William Sisk oversees his grandchildren Hadley, 5, left, and William, 6, as they participate in a desk calendar building class at Home Depot in Hixson. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s offer free monthly classes to young builders.
Lucas Garrison, 5, shows off his finished desk calendar.
Gabe Cunningham, 6, gets some painting help from
his father, Tim, during a desk calendar building
class at Home Depot in Hixson.
Lucas Garrison, 5, gets some help from Rebecca Lewis to
put stickers on his craft.ATTEND A CLASSLowe’s* Next project: To be announced.* Where: All Lowe’s stores in Chattanooga, Dalton and Cleveland.* When: 10-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.* Cost: Free.* Ages: Toddlers to early elementary.* Register: lowesbuildandgrow.comHome Depot* Next project: Build a (wooden) race car.* Where: All Home Depot stores in Chattanooga, Dalton and Cleveland.* When: 9 a.m.-noon. Saturday, Feb. 1.* Cost: All materials provided free; participants can take home their project.* Ages: 5-12.* Register: workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/kids-workshops.TAKE IT HOMELowe’s and Home Depot both offer special kid-friendly, ready-to-build kits. Options include fire trucks ($6, Lowe’s), bird houses ($9.97, Home Depot), tool boxes ($18, Lowe’s), rocking horses ($37, Home Depot) and doll houses ($197, Home Depot).Kits come with all necessary pieces, but you must use your own tools to put them together. Lowe’s offers a 20-piece, kid-size tool kit ($15) that is specifically designed for its Build and Grow projects.TOOL TIPS FOR YOUNG TINKERERSChildhood creative development website BuiltByKids.com offers the following guidelines to abide by when teaching children to use tools:• Teach your child how a tool is supposed to be used so they know how to employ it safely. If inappropriate use could be potentially dangerously, be sure to show them how it should not be used. Examples: Only using a stapler in the closed and locked positions; choosing the right screwdriver for the right type of screw.• After they’re done with a tool, teach your child how to properly and safely store it. By helping them associate each tool with its proper place in your workspace, you’ll create good habits and save yourself a lot of time and unnecessary clutter.• Safety first. Be sure your child knows the proper safety precautions to take and how and when to use safety equipment when performing various tasks — eye protection while cutting, drilling or hammering, ear protection around louder tools.
To some parents, putting a hammer in a child’s hands sounds like the prelude to a destructive nightmare, but if they are properly supervised, helping youngsters learn to use tools safely has its upside.
National home improvement chains offer monthly workshops that teach kids the tricks of the tool trade with easy-to-build projects under the guidance of sales associates.
And if parents needed more incentive to drag their kids from the couch to the workbench, the entire experience is free, from registration to the finished products, which participants can take home with them. Even the aprons and safety glasses — both kid-size — are complimentary.
“A lot of times, it’s the first time the kids have put a hammer in their hands. You can hear them all over the store. They’re just beating and banging,” says Steve Underwood, manager of the Home Depot in Hixson, where 70 to 90 children participate in the store’s monthly Kids Workshops.