Little Makers use big maker tools
Practicing her swing with wooden pegs and clay
One important aspect of Little Makers is introducing children and their caregivers to the power of, and the proper use of tools! So how do we deal with the added risk involved in giving a two year old a sharp instrument?
Young children use crayons, scissors, and paintbrushes to name a few common tools for making. In our program, we introduce children to hole punches, measuring tapes, screwdrivers, hammers, wrenches, pliers and even saws. We find that caregivers are usually excited, albeit a bit wary of allowing children to use sharp tools but with one on one instruction adults quickly gain confidence and are able to work with their children.
When we set up the room, we keep in mind that not everyone is ready to get involved in woodworking. To manage the number of people in the woodworking area we place it near the back of the room and cordon it off from the rest of the activities so that when a child is in the woodworking area they are not also playing with cars or running after balls.
When planning weekly programs we introduce new tools each week. Since children are not really making something with the tools, but rather exploring the tools to see what they can do with them, we introduce them one or two at a time. We might put out the hammer with pegs to pound into clay and screwdrivers and screws. The next week we may put out the hammer with nails and soft wood along with the drill and the following week the saw.
When introducing a tool to a young child we demonstrate proper use to the adult who then is responsible for instructing the child. We introduce a hand drill without the bit inserted so the child can safely investigate how the different parts of the drill work together. Once they insert the drill bit, they can apply it to a surface and observe what happens when they turn the crank. This is the point when caregivers get nervous. It is important for facilitators to help the adult distinguish between safety and reasonable risks. This can also be a critical juncture when children can either keep their interest or loose it because of too much adult intervention. If a child is not using a tool properly or to its full potential an adult can remind the child about how to hold the tool or how they can allow the tool to do the work. When a child is genuinely stuck, it may be helpful to foster awareness by using phrases like “try using your…”, “notice what happens when…”, “do you see where your fingers are?” or use problem-solving phrases like “what’s your plan for…”, “where will you cut a hole?”, and “what can you use to…” Knowing what kind of guidance is appropriate when using a potentially dangerous tool is difficult to navigate but feeling comfortable with risk and failure is part of the process of making, even when not using sharp tools.