For as much woodworking as I've been doing in the last year, I've only been doing it for about that much time. I "did" a few woodworking projects in my childhood: Pinewood Derbies, a bookshelf, and maybe another thing or two from Cub Scouts I've forgotten about. Because I hardly did woodworking projects as a child, I wasn't comfortable around hand tools or power tools; I was afraid of the loud noises or fearful of hurting myself through cuts, hammering digits, or accidentally amputating limbs.
I want my kids to not be afraid of things like I was as a kid. I first learned of the kids workshops that The Home Depot (
Kids Workshops) and Lowe's (
Build and Grow) put on when I was at The Home Depot one morning in Texas and saw their setup in the parking lot.
At these workshops, the stores give you an apron (that you get to keep) and a package of pre-cut wood, nails, other parts, and instructions. At the Home Depot, the kids paint their pieces, whereas they do not at Lowe's. The kids then get to glue and nail the pieces together.
The workshops are for kids about age 5 and older, but I've seen younger kids there, and no one gets turned away. Audra is usually interested in painting the first piece and choosing colors for the other pieces for me to paint. She also typically hammers the first nail and then asks me to finish it for her. That's okay, though, as she's being exposed to doing this kind of work. When we're done, she's so happy about it, and I love the pride she shows in having helped built it.
I've taken Audra a handful of times, and here are some of the thing we've made:
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| Heart container (2015 February) |
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| Minions scooter (2015 July) |
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| Chalkboard (2015 August) |
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| Football Toss Game (2015 September) |
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| Fire Truck (2015 September) |
Some of the upcoming workshops are for a fighter jet and a school house bank. Just a couple of more years until Brooke's ready to join us!
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