Do you have a handy kid? All of my little ones amaze me with what they are capable of (when I give them the opportunity to show me, that is). And woodworking projects are no exception! Madeline didn't have too many opportunities when she was little, I'm afraid to say. I cringed with the idea
Woodworking is a great practical life activity for children at a variety of ages.
Crafts that involve wood, hammer, and nails are always (always) a hit around here. So I am always on the lookout for a fun and creative woodworking craft for my kids. I was browsing through Pinterest when I saw these cute woodworking hedgehogs by Vszell—simple and perfect for little hands. I popped over to the website
I have decided to take a little inventory on my blog to make sure it’s as helpful and resourceful as possible. As it turns out, I have over 50 art projects for kids ages 3 to 5 that are super duper amazing and awesome right here. I took some time to round them all up […]
Moving on from beach week to SPACE WEEK! Piper is newly obsessed with all things Space so I’m really excited to do all of these activities with her and Flora over the next week or so! You can check out all of the beach week activities here! Supplies: Most supplies are linked in the Amazon […]
Did I just type those three words into the title for this post? Does "preschooler woodworking fun" sound like an oxymoron to you, too? I feel a thrum of anxiety each time I pull out wood working tools, so the idea of adding an exuberant preschooler to the mix is definitely not my idea of fun. There are those intrepid and fearless folk among us who have high tolerance for such things, and maybe even enjoy woodworking with preschoolers (my friend Faith, for example). However, I am not one of those people. So what, might you ask, possessed me to trundle down to the garage this morning, little man at my heels, to rummage for scrap lumber, cut it down with a saw, sort through our nail & screw bin, and then pull out the electric drill? Here's why. I was using a phillips head screwdriver to repair a toy and my 4 year old was intrigued, so I handed him the screwdriver. He had a great sense of accomplishment when he had replaced the screws and I thought to myself, "That wasn't so bad. We should do more of this..." And off we went. PRESCHOOLER WOODWORKING BOARD SUPPLIES 1 enthusiastic preschooler Small scraps of lumber (I cut my board down to 10 inches, which seemed a manageable size) 120 and/or 220 grit sand Paper A small saw A workbench vise A pencil & ruler A drill and set of bits Screws of varying sizes A screw driver and phillips head STEP 1: If you need to cut down your lumber scrap, use a pencil and ruler to mark where you would like to cut. Secure the wood in a vise and use your saw to cut along the pencil mark. (Are you coveting my yellow vise jaw pads? They are fabulous.) Do keep a close eye on your preschooler. If you're feeling brave, you can have him place his hands on your arm or elbow to "help" you use the saw. STEP 2: Hand the wood and some sandpaper to your preschooler so he can smooth out the rough edges. This is my favorite part. Not scary at all, except when he decided to try out the sandpaper on my hand. (It's "sandpaper," sweet love, not "handpaper.") STEP 3: Rummage around and find an assortment of screws. STEP 4: Match drill bit sizes approximately to the screw sizes. STEP 5: If you like, you can use a pencil to mark where you plan to drill holes, or you can drill a random pattern of holes. Secure your wood once again in the vise and use various sized drill bits to drill holes. Once the wood is drilled, use sand paper to smooth the wood around the holes. STEP 6: Hand a bucket of screws and a couple of screw drivers to your preschooler so he can get busy with his fabulous woodworking project. ADDENDUM My little one was feeling frustrated that the tall screws were sticking up, so this morning we glued a piece of wood beneath the first and drilled the holes deeper. Just make sure not to drill your holes all the way through the wood as the ends of the screws are sharp and poke-y!
Using common household items, preschoolers can practice identifying alphabet letter sounds and strengthen fine motor skills at the same time.
Easy catapult for kids
Check out this list of some super engaging engineering activities for kids to try! Preschool engineering activities are so much fun for the kids. An added bonus? They’re full of so much learning. Be sure to check out the free world structure printable at the bottom of the post, too. Related: Engineering Books for KidsKeep Reading
A kid-friendly rain stick craft that actually works! Your kids will love the realistic rain sounds made by these simple-to-make rain sticks.
