Linda Carlson/Parenting Press Review of
Woodshop for Kids
What’s the best saw for a child? What’s the best hammer? How do you introduce kids (and possibly yourself) to woodworking?
Those are among the many questions that woodworker Jack McKee answers in an easy-to-understand guide, Woodshop for Kids: 52 Woodworking Projects Kids Can Build. woodshop4kids.com
The father of two, McKee spent 15 years teaching young children how to handle tools before he put together a practical book that spells out how to set up a workshop for children, especially one to accommodate a group: for example, a scout or Campfire group or an after-school or weekend class. His guidelines have been carefully tested, with children as young as preschool, including 4–6-year-olds in a Montessori school. He’s also worked with preschool teachers and parents, to provide them the basics they need when working with children.
Scared about the prospect of letting young children handle tools? “Introducing Kids to Woodworking” emphasizes the safety—and the value—of using hand tools. It also discusses appropriate supervision, and protection, such as safety glasses. Power tools, even battery-operated drills, need not be introduced until a project requires hundreds of repetitive actions and when adequate adult supervision is available.
Picture from Woodshop for Kids
We like this book for many reasons, including the how-to’s on cutting thin pieces of wood, identifying different kinds of drills, and selecting sandpaper. Projects range from puzzle blanks, small sculptures, dollhouse furniture, airplanes, and boats to marble rolls, boxes, and a kaleidoscope. What we really, really like, however, are the life lessons that woodworking can teach. As McKee notes, “kids learn to help each other. They begin to learn how to plan and organize a project and to solve problems when things don’t go as expected.” Children become more self-reliant, he continues, and those who often rush learn to slow down. “Many kids who don’t do well in school find they excel at building,” says the author, and by the second or third day of a class, “Kids actually listen when I explain construction details.”
Picture from Woodshop for Kids
Linda Carlson
Parenting Press