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Tag Archives: children
Crafting (in) the Home: Passing on Your Skills to your Children
I just returned from a conference on community building called The Urban Village: From Cloud-Castles to Blueprints, sponsored by The Servi Institute in Oklahoma City, OK, where I gave a presentation on passing on manual skills to children by letting … Continue reading
Working Wood with My Children (Mostly Pictures)
Ever since my children were old enough to hold tools, I have included them in my woodworking. My workbench is right in our main living space–on one end of the dining room–so the kids can all see me every time … Continue reading
The Folly of “Prepping”
What is the best way to preserve a seed? I first came across this question in a gardening book, and it’s a trick question. The answer, of course, is to plant it. I have thought about that question a lot … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Kids, Musings, Wood and Woodwork
Tagged children, culture, food, prepper, prepping, preservation, preserve, skill, skills
11 Comments
Build a Cedar Bench in an Hour
One summer afternoon not long ago, my wife and oldest daughter had gone out, leaving me to mind the little ones. We decided to make a fire in the fire pit and roast hot dogs for supper. We lit the fire … Continue reading
Posted in Build-Alongs, Furniture, Kids, Wood and Woodwork
Tagged bench, campfire, cedar bench, children, cookout, fire, hot dogs, reamer, staked bench, tenon cutter
2 Comments
Summer Reading: Kid-Friendly Woodworking Books
Summer reading isn’t just for grown-ups. With the kids out of school, it’s just the time for everybody, young and old, to do some reading for fun. As a woodworking father of four young children, I’m always on the lookout … Continue reading
Posted in Kids, Woodworking Literature
Tagged children, children's woodworking books, good children's books, summer reading
2 Comments
Building Bunk Beds in Burma
Not long ago, my brother led a small team of Americans as they completed a major woodworking project for an orphanage in Myanmar (formerly Burma), in Southeast Asia. The orphanage, which houses approximately 120 children, had no proper beds for … Continue reading
Posted in Furniture, Kids
Tagged bunk bed, bunk beds, children, chop saw, cordless drill, myanmar, router, Southeast Asia
3 Comments
Published!
At the risk of redundancy, I just want to point out that, should you happen to see this issue of WOOD Magazine (March 2014) in the checkout lane at Lowes, I think you should buy a copy. Because I got … Continue reading
What Are Some Good, Kid-Friendly Woodworking Projects?
I got an e-mail the other day from a guy who, like me, regularly has kids in his shop, and he asked for some ideas for simple projects that kids could help build. He mentioned making some wooden swords with … Continue reading
Posted in Kids, Musings
Tagged Bible box, children, doll furniture, kids, Popular Woodworking Magazine, stool, tool chest
7 Comments
Woodworking with Children: Lots of Pictures
It’s high time I share a few more pictures of my children working (and playing) in my shop space. The following pictures are from the previous year and a half. All four kids at the bench checking out various tools. … Continue reading
Posted in Kids
Tagged carving, children, eggbeater drill, gouge, kids, Marking Gauge, working with children, working with kids
6 Comments
In Defense of Cursive
Handwriting is as much a handicraft as joinery or carving–and perhaps more so–as it requires careful use of hand tools to make something significant. Writing efficiently by hand–writing both quickly and legibly–is something between a skill and a high art, … Continue reading
Posted in Musings
Tagged children, cursive, cursive handwriting, hand writing, handwriting
6 Comments
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