Design Your Own Cards
Instead of buying a greeting card at the store, teach your children to make them using the computer. It may be their first chance to use Microsoft PowerPoint, Publisher or some other photo editing software. Start with a recent picture. Show them some options for how to edit the picture, add graphics, text, and other effects. Then watch them create! The result will be much more memorable than the latest offerings from the greeting card aisle, and your child will get some hands-on training with computer software.
Greg K, Greensboro, NC
Making gutter boats
We have a cupboard at home that we collect old bits of packaging in — egg cartons, metallic chocolate-box inserts, cardboard, cellophane, ice block sticks, etc. On days when it’s really pouring down outside, and the water’s rushing down the gutter on our street, I pull some of the materials out with the kids and we each make a small boat from them. Usually the boats are held together with sellotape or Blu-tack, which lasts long enough to race them down the gutter maybe a dozen times.
We go down to the street in our rain coats, pick a finishing line (usually right before the drain grill), walk up the street, and drop our boats into the water at the same time to see whose is the fastest and will get to the finish line first. It’s tons of fun, the kids love it, and I often see people smiling in their cars as they drive past.
Chris L-T, Auckland, New Zealand
Scrap-Wood Workshop
My father grew up during the Great Depression, so nothing was thrown out. I remember my father setting up a small work table for me when I was about six-years old. Next to it, he placed a box of scrap wood that I could cut, nail, and drill or glue into whatever my mind could create. With a bit of guidance, safety lessons and some room to create, a child’s imagination can flourish. Along the way, your child will gain valuable practice with hand tools and hopefully no cuts, abrasions, or impacts.
Greg K, Greensboro, NC
sewing
I’m teaching my three children how to sew. We start off with the basic concept of threading a needle, and then move on to making stitches on fabric stretched over a hoop. Someday they’ll graduate to using the machine. They also help me pin and unpin quilting fabric when I’m “chain piercing.” My favorite is when they take my fabric scraps and create fantastic collages on my design board . . . they see giraffes and tanks where I saw leftovers destined for the trash. My mother and aunts taught me the needle arts, and it has always stuck with me. Nowadays I want to teach my daughters the serenity that comes with methodical, deliberate action and the pride in creating something beautiful that can last for generations.
Kristina R, Richmond, VA