Carpentry Art!

The great thing about art is that it can be a collaborative effort. Don't just watch your child and their friends have fun. Get in there. Get your hands dirty!

Ready? Let's see...we are going to need a piece of plywood (2 ft x 3 ft should do it), a variety of wood scraps, wood glue, starter nails, canning jar lids (frozen juice can lids will also work), clean (and empty) soup cans, yarn, two cups of flour, 4 cups hot water and sawdust. And maybe some paint.

Ahh, now you're curious, aren't you?

Well, here we go!

Carpentry Collage

This first one is easy-peasy. Set out the 2 x 3 piece of plywood and the wood scraps. Did your child set up their work space and workbench? 

Source: edenpictures

Okay, good.  Have them nail or glue the scraps to the plywood to make a collage. 

Decorate to taste. 

Have them clean up. 

 Done.

Next.

Junior Tinsmith

This requires a teensy bit of prep work on your part. On either the canning lids or frozen juice can lids, draw dotted outlines of simple shapes: triangles, squares, stars, you get the idea. Place the lids on wood blocks and show your child how to lightly nail through each dot to create a see-through hole. Once they can see through where all the dots used to be, voila! Design complete. Now all you need to do is punch a hole in the top of each lid and tie a loop of yarn for hanging. As a reminder, make sure they are hammering on a wood block and not directly onto the workbench. We're forming habits, remember? Let's make them good ones.

Source: Steadyjohn

This one is always a favorite. Oh, I forgot. You'll need some twine or string for this one. Oops. Anyway, take two of your cleaned empty soup cans (chicken noodle is my favorite!) and place them with the open end down on the workbench. You can draw a dot in the middle of the lid, if you want. Have your child create a see-through hole - - just one.

Do the same with the other can. Help them string the twine through the hole and make a knot, big enough so that it won't come out. Make the twine as long as you want before doing the same with the other can. Know what you have? Instant tin-can telephone!

Sawdust Clay

Sounds crazy, right? Well, you cooks will love this one because it will require some time and preparation to do it right. You (not your child) should combine the two cups of flour and four cups of hot water and mix until thick and clear. 

 Now, stir in fine sawdust (see what I mean about the preparation?) until the mixture resembles modeling clay. Have your child create sculptures with the clay. Leave the sculptures to dry and harden. Once hardened, your child can sand and paint to their liking. Once you have enough sculptures, be ready to host an art opening!

These art projects are great for one or more than one. After your child has made some art and is ready to share their new-found passion, have them invite a friend or two over to join the fun. Keep it supervised and orderly so everyone can enjoy making art. Like I said, don't just watch your child and their friends have fun. Get in there. Get your hands dirty!

 

Carpentry Tips and Hints for Children of All Ages

Every hobby has its issues regarding tools, storage, clean up and safety. Woodworking, carpentry and woodcraft are no different. Teaching children good habits early is a sure way to enhance their enjoyment of working with wood and will serve them well for years to come. Though these tips are geared towards folks who will be teaching woodworking and carpentry to children, I think there may be something useful here for woodworkers of all ages. 

Tools 

Woodworkers tend to develop their own system for storing tools in their work space. Since your children aren't there yet, these suggestions will help get your children on the right track. Use a piece of pegboard and trace the outlines of their tools onto it. Add the appropriate hooks and label each outline. Make sure you attach the pegboard to a wall at your child's eye level. As they grow, you can move it up to match their eye level. Use this as a way to show them the progress they're making in their hobby. 

After each use of a tool, encourage them to hang the tool up in it proper place. Safety starts with you. Show your child the correct way to use and care for each of their woodworking tools. You can even make a game out it. Set out examples of toy and real tools and discuss the differences between them. Then have your child separate them into two groups; toys in one pile and real ones in another. You can even ask questions like" How can you tell that this is a toy hammer and not a real one?" 

Storage and Clean Up 

We've covered the storage of tools, but we still have to store supplies - wood glue, fabric, nails, screws, etc. Provide a separate storage bin (with lid) for each kind of supply material used in the work space and store the bins in the same place after each woodworking session. This instills the idea that everything used has its proper place when it's not being used. After you and your child have finished a session in your work space, have the child put the tools and supplies away in their proper hooks/bins. 

