kids-grandkids-munchkins

tod evans

Member
Messages
4,982
Location
ozarks
my son is 3 now and really enjoys being able to "help" in the shop and just working on stuff in general.
after reading a few recent threads about kids, and knowing that in todays world about the only way kids are going to learn how to make stuff by hand is by mentoring, how many of ya`ll take the time to share your passion with the younger generation?
every kid is different in both their ability to grasp the mechanical skills and their desire to actually create something..but i believe that if adults will take the time to share and teach that the kids will be better for the experience...besides is fun:D
soooo, do you share your shop? or is it your own personal refuge from reality?
 
My 14 year old grandson turned a couple of pens this spring when he visited us. He's the youngest grandchild I have.

My great grandkids.......15 month old Riley Marie and 10 month Nicholas Hugh aren't allowed in the shop yet. I don't want them crawling into something or somewhere they don't belong.
 
Tod,

I have 7, 10 and 12 year old boys and they have all had time on the lathe and they really enjoy it. I hope some day it will be a passion for them like it is for me.
 
My three stepsons.. 20, 14 and 8 all helped on the shop build this summer, and I'm hoping the younger two will be out in the shop with me from time to time. It is my retreat, but they're always welcome to come hang out. Besides, I'll have a kickin stereo and TV with Tivo, so It won't just be woodworking. ;)
 
It is mostly my "own personal refuge from reality".

However, I also want to raise handy kids, kids who know how things work, and kids with the self confidence to tackle projects... So I also know that I need to make time to do things with my kids.

But I confess it's a struggle.
 
My son is 2 1/2, and gets really excited when I invite him down to my shop. His eyes really light up. We built a little box out of poplar together about a month ago. I did all of the cuts, but he watched attentively taking it all in. Then I set up the Kreg jig, and held my little 9.6v drill, and he drilled the pocket holes. Then I used my right angle clamp, held the drill, and he drove all the screws. He was so proud of the box he built with "Dada". If you ask him what kind of wood it is made of, he will say "Pop-a-ler". When I point at the pocket holes, and ask what they are he can tell me what they are. Now he keeps his toy tools in his little box.

When we go to Home Depot, Lowes or Rockler, I can point at various large shop tools and he can idenify they. So far he point out Table Saws, Drill Presses, Band Saws, and Miter Saws. I always get a kick out of asking him "What tool is this?"
 
My daughter is only 2, but everytime we go out the back door of the house she wants to go into the shop....err garage. He always heads right over to the lathe and trys to turn it on!:eek: Have to watch her very close. She also tried to pick up a chainsaw a few days ago, saying "Daddy saw!"

I hope to get her interested in turning, but she will be free to do whatever she is interested in....to a certain extent...
 
I'm fully agree, grandkids are a bundle of joy, I'm proud having 7 grandkids, they are not all the same, but it's very nice to discover there interest.
 
An additional note.

The homes I have bought over the years have need either some finish work or some major remodeling. I've encouraged my children to help if they wanted to......


As a result all 3 of my children will and have done similar things in the homes they have now. My daughter's husband is a building contractor and you will often find her on the job site helping out....building fence....building gates for the fences.

On our trip to Houston in June, the youngest son showed off his prowess with the newly tiled kitchen floors and backsplashes and fireplace to several members of another website who met there with me for a BBQ.

My youngest son will periodically call me......Dad....what was that tape....(one of several reel-to-reel tapes I'd recorded from albums) that you used to play while we were finishing the basement in Joliet, IL? Mainly Beatles, Marshall Tucker Band, Hugo Montenegro, Doobie Brothers, 3 Dog Night

While my shop and remodeling time and place is mainly for my escape from the stress of my day job, it can sure have a posititve and lasting effect on your kids, grandkids, etc.
 
