Announcing a Creative Residency for Kids (& Adults!) at Edge Esmeralda
Get ready for Edge Tomorrow, a new month-long intergenerational program where kids ages 6–12 and adult collaborators design and build real projects that shape the village.
TL;DR
What: A hands-on creative residency where kids ages 6–12 conceive, build, and present projects they design for the whole Edge community. Think: pop-up museums, cardboard worlds, short films, neighborhood festivals.
When: Runs alongside Edge Esmeralda, May 30 – June 27, 2026. Residency hours Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm. And, the structured creative participation of parents and caregivers is part of the program design.
Format: Weekly cohorts, each anchored by a theme-question. Kids lead the projects. Each week ends with a Friday showcase.
Price: $1,830 for the full month; $710 for a single week (per child). Prices increase every month until the event.
Kids: Designed for young people ages 6-12 who are comfortable in group settings, enjoy creating with others, and can manage their personal needs independently.
For kids aged two-and-a-half to six years, we’re delighted to partner again with Sonoma Art School camp again this year.
Who else: Adults, teens, and elders who are excited to collaborate and create with kids are an important part of the experience. Parents and adult collaborators will be supporting the structure of the residency. Please bring your talents, energy, and curiosity.
Be sure to mention your child when you apply to Edge Esmeralda, and you’ll be first to receive invitations to Edge Tomorrow when tickets go live.
If you’re part of Edge Esmeralda 2026 and would like to join Edge Tomorrow as an adult collaborator, we’d love to hear from you!
What is Edge Tomorrow?
Many of us want our children to experience what village life looks like: a place where people of all ages collaborate, learn from one another, and create meaningful things together. Edge Tomorrow is an experiment in intergenerational creativity that makes this real. It draws on Reggio Emilia’s model of place-based, project-centered learning and Montessori’s prepared environment focused on autonomy and interdependence.
Kids join Edge Esmeralda as fellow citizens, stakeholders, and builders. They lead the research, define the projects, and shape the culture of the village alongside adults who are there to collaborate, support, and learn with them. The goal is to create a world where the people who will be our leaders, healers, and artists of tomorrow get to feel what it feels like to imagine, collaborate, and bring something real to life.
Each week is anchored by a theme-question that sparks inquiry and project development. Generative themes we’re considering include “welcoming,” “cozy places and dreaming,” and “neighborhoods of the future.” Themes will adapt to each week’s cohort, and children are central to the conception, design and creation of the projects.
We’re calling it a residency — instead of camp or child care — to remind ourselves that what happens at Edge Tomorrow connects with and contributes to the whole village.
The Weekly Structure
Monday: Discovery and exploration
Tuesday: Experiments and project definition
Wednesday & Thursday: Building
Friday: Final touches, community showcase, project retro
Creative residency hours run Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm. Each day offers a mix of structured collaboration and open play, maximizing child agency.
Who Is It For?
Kids (ages 6–12): Independent, creative children who will lead the design and making. This is who the residency is built around.
Adults: Parents, aunties, uncles, and other Edge attendees who want to work alongside kids on ambitious projects. You bring your skills and passions; the kids bring the vision.
Teens: Teens, especially creators and makers who are open to stepping into leadership and mentoring roles with younger kids, want to help them bring to life projects.
Elders: Grandmas, grandpas, nanas and beyond, join us to hold space, share stories, build hands-on with us, and bring the richness of your life experience to the intergenerational mix.
Pricing
Full month (4 weeks): $1,830 per child
Single week: $710 per child
Prices will increase as we get closer to the event. We encourage planning early so we can get to know your family and help create the best experience.
The Approach
We aspire to create the DNA for Esmeralda to become a City of Children, as visionary thinker Francesco Tonucci first conceived. In addition to high-agency traditions like Reggio Emilia and Montessori, Edge Tomorrow is informed by child-led governance models like Children’s Parliaments and sociocracy for kids.
The program is part of a broader exploration into how temporary village labs can bring children, teens, and adults together around meaningful creative projects. To learn more you are welcome to join me at The Center for Numinous Worldbuilding on Substack, where I write about intergenerational learning, attention health, and village experiments.
Screen and Tech Culture
Edge Tomorrow is a hands-on creative environment. We think of technology as a tool for making, not passive entertainment. If screens are used, they serve the project: documenting, recording, designing, researching. Rest time means books, drawing, outdoor play, and screen-free games. We recommend children leave phones, tablets, and gaming devices at home or with parents during studio hours.
Hey kids!
We’re looking for a great name for the space where the residency will happen: our Edge Tomorrow headquarters where we’ll be hanging out and making stuff. Have you got a name idea? Send it to us, and if we choose your name you’ll win a free Edge Esmeralda t-shirt and hat! Submit a name idea
FAQ
How do I sign up?? Tickets will be going live very soon (within a week or so)! If you apply now to Edge Esmeralda, be sure to mention your child/children and you’ll be among the first to get invited to join Edge Tomorrow.
Can my child bring friends? Social connections are a big part of life for kids 6-12 and your child is encouraged to invite a friend their age to apply and join them at the residency! Our goal is a good group of 6-9 year olds as well as a good group of 10-12 year olds each week.
What is the schedule? Each week begins with discovery and exploration on Monday, experiments and project definition on Tuesday, building on Wednesday and Thursday, and final touches plus showcase and retro on Friday. Studio hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm. Each day offers a mix of options and play that maximizes child agency.
What will the kids be building? Each week’s project is decided by the children. Past groups have built a pop-up museum, a street party, a pop-up café, a cardboard clubhouse, mini escape room, a walking labyrinth, a stop-action animated film, and more.
How much does it cost? The full month-long residency is $1,680 per child. A single-week track is $560 per child. Prices increase as we get closer to the event. We can provide healthy lunches for an additional $100 / week / child.
Can I drop off my kid or do I stay with them? Edge Tomorrow is for kids who are comfortable in group settings, enjoy creating with others, and can manage their personal needs independently (e.g. bathroom, eating, basic self-care). And, your (or another caregiver's) participation as a Creative Steward is part of the program design.
I’m an adult coming to Edge and I want to be part of this. How? We welcome Edge adults who are energized by working with children on ambitious projects, including parents, aunties, uncles, and beyond. This is a great opportunity to share your skills and passions with the next generation and learn from them in return. Fill out this short form and we’ll be in touch.
My child is six or under. What’s available? For kids aged 2.5–6, we’re partnering with the wonderful Sonoma Art School. We’d be happy to introduce you to Kelly, head of the school. For children under 2.5, or those who aren’t suited to Sonoma Art School, we’ll provide a list of local nannies and babysitters so you can arrange appropriate care. Nannies are free to attend Edge Esmeralda and do not require a ticket but will need to register.
Where will Edge Tomorrow take place? In cozy, creative spaces close to the plaza hub, so participants feel like full members of the Edge Esmeralda experience.
I have questions. Who can I ask? Please reach out to Mitra directly! I am here to make our first creative intergenerational residency the best experience possible for you and the young people you care about.
We can’t wait to create with the next generation, and with you, and we look forward to being in touch! Start planning for Edge Tomorrow now, and keep your eyes out for tickets going live next week.