 

Make sure that you have a small broom and a dustpan handy so that the child can clean up their work space. The reason for this should be obvious. Also, keep a big magnet handy. It's a fast and safe way for the children to collect any stray nails and screws around the woodworking space. Just a reminder - the magnet won't attract anything made out of aluminum. 

Safety 

Here's a few safety tips to help you keep everyone safe and having fun. If you have more than one child working in the woodworking space, limit the number of children that can work at the workbench at one time. Use your discretion, based on the size of the work space, the workbench and obviously the size of your children! Also make sure you have adequate tools and supplies for everyone participating. Encourage your children to help one another while they are working. And make sure your children wear their safety goggles at all times while they're in the woodworking area. 

Don't forget to remind your child to use the correct tool for the job. You may ask them what tool they would need to make a piece of wood shorter, what they would use to attach one piece of wood to another, that type of thing, in order to make sure that they know what each tool is designed to do. Also, teach your child to use C clamps instead of their hands to hold boards for hammering or sawing. This is the reason you'll want to make sure that at least one side of the workbench has an edge that can hold a clamp. 

Tools stay in the woodworking space only. And no running with tools of any kind. Show your child how to keep their tools in good working condition. This issue may not come up right away, but it's my job to remind you not to forget! This may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Whenever children are working in the woodworking space, there must be adult supervision. Remind your child not to hammer, saw or drill into the workbench, even if it looks like a fun thing to do. And by no means allow them to put nails, screws or any other supplies in their mouths. Which, of course, means that you shouldn't do it either, because your child will almost always do what you do before doing what you say. 

Finally, if your child is becoming too stressed or tired while working in the work space, offer to set the project at hand aside so that it can be finished at a later time. However, make sure that they clean up their work space and store all tools and supplies before leaving. If you start cleaning up after them without them helping, you may end up doing it the rest of their lives (and yours). 

 

Age-Appropriate Activities 

My opinion is that children should be at least three years old before being allowed to start woodworking. Three-year-olds will enjoy the process of sanding, hammering, sawing, etc. more than actually building things. Provide your child with many opportunities to develop these carpentry skills, and they'll start wanting to use them. In terms of introducing tools to your child, start with the hammer. It's the easiest tool for young children to manipulate. Introduce the saw last. It is the most dangerous and the most difficult carpentry tool to master. What about sandpaper, you say? Technically, sandpaper is a supply material. You can introduce them to sandpaper as early as you think appropriate. And always adapt all woodworking activities to fit the individual needs of your child. You know them best. 

Four-year-olds will gradually want to nail or glue pieces of wood together. Encourage them to create their own masterpieces, which you can display around the house. As they gain experience, they will eventually want you to help them build SOMETHING, like a toy box or a bird house or a napkin holder. 

The beautiful thing about woodworking is that is provides opportunities to problem-solve. The problems can as varied as "Which nail works best?" to "How high can I stack this wood?" to "What shape works best for wheels?" Encourage your child to experiment when seeking solutions. Allow them to discover the correct answer, or at least ask them questions that will steer them in the right direction, so that the joy of discovery can be all theirs.

Getting Your Children Started in the Craft of Woodworking

Whether you're a mother, father, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle or teacher, if you have children around you, they have a natural inclination to build things. And to break things. 

 

Why not use the hobby of woodworking as a way to refine (and even temper) those child-like inclinations before they become more destructive? It's easy, can be done in short time intervals and it's fun! 

 

You'll need a work space for your child to create their wooden magic. It should be spacious and situated away from their normal play area. Although this new hobby of woodcrafting is fun, you are also using it as a teaching tool, so you don't want to confuse your child by making woodcrafts in the same space that they would normally play in. A corner of the basement, garage or patio will do. A separate area outside would work as well. 

 

  You will also need a workbench that is low enough for your child to bend over when they are sawing or hammering. Anything durable will do, as long as at least one end can hold a clamp. Try an old table cut down to size, a sturdy wooden box, maybe even an elementary school desk. Check thrift stores and garage sales. 

