My 7yo asked me to buy him some balsa wood the other day...

[TKDmom]

I was in the middle of Home Depot with 4 chiildren, and I didn't really have the time or inclination to consider his request, but after reading another thread today, I started thinking I should facilitate his desire to build things. I don't really want to turn him loose with the circular saw just yet, and I have no idea what kind of things are available for little boys to create.

 

Do you have any suggestions for what I should be looking for? I really need things for him that would be safe enough for him to play with independently, but that are more than just toys (we've got the Legos covered).

[kalanamak]

We started with the little one dollar kits from Micheal's. There is a cannon and a boat. You sand and paint and glue. We also got him a tool kit with good but small tools. A nice vice has made things safer, IMO. I'll look for the website we got them from.

 

Found it:

http://blog.woodworkingtooltips.com/2007/08/woodworking-tools-for-children/

 

I used this list as a huge Christmas present, and the advice was very good. We love our Japanese hammer.

 

Here is the correct link for the vise:http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/6-inch-portable-workbench-vise.aspx

 

My son can use it very well, if Papa clamps it well onto the workbench.

Edited November 12, 2010 by kalanamak

[Farrar]

Last year for Christmas, one of the grandfathers got my boys their own toolboxes with hammers, screwdrivers, safety goggles, measuring tapes, levels, wrenches, various clips and a bunch of nails and screws. I gave them some spare wood and cut it up for them. They don't create anything amazing (though they also, along with the grandfather have made some real projects). However, they like the sensation of being outside, hammering and making stuff. It's just fun for them.

 

Balsa wood, by the way, is better for crafting and art projects - I guess you could hammer it, but the beauty of it is that you can use it to build little models with glue. Also a worthy pursuit, but a little different. If he's into that, get him the balsa wood (you can find it at craft stores) and a hot glue gun (if you trust him with it...)

 

If my kids get more into it, I always notice this thing at Hearthsong, though I have no idea if it's as cool as I imagine it.

[lula]

I think some basic tools, a lot of wood from the clearance area of Home Depot, screws, nails and wood glue would be a great start. Does he want kits or to just go try to build stuff? Maybe you could introduce tools slowly and as he gains confidence introduce ones that may be more dangerous?

 

At seven I would feel pretty comfortable with my child working independently with hammers, pliers, hand drills, some powered drills, etc with supervision on hand saws and an observational role in terms of more powerful equipment. I second the idea of a good vice.

 

I am always amazed at what my 9 year old not super building orientated daughter comes up with when she uses her work area. My 3 year old is much more inclined to go crazy with tools so he got a "real" tool set for his birthday with proper tools, many in smaller sizes. (we are saving the saw for a couple of years but he is pretty adept with hammers and basic uses of the tools)

 

I am super excited to hear ideas on this subject!

[TKDmom]

We started with the little one dollar kits from Micheal's. There is a cannon and a boat. You sand and paint and glue. We also got him a tool kit with good but small tools. A nice vice has made things safer, IMO. I'll look for the website we got them from.

 

Found it:

http://blog.woodworkingtooltips.com/2007/08/woodworking-tools-for-children/

 

I used this list as a huge Christmas present, and the advice was very good. We love our Japanese hammer.

 

Here is the correct link for the vise:http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/6-inch-portable-workbench-vise.aspx

 

My son can use it very well, if Papa clamps it well onto the workbench.

 

Oh wow, Thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for. I'm going to put some of those items on ds's wish list.

 

...they like the sensation of being outside, hammering and making stuff. It's just fun for them.

 

Balsa wood, by the way, is better for crafting and art projects - I guess you could hammer it, but the beauty of it is that you can use it to build little models with glue. Also a worthy pursuit, but a little different. If he's into that, get him the balsa wood (you can find it at craft stores) and a hot glue gun (if you trust him with it...)

 

Yeah, he just wants to play with wood. I don't think he even know what balsa wood is for. The week before Halloween, he was puttering around in the garage, and he arranged some scraps of wood to make a sword for dh's costume. :D It was really sweet; he was sad that he couldn't put it together for Daddy.

