CFAL TINKER LABBuild It. Prove It. Own It.
The only summer camp in coastal Karnataka where every child builds 20+ real projects, discovers science through experiments, solves problems like a mathematician, runs a real business, and presents at a public Maker Fair.
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⚡ Last year sold out in 3 weeks. Early registration open now.
Most summer camps show your child cool things.
At Tinker Lab, your child builds them.
Every single activity ends with a tangible artifact — something your child built, tested, iterated, and can explain. A working robot. A lemon battery. A water rocket launched three times with different variables. A business that made actual profit. A scientific poster with real data.
After 4 weeks, your child comes home with a portfolio of 20+ projects, a lab notebook, a presentation they delivered on stage, and a mind that works differently.
— Nuffield Foundation motto
The Four Labs of Tinker Lab
Engineering & Robotics
Build levers and pulleys that lift 500g. Wire snap circuits with LEDs, buzzers, and motors. Race bristlebots. Construct cam-driven mechanical toys. Program an obstacle-avoiding robot with Arduino. Present your best creation on Demo Day.
Guided Discovery Science
Can you make an egg float? What is fire eating? Can a lemon power an LED? Why is the sky blue? Students are never told the answer first — they experiment, observe, record, and discover the science themselves. Every day follows the Nuffield Cycle: Provocation → Investigate → Discover → Record → Extend.
Carpentry, Rockets & Structural Engineering
Measure building heights with clinometers and similar triangles. Build popsicle stick bridges and test to destruction. Learn safe carpentry — saw, hammer, drill — and build a phone stand. Design and iterate water rockets (minimum 3 launches with different variables). Build a catapult for the final accuracy competition.
Ecology, Life Sciences & Environmental STEM
Master the microscope — examine pond water, soil, leaves, onion skin, cheek cells. Conduct a campus biodiversity audit and calculate a real biodiversity index. Dissect a fish. Test soil pH. Build a vermicompost bin. Map and measure every tree on campus — contributing real data to CFAL's ongoing environmental research.
9 AM to 2 PM · Monday to Friday
Morning Circle
Curiosity question of the day. Safety briefing. Set intentions.
Main Lab 2 hours of making
Machine Shop, Nuffield Lab, Build Yard, or Nature Lab — rotating weekly. Hands-on, artifact-driven, facilitator-guided.
Lunch + Free Play
Time to eat, breathe, run, and be a kid.
Math Circles Daily
Berkeley-style problem solving. Math as play, puzzle, and proof. Every child, every day — because thinking is a muscle.
STEM Presentations / Business Prep Skills
Weeks 1-2: Prepare and rehearse a 3-minute TED-style talk on a science topic. Weeks 3-4: Form companies, create products, build marketing, prepare for Business Day.
Special Rotation Bonus
Tree Census with Smitha. Herbarium with Rashmi Bhat. LED Bottle making. Mangalore tile painting. Heritage and nature meet STEM.
Gallery Walk + Closing Circle
Display what you made today. Walk through other students' work. Reflect. Celebrate.
Business Day + CFAL Showcase
Your child runs a real business for a day.
Teams of 5 form companies. Choose products from things they've built. Create pricing, marketing posters, and a projected P&L statement. Open to parents and community.
- Sell bristlebots, LED bottles, lemonade, science experiences
- Track material costs, revenue, profit/loss
- Present P&L statements to judges
- Awards: Highest Profit, Best Marketing, Most Creative Product
100 students. 400+ artifacts. One incredible exhibition.
Every portfolio on display. LED bottle gallery in a darkened room. Student TED talks on stage. Math Circles live puzzle. Tree census results unveiled. Awards ceremony. Professional photos.
- Parents walk through the gallery with children as guides
- 8-10 best student TED talks (3 min each)
- 11 awards from Best Engineer to The Tinkerer Award
- The CFAL Spirit Award (peer-voted — helped others the most)
Why Tinker Lab is different from every other camp
Every activity produces a real artifact
No show-and-tell. No watching a demo. Every child builds, tests, iterates. They come home with 20+ projects they made with their own hands — from robots to rockets to compost bins.
UK Nuffield science + Berkeley Math Circles
The Nuffield Foundation's guided discovery method (used across British schools) and Berkeley's Math Circle approach (used at UC Berkeley). Your child discovers principles through experiments — not through lectures. These aren't just activities; they're internationally recognised pedagogies.
8:1 student-teacher ratio. 16 staff for 100 kids.
4 lab leads, 4 lab assistants, Math Circle facilitators, special rotation experts, a safety officer, and a camp coordinator. Every child is known, tracked, and supported.
They learn to present, pitch, and sell
STEM Presentation training: every child prepares a 3-minute talk. Business Day: they price, market, sell, and track profit. These are life skills that no textbook teaches — and most summer camps don't touch.
It's from CFAL — Mangaluru's #1 STEM institution
The same institution that sent a student to the International Math Olympiad in Brazil. That won a Silver Medal at the Astrophysics Olympiad in Beijing. That produces 10x the national JEE average. Tinker Lab is built on the same philosophy — just with more fun, more mess, and more rockets.
"What can you build now that you could not build 4 weeks ago?"
100 seats. 4 labs. One unforgettable summer.
April 7 to May 3, 2026. Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 2 PM. Ages 10-15. CFAL Campus, Akashbhavan, Mangaluru.
Dates: April 7 – May 3, 2026 (4 weeks, Mon–Fri)
Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM daily
Ages: 10–15 years
Seats: 100 only (4 cohorts of 25)
Includes: All materials, lab notebooks, portfolio, Maker Fair entry, professional photos