 

Here's my suggestion when it comes to tools: purchase real ones in small sizes from a hardware store or a big box store like Home Depot, Lowe's or Menards. Don't use toy tools that you can buy in the toy department of a store. You want your child to have fun AND learn the correct way to make things out of wood. This is about refining and tempering those child-like inclinations, remember? I tend to believe that if you start with what you have, you can add to the list as your child shows interest and progresses. 

 

As for the list of tools, here goes:

 

* safety goggles (a must have) 

 

* claw hammer

 

* ball-peen hammer 

 

* hand saw

 

* coping saw

 

* flat head screwdriver

 

* Phillips head screwdriver

 

* hand drill

 

* pliers

 

* C clamps

 

* rasp

 

* ruler

 

* T-square

 

 

 Now we need supplies. Keep a variety of the following on hand in your work space: various grades of sandpaper, different kinds of large screws, nails with big heads, wood glue, bottle caps (if you can find any!), fabric pieces, wooden beads and the like. Last, but certainly not least; what's the most used resource in the craft of woodworking? No guesses? 

 

Why wood, of course! You can keep yourself in a pretty good supply of free wood by going to your local grocery store and asking for wooden boxes. Many lumber yards and construction sites have piles of wood scraps. Speak with the store/site manager about your request. And bring your child along! Call it a field trip. Give your child a paper bag with their name on it for bringing home wood pieces. I ask you, how many managers can say no to a child? 

 

I trust that these basics of work space, tools and supplies will give you some ideas about how to prepare for introducing your child to the hobby of woodcrafting. 

 

In future articles I will cover the subjects of the best ways to explain to your child how to use tools, store them, and even some games you and your child can play while woodcrafting. 

 

Woodworking Crafts And Your Children

Woodworking is a great hobby for the whole family since everyone can be involved in some part of it, even your children (call me old school, but I can't bring myself to call them "kids;" a kid is a baby goat, after all). And as a hobby, no one in your family will really outgrow it because woodworking is only limited by your and your child's imagination.

Someday wouldn't you like to build chairs, benches, bookshelves and other things with your teenager? Your child may come to enjoy it so much as a hobby that they even pursue it as a profession. If you start this enjoyable hobby with your child now it can happen.

The greatest thing about the woodworking craft? It gives families the opportunity to spend time with each other without seeming like "boring family time." Your child will get the thrill of making something with their own hands (with your help) and then using the toy box themselves or giving Nana and Papa that nice little bird house for their front yard.

Obviously it takes time and practice to become really skillful, but in order to become successful all of us has had to start somewhere. Completing woodworking activities with your children will spark new craft ideas (for all of you!) and before they know it, your children will be getting an education that only you can give them. It's never too early to start working with woodworking projects and it's fun! In order to learn more about the woodworking craft you should do some online research.

One of the best places to start is to do a search for woodworking forums. In any number of such forums you'll be able to find plenty of practical advice and project ideas perfect for the family. Maybe most importantly, you will be able to learn from the mistakes other hobbyist woodworkers have made so that your family can avoid them and get right to the satisfaction of your child's first completed project.

One of the things you'll need to know about is the kind of basic woodworking tools you'll need to get started in your new family hobby. A saw is a tool that your family can't live without if you want to become woodworking talents. You'll need at least one saw, perhaps two, maybe more. How many people are in your family?!

 You also need to have access to at least one jig, a knife, a file, sandpaper and some kind of finishing agent, like varnish or paint. These tools should be operated by the adults in the family (depending on the age of your children, of course), and this provides a great opportunity to instruct and demonstrate to your children the importance of safety, preparation and care.

The woodworking craft is a great hobby to use as a teaching tool and as a creative outlet. It can be very satisfying for the whole family. It feels great to know that you've built nice things together that will make each person's room in your house feel like home. Your relatives and friends will most likely be very happy about your new family hobby as well!

There's no better feeling than being able to build something from wood with your own hands. Okay, well maybe there is one thing. Watching your child make this discovery themselves. Thanks to your family hobby, dare I say tradition, of woodworking.