We got there, and I realized that they were doing a Kids Workshop which was Make Your Own Bird Feeder. So, I trotted the kids over there and we got our own bird feeder kits and also go the cutest little aprons with their names on them! Then we got to work. I was a little afraid, you know, I had 2 bird feeder "kits" in front of me with 7 pieces of wood, 8 nails, a screw, and an eye screw in each and a 2 and 4 year old beside me, and I was ALONE. It wasn't that I was worried that I couldn't follow the directions that were written for a kid 5 years or older, or wasn't comfortable with the hammer/screw driver, it was that I really concerned about the fact that I was ALONE with a 2 year old named Penny and Iris. Penny can be hard to keep occupied when it is a one on one project, not to mention a 2 on 1 project that requires hand tools! YIKES!
Well, I set everything out, and I tried to get the girls to match the big nails together and the small nails together, then I had them put the big nails in the 4 "big nail holes" that were pre-notched in the little 1/2x 1inch pieces of wood that formed the base of the feeder. Once we had our nails set, I started driving them in the wood pieces and once I got them started well enough, I let each girl help me drive them basically to the bottom of the piece of wood. I prayed for my fingers, toes, and eyes the entire time! (Sometimes, I am SO thankful for glasses!!! haha)
After we did that part, then we had to glue the edges of wooden pieces so that we could hammer them together. The girls got to put the glue on the edge, and just as before, I got them started so that they were secure, then let the girls help me drive them all the way in. I did this very methodically I first set Iris' up, got hers started, and did my little "learning curve" with her, since I know that she has much more patience for this type of thing than Penny does. Once I had the step done with Iris, then I went to Penny and helped her do the step quickly and without a fuss!
So, now we had a square made out of 1x1/2" pieces of wood, we then got to put the bottom on by gluing the frame and setting this little square piece of some-sort-of-composite-wood on top of it, then driving the 4 small nails into the premade holes. I got Iris' started, and she actually drove them the rest of the way in completely by herself- proud mommy moment right there :)- and then did the same thing with Penny, but I helped Penny drive the nails in. I don't know, the thought of Penny wildly swinging a hammer around with me or anyone else in a 50' radius sort of scares me.
Once that step was done, we screwed the post onto the base, and both girls helped me twist the screw driver... at which point, while I was helping Iris, Penny found one of the small nails and started poking me in the butt, thigh, and calf with the pointy end. Oh, Penny.... Then we put the small square on the top and attached it to the post with the eye screw. Birdhouse building COMPLETE, and everyone still had all their eyes, fingers, and toes...
Next was painting. I was basically able to sit back and enjoy. Iris really was into this dark mood today, because her birdhouse is almost all black and red; very gloppy red paint that approximately 12 hours later is STILL not dried. Penny did really well painting hers. She did let me help painting the roof, but other than that, she painted it all herself!
When we finished, the people there gave them a pin with a birdhouse on it, and a little certificate. They also gave them a car to come home and do "With Daddy" and a pin for the car too. We put the birdhouse pins on their home depot aprons when they got home, and will put the car pins on tomorrow when they make their wooden cars with Mike.
They were SO excited about the birdhouses. I will be back at Home Depot as many months as possible doing these crafts, I love how hands on they were :) Maybe I will remember to bring Mike in the future for an extra set of hands!
No comments:
Post a Comment