Introducing woodworking to kids in the community
Give something back to your community by introducing local kids to woodworking.
A few years ago, I had what I thought was a good idea for my son’s birthday party. I introduced his friends to my wood shop and helped them create their own gumball machine to take home. You can read about that day in the August/September 2017 issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement.
Recently, as I noticed more kids around our neighborhood as COVID restrictions eased up, I decided to run another workshop that let the kids build a slightly modified gumball machine. There was a great turnout, with about 15 neighbourhood kids attending the workshop. I gave them a tour of my shop, reviewed a few things about where the wood for their project came from and told them how important workshop safety was; then we got to work. I precut all the parts for the project and then the kids assembled them with my guidance. It was a great learning experience for all parents and kids who attended.
Be Prepared
Zakarian built all the parts before the big day. This allowed the kids to have a safe and productive time assembling the gumball machines.
Lots of Options
A bird house is also a great project for kids, and with many styles to choose from there’s one for every area and skill level. This birdhouse is from a neighbourhood workshop Zakarian put on last year.
