Newswise — A family partnership has waved a magic wand over how-to books and brought out a present not only for the holiday season, but for all year long -- "The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids & Parents to Build Together."
"We hope to share enough tips, give enough good advice, and create enough enthusiasm to allow parents and children to develop basic carpentry skills," Barbara Robertson, former director of education at the Williams College Museum of Art, said of her book.
With her husband J. Craig, an experienced carpenter, and her daughters Camille and Allegra, the family has come up with projects to help children master basic woodworking, beginning at age six with adult supervision.
"Most kids can learn to hammer at age six and our kids could use saws by age seven. Eight-year-olds can do a beautiful job with simple power tools like drills, as long as a parent is right there working with them," she said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
While some parents don't allow children to use tools, hoping to avoid blackened fingernails and Band-Aids, this also means that many children don't get to master the use of simple tools at a young age.
The first section of the book, "Setting up Shop: Getting to Know Your Tools," introduces beginners to basic woodworking. Robertson covers hammering to block planing, and introduces simple projects to reinforce those skills.
The second section, "Down to Business: Building Your Own Projects," offers 12 kid-friendly projects from simplest to most challenging. Burgeoning carpenters begin with string art, a project that builds nailing technique, and progress to full-size lemonade stands and puppet theaters.
The book is written in clear, precise language that is accessible to both children and adults.
Robertson's upbeat instructions are interspersed with tips addressed to parents. Robertson's daughter Camille addresses her tips to kids. There is an emphasis on safety, creativity, and experimentation.
"Everything gets nailed backward the first time. The trick is knowing how to take a nail out and start over again," Robertson says. "Mistakes are part of the learning process. Making them helps kids learn that mistakes are OK as long as you don't give up."
"The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together" is published by Storey Kids. It is available on amazon.com.
Robertson directed the Williams College Museum of Art's education department for more than a decade. She coordinated hands-on workshops, community outreach programs, museum tours, and installations. Under her leadership, the museum was recognized with the 2000 Distinguished Cultural Institution Award from the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education for its "instructional excellence and innovative approaches to art education."
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