Very good point Tod. I'm taking a page from a friend's experience - he pushed his oldest to work in the shop, and made him do things "right". His oldest, now in college, will have nothing to do with the shop. His younger son he allowed to work in the shop "whenever" and "however" (safely and supervised). The young one is in the shop all of the time.
I always offer my Little Man to join me in the shop. Depends on his mood, but most of the time he wants to go - sometimes he even asks.:thumb: He has his own workbench, toolbox and some tools and a box to stand on when he helps me. I have offered to the neighbor boys to do things in my shop. One has no time for things other than sports. The younger one asks lots of questions, but hasn't committed to anything.

Another quick story. A local cabinet maker wanted to bring a younger person in to apprentice with him. He searched for a while and found a young man very interested. After a serious talk with the young man, and his parents, he was hired on as an apprentice. They have been working together for about 5 years. The cabinet maker is in his mid 80's, the young man is now a junior in HS. I met them both at a presentation they were giving on hand cutting dovetails.

Wes
 
it`s gotta be an enjoyable experience for the kid as well as the adult.....kids are very perceptive so if having `em around the shop makes you nervous they`ll pick up on it right away then it`s no fun for either of you...
my son gets to "drive" pullsaws by himself, hammer nails(manually),and use squares and a compass to draw with...powerdrills and the scrollsaw are hands on supervision....he`s allready asking about the lathe as he knows it was my first "real" tool when i was a boy.....
at a year old i`d give him a 1/2"x3" nut bolt and washer to fiddle with, now he can do the on-off nut thing better than my wife...and knows the difference between sockets and wrenches, phillips-straight and square screws.....
yup kids in the shop are fun:D
 
My grandson is 4 and he is always at the shop with me when he is here. Grandma says when I walk out the door it looks like a man with his puppy dog. He follows me everywhere. This summer we built two birdhouses which he has hanging outside and he called all excited that birds took up residence in them. I haven't let him on the lathe yet but he watches poppa's every move when I am on it. There is nothing better in this world than spending time with kids in the shop.
 
My grandson is 4 and I can't wait for him to come for a visit so I can see if he'd like to play in the shop.:) He's a little young for the lathe and other power tools IMHO but I'd love to get him involved in nailing boards together at the very least.
Just wish he lived a little closer so I could get him going if he's interested.
 
My neice is 3 and she likes sitting on my lap and cut shapes out on the scroll saw. It doesnt matter what we are makeing as long as she can help she is happy.
 
This past Friday, I invited my son down to the shop. I sat him on my assembly table with his hearing protector muffs on. I gave him several scraps and a piece of dowel to play with while I did some prep cuts for a cutting board I will be starting on soon. He seemed to enjoy watching me with the cross cut sled. He asked about the stop block, I had set for my sled cuts.

Because he was so good when he was sitting there, he now has some new scraps to use his toy tools on. It was like it was Christmas for him when I gave him the cut offs. The best part is that he knows the names of all of them......

How many 2 1/2 year olds can identify Cherry, Walnut, and Purpleheart? He can identify Poplar too, but it was not used for my cutting board.
Am I proud of the Little Guy?... You Bet! :D
 
My grandsons are eight years old (twins) but don't get to visit our home very often. But, last time they were here, one of them expressed interest in learning to use the lathe. I let him hold the tools with power off and explained the process and show some turning. He really wants to try next time they are here. Their parents are reluctant. Both doctors, one is in ER the other Urgent care, and they are super-cautious about kids around stuff that can cause injury. If they say no, it's 'no'. I may have to just demonstrate.
 
I grew up helping my dad with stuff. Within reason I think it is good to start them young. My daughter is 5-1/2. She's spent a fair amount of time in the shop with me for the past couple years--usually just when I'm messing around out there, but she's good about going in the office and waiting while I do something dangerous. She's even watched me weld wearing her "dark vader mask" though the sparks scared the @#$%^ out of her.

For her 5th birthday, we took her to the store and bought her a basic set of tools, just like my dad did with me when I was her age. Right now she likes drilling with an eggbeater drill and driving screws with a screwdriver but doesn't understand why I won't let her use the cordless drill. We also built her a workbench, complete with a little Wilton woodworker's vise from Lowes. One of these days she and I are supposed to refurbish the toolbox my dad made me (with my help) for my first tools so she can use it.

