About Tarlatan
Tarlatan is a new neighbourhood kids’ club packed with activities, independence, and play.
We believe kids need to discover and explore real-world interests, to be trusted with independence, and to experience the powerful benefits of social free play.
Because modern kids don’t have the freedoms their parents did: playing outside in groups and exploring the physical world. Instead they have screens, structure, and close supervision.
Activities Meet Play
Each session begins with a guided activity, and ends with pure free time, where kids can do exactly what they want to.
During free time, kids can continue the activity, switch activities, or simply enjoy some pure screen-free play. This way they can experiment and discover new interests, build social skills, and have fun.
All Your Clubs in One Place
No more shuttling.
With all your activities on one site, you have a single drop off and pick up per day.
Extra-Long Sessions
Each full Tarlatan session is almost 2 hours - enough time for parents to do something useful in the meantime.
Founder
The Team
About Tarlatan
Tarlatan is a new neighbourhood kids’ club packed with activities, independence, and play.
We believe kids need to discover and explore real-world interests, to be trusted with independence, and to experience the powerful benefits of social free play.
Because modern kids don’t have the freedoms their parents did: playing outside in groups and exploring the physical world. Instead they have screens, structure, and close supervision.
Activities Meet Play
Each session begins with a guided activity, including art & craft, cooking, and more, and ends with pure free time, where kids can do exactly what they want to.
During free time, kids can continue the activity, switch activities, or simply enjoy some pure screen-free play. This way they can experiment and discover new interests, build social skills, and have fun.
All Your Clubs in One Place
No more shuttling.
With all your activities on one site, you have a single drop off and pick up per day.
Extra-Long Sessions
Each full Tarlatan session is almost 2 hours - enough time for parents to do something useful in the meantime.
The Team
Founder
I decided to start Tarlatan because, as a father of two young children who'd read Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, I became more and more aware of the importance of free play and informal social time for kids, but also the lack of everyday opportunities for children to actually experience it.
I found that all my kids wanted to do after their weekend activities was head straight to the playground with their friends, but often we, or the other parents, wouldn't have much time to stay and supervise, so the only time the kids could really see each other was during structured activities and infrequent organised playdates.
So I thought - what if the kids could just stay on and play after the activity had finished? What if the parents didn't need to be there at all, and what if it actually might be better for the kids if they weren't?
Tarlatan is about creating a safe, enclosed, fun space for them to do exactly that. It's about excluding all the things that might be harmful to them (screens, screens, and screens), and packing it full of stuff that's good - climbing frames, creative activities, games, and each other!
Outside of Tarlatan I'm an architect working on ways to build healthier, more beautiful places that use less of the earth's limited resources.
Ben Barfield-Marks, Founder
I decided to start Tarlatan because, as a father of two young children who'd read Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, I became more and more aware of the importance of free play and informal social time for kids, but also the lack of everyday opportunities for children to actually experience it.
I found that all my kids wanted to do after their weekend activities was head straight to the playground with their friends, but often we, or the other parents, wouldn't have much time to stay and supervise, so the only time the kids could really see each other was during structured activities and infrequent organised playdates.
So I thought - what if the kids could just stay on and play after the activity had finished? What if the parents didn't need to be there at all, and what if it actually might be better for the kids if they weren't?
Tarlatan is about creating a safe, enclosed, fun space for them to do exactly that. It's about excluding all the things that might be harmful to them (screens, screens, and, er, screens), and packing it full of stuff that's good - climbing frames, creative activities, games, and each other!
Outside of Tarlatan I'm an architect working on ways to build healthier, more beautiful places that use less of the earth's limited resources.
Ben Barfield-Marks, Founder
Art Teacher
Rosalind Frances Holmes is a print designer with a degree in fashion design from Central St. Martins. Ros runs her own boutique fashion print design studio. She designs expressive, characterful artworks for a range of well-known brands, approaching every artwork with creativity and an individual hand.
She has a wealth of experience teaching young children, regularly leading creative sessions and activities including painting, drawing, mixed-media projects, and a range of craft activities.
Ros will lead ArtPlay sessions at Tarlatan, combining her passions for the creative arts, working with children, and social free play.
Art Assistant
Moss Seymour is currently completing her BA in sculpture from Camberwell College of Art. She works mainly in mould making and bronze casting, with a stong focus on drawing as part of her creative process. She is passionate about finding sustainable alternatives to traditional artistic materials, and is constantly experimenting with new bio-based techniques.
She has taught young children at a number of art camps in both the UK and US, and is a strong advocate of creative free play.