[mcconnellboys]

There are lots of pre-cut wood building kits on the market now days. The pieces are already cut but he would have to nail, screw, etc. to put them together and then stain or paint, etc. I believe most Boy Scout offices (or their online catalog) carry such kits, too....

[TKDmom]

Does he want kits or to just go try to build stuff?

I think he'd be happy either way. After thinking about it a little, I think having him just build stuff might be less frustrating than trying to reproduce a perfect picture of something in a kit.

 

At seven I would feel pretty comfortable with my child working independently with hammers, pliers, hand drills, some powered drills, etc with supervision on hand saws and an observational role in terms of more powerful equipment. I second the idea of a good vice.

 

I am always amazed at what my 9 year old not super building orientated daughter comes up with when she uses her work area. My 3 year old is much more inclined to go crazy with tools so he got a "real" tool set for his birthday with proper tools, many in smaller sizes. (we are saving the saw for a couple of years but he is pretty adept with hammers and basic uses of the tools)

 

Thanks for your ideas on what is appropriate for his age!

[TKDmom]

There are lots of pre-cut wood building kits on the market now days. The pieces are already cut but he would have to nail, screw, etc. to put them together and then stain or paint, etc. I believe most Boy Scout offices (or their online catalog) carry such kits, too....

 

Oh, that is a good idea. DH is a scout leader (with older boys). I might set him to researching such things.

 

Once we were at a Carter's outlet store (of all places) and ds found a wooden race car kit, which he bought, assembled (with glue), and painted all in one afternoon. He loved it.

[Tracy]

My dh is a high school physics teacher, and they use balsa wood to make bridges for an annual Bridge Building Contest hosted by Illinois Institute of Techonology. I have attached a picture of a bridge from dh's class from last year. Your ds is probably too young to make bridges with this type of detail, but he might be interested in approximating them. The balsa wood is already cut into long narrow strips. You can get it at hobby stores. There are no tools involved, except for an exacto knife to cut the wood. Then you glue the pieces together.

[mamalbh]

Both the Lowe's and Home Depot in our area offer FREE building clinics for kids on Saturday mornings, everything they need is included (except paint, if he wants that). Lowes even has aprons the kids can keep and they get a badge for each project they complete.

[TKDmom]

Both the Lowe's and Home Depot in our area offer FREE building clinics for kids on Saturday mornings, everything they need is included (except paint, if he wants that). Lowes even has aprons the kids can keep and they get a badge for each project they complete.

 

I've seen those, and it's something I've always wanted to let dc do. I just need to find a Saturday morning where we aren't all running in 5 different directions.

[Snowfall]

If my kids get more into it, I always notice this thing at Hearthsong, though I have no idea if it's as cool as I imagine it.

 

I was going to suggest the same thing, although I had seen it at mindware.com. :)

[Guest kelley o'toole]

We started with the little one dollar kits from Micheal's. There is a cannon and a boat. You sand and paint and glue. We also got him a tool kit with good but small tools. A nice vice has made things safer, IMO. I'll look for the website we got them from.

 

Found it:

http://blog.woodworkingtooltips.com/2007/08/woodworking-tools-for-children/

 

I used this list as a huge Christmas present, and the advice was very good. We love our Japanese hammer.

 

Here is the correct link for the vise:http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/6-inch-portable-workbench-vise.aspx

 

My son can use it very well, if Papa clamps it well onto the workbench.

 

The woodworking site that you linked here has a kid-specific tool kit available now: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodworking-tool-kit-for-kids.aspx

 

It's not the cheapest one out there, but these look to be real quality tools that really work and could last for awhile!

[cschnee]

When she was a Brownie (so 7 or 8 years old) my daughter looooved using a cool glue gun and popsicle sticks. She built abstract creations but also made a model of her bedroom to scale. She spent HOURS creating with these materials.