themes
Session 1 - Week of June 22
Young Tinkerers: Big City!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (8-11)
Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 1
Session 2 - Week of June 29
Young Tinkerers: Marbles and Chaos!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (12-15)
Wild Arts: Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 2
Session 3 - Week of July 6
Young Tinkerers: Cardboard Monsters!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (8-11)
Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 3
Session 4 - Week of July 13
Young Tinkerers: Wheels!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (12-15)
Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 4
Session 5 - Week of July 20
Young Tinkerers: Wind!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (8-11)
Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 5
Session 6 - Week of July 27
Young Tinkerers: Giant Gizmos!
Big Build: Big Mystery Build (12-15)
Wild Arts: Fine Arts for all artists
LARP 6
The fine print
Location: Tinkering School at Brightworks. Our beautiful campus in the Presidio, 682 Schofield Road, San Francisco, CA 94129
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9am to 3:30pm
Aftercare: Monday through Friday, 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Session Dates: June 22 through July 31, 2026 - 2026.
Summer Registration opens on Friday, January 30th at 10 am.
Tuition: See UltraCamp
Aftercare: $130 per week
Multi-week discount. Sign up for more than one week, and you’ll receive a $25 discount for the 2nd and additional weeks.
Financial aid is available. Please register for the session(s) you’re interested in, and select “Financial Aid” on the payment page. You will be asked to put down a $5 deposit to hold a space for each session. We will reach out to you with the next steps. Questions? Email info@tinkeringschool.com for more information.
Cancellation policy: Cancellations initiated before (30 or more days from the first day of summer programming) receive a refund, less the $100 non-refundable deposit.
Any cancellations that occur after will receive a refund only if we are able to fill the spot.
If you cancel a session on your own, the system will default to giving you credit toward future classes. If you'd like a refund (instead of credit), please reach out to info@tinkeringschool.com directly.
Registration: We’re using UltraCamp’s registration system for camp signup. Please feel free to create an online account prior to registration day.
Availability and Waitlists:
We are being conservative with our availability as we ramp up our staffing for the summer. If a session that you want is full, don't worry, please sign up for the waitlist. We will be releasing additional seats as we firm up capacity.