She and I built the dog a stand for his bowls and she's helped with a task or two on other projects as well. When we are working out in the yard she usually "helps" too. She's spent enough time on my lap on the tractor now that she understands the basic operation of the loader ("digger") and can basically make it do what she wants.
 
I don't have any grandkids and my son is too far away to mentor in woodworking although when he is home we always make time for some turning in the shop. He seems to be more interested in turning than in flatwork.

When he was in Scouts and I was a leader I always tried to teach basic woodworking skills to the boys. I taught them how to use a hammer, saw, coping saw, screwdriver, drill and even that most archaic piece of equipment, a brace and bit. We would make little race cars, not pinewood derby cars, but other little cars that the kids would race down a track that I built.

When I was an Odyssey of the Mind coach I taught our team, boys and girls how to use an electric drill, hammer, saws, jig saw, etc. to make props. I always figured it was just as essential for the girls to learn as it was for the boys. Girls were the most intimidated at first but once they saw that it was not going to bite them they really got into it.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing I saw recently were the kids lined up at the 10 Jet mini lathe stations at the NC Woodturning Symposium. Experienced turners from the sponsoring clubs taught each child how to turn a top and every kid left with one. That was good work and some of those kids will surely be infected with the love of our hobby.
 
here is a coincidence....

Jennifer came out in the garage this evening and wanted to play with my chisels.

She does this occasionally. she loves to see the wood curl over the blade.

Well, today I gave in and set her up with something to do.

I let her use my Marples rather than my better Pfeils. The Marples were pretty sharp, they should have been sharper for her safety, but I figured she wasn't going to be exerting too much force anyway.

so here are the pics of my little 11 yr old budding woodworking.
 

Attachments

  • Jennifer chopping mortise.JPG
    Jennifer chopping mortise.JPG
    43.9 KB · Views: 14
  • Jennifer with mallet.JPG
    Jennifer with mallet.JPG
    45.4 KB · Views: 15
  • jennifers mortise.JPG
    jennifers mortise.JPG
    55.9 KB · Views: 12
My 14 year-old daughter, Rachel, has been turning regularly for nearly three years. She often turns pens for herself and as gifts for her friends, teachers, etc.

Rachel is required to perform 10 hours of community service every semester as part of her honors program in High School. This semester, she is making handmade gifts for the "Kids With Cancer" Christmas Banquet sponsored by the American Cancer Society and All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL.

This will be the 20th year that there has been a "special" day set aside for the children to forget their problems and just enjoy a day of fun and happiness and to sit on "Santa's" lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.

Every Child gets a gift of their choice, as do their siblings. However, the siblings get a gift by age not choice. Last year, including Parents, there were over 500 people that enjoyed their day of fun!

Because of the scare concerning toys from China this year, the banquet coordinators thought it might be nice to go back to the "good old days" and have some wonderful hand made toys to give out to the children. Sadly, the children stricken range from 3 months to 17 years old so any toy that fits will have a place.

Members of my woodturning club, along with members of the local woodworkers guild, are spearheading the effort to build gifts for the kids.

Rachel decided this was a great opportunity to do something for kids - some of whom are the same age as she is - who are struggling with an illness that is hard to understand and even more difficult to cope with.

She did all turning, sanding and finishing herself on all projects
With her 10 hours (plus) completed, here are some photos of her and her work.

BTW: The Jet mini has become "her" lathe since my upgrade last year. Every so often, she and I turn "together" in the shop.


rachel01.jpg

rachel02.jpg

rachel03.jpg

rachel04.jpg



This ball-catch toy is made of maple, finished with wax.
rachel08.jpg



The pens are bamboo, finished with wax, and wire-burned.
rachel09.jpg



The Keepsake Box is made of walnut and curly maple.
Rachel did all measuring, marking, gluing, clamping, assembly, sanding, and finishing. For safety reasons, Dad helped with the cuts on the table saw.
rachel06.jpg

rachel07.jpg



I can't tell you how proud I am of her; not only because of her obvious artistic talents and craftsmanship, but because the time she is spending doing this will have so much meaning for someone else.
 
Top