I took this at the Child Development Center at Grossmont College. They have developed into a Reggio Emilia center. I loved it. I really like how they used natural items through out the classrooms and I liked how they displayed the art work. They had really neat 3-D art projects displayed.
Even from a very young age kids can enjoy woodworking activities. These 5 fun woodworking activities for young children have been carefully selected to be suitable for our younger (aged approx. 4+) DIYers but older children can also get enjoyment from these woodworking projects. Our daughter went through a
It's never too early to build the skills of future DIYers
This is the BEST paper tube Koi Fish, and one of several other Lunar New Year Animal inspired art lessons that we offer. This fun DIY craft is an original idea from ART CAMP Studio. It's a great year round project for all ages.
A seasoned woodworker and teacher explains the importance of setting up woodworking programs in schools
Alright, friends.. Prepare to be inspired. I might assert that the following (and above) could be the most light filled and beautiful photos I have ever been lucky enough to capture. It has nothing to do with me--and everything to do with the space. This weekend, I was lucky enough to take part in a Lifeways weekend workshop at Kimberton Waldorf School. The workshop was hosted by Cynthia Aldinger herself, founder of Lifeways North America. She is hands down the most unique, passionate, and hilarious speaker I have ever had the pleasure of learning from! What a joy to have met her and to have listened to her share her experiences in "nurturing families and inspiring childcare." LifeWays offers "an innovative relationship-based vision for childcare, both by parents in the home and by childcare providers in childcare centers, for children from birth to 6 years." Lifeways childcare centers are inspired deeply by the research of Dr. Rudolph Steiner and a whole lot of common, practical sense. A Lifeways center is ideally a "home away from home"; a warm and loving environment which mimics many of the welcoming qualities of a home. We were lucky enough to spend the morning/afternoon in a Lifeways inspired childcare program at Kimberton Waldorf School. The children are cared for in a true home setting (an old, beautiful farmhouse, complete with cows grazing across the street!) The program is run by my friend, classmate, and experienced Waldorf teacher, Chinyelu. She has such an eye for beauty and design, as you can see... I truly love the simplicity of this centerpiece for a setting with young children. It's made me rethink my own, what with its many objects, flowers, height, etc. I own this beautiful candle holder (made by Camphill villagers and available at Nova Naturals!) and I may consider using it for my own centerpiece. It really made me think about how the space is for the children, truly--- not for the delights of adults. Interestingly enough, we did speak about adult elements to the space, such as pieces of art or design that are pleasing to an adult and purposefully placed...but I feel that a centerpiece at a children's meal table is for them, not us. No, that is not an angel...that is my dear mentor friend and Waldorf teacher whom I got to spend so much time with this weekend. I'm so blessed! I really appreciate the simplicity of design and "uncompleteness" of so many of the playthings in this space. It truly exemplifies that less is so much more...carefully chosen pieces such as the above and below allow the child to "fill in the details" with their own experiences (the little child) and their budding imaginations (the young child)... A friend and I appreciated the time and thought taken to dress this sweet babydoll appropriately; both affirming and pleasant for the child... What a joy the above picture is! As you can probably tell, it was a wonderful and inspirational weekend. I'm thankful for all of the thought and time put into hosting the workshop-- the beautifully prepared homemade hot snacks and lunches, the experiences shared, and the joy and affirmation of being part of a group of like minded parents and caregivers. If the Lifeways full certification makes its way to my state of Pennsylvania, I'm surely interested! (and will somehow make it happen financially!) This coming week is going to be exciting-- the church where I serve as director of youth ministries has just completed a renovation on our Sunday school wing. I'm spending considerable time this week redecorating, finishing up details, and marveling at our newly refinished hardwood maple floor (which was hiding beneath nasty carpet for some years....) and our new deep, plush carpeting in the nursery space. Photos soon.... (here are some before photos...can you imagine building upon something which was already so beautiful and well thought out!?)
