Ever run out of ideas for fun activities to do with your kids? Does your child enjoy craft projects but you never seem to have the right supplies to make something really cool? Well, take a trip to your local home improvement store and you're in for a treat!
Our local Lowe's offers Build and Grow clinics for kids. Lowe's supplies all the materials and directions to assemble a simple woodworking project with your kids. They even give you a kid-sized Lowe's apron and real safety goggles...all for free! What a great deal!
My 5-year-old son is really starting to get into "projects" and enjoys using his Daddy's tools to build things. So, a few weeks ago, we decided to try a Lowe's Build and Grow clinic. Lesson #1... we now know that these classes fill up FAST! We assumed we could just show up that day and we'd be able to participate - WRONG! You need to sign-up in advance, and most people actually register online. My son was so disappointed because he was looking forward to his "man-time" with Daddy.
Luckily, a few hours later, Lowe's called and said they actually had an extra kit available because someone didn't show up for the clinic. So, we were welcome to pick up the kit and assemble it at home. My son was so excited!
Nathan wanted to build his woodworking project in the garage, just like Daddy does. But, Daddy's workbench was slightly too high for him to use. Since the project was small, I simply pulled out our Lifetime Personal Table for Nathan to use as his workbench. Perfect size! I was able to lower it so Nathan could easily stand in front of it to assemble his project on a real "workbench". The Personal Tables are perfect for kid-sized projects, especially since you can adjust the height. But, I must admit, as much as I love Lifetime tables, the Personal Table is not really meant to be a heavy-duty "workbench". While it did get the job done for this lightweight project, it wasn't very stable when it came time for hammering. (Good thing we only had three tiny tacks to hammer!) It would have been better if I would have gone to the extra effort and pulled out our Lifetime 4'x2' table since it is much stronger and actually sold as a garage utility worktable in some stores.
Thanks to Lowe's and Daddy, Nathan is now the proud owner/builder of a football goalpost for finger football, complete with a scoreboard. And, Nathan's already reminding us to register now for the next clinic!
If you're looking for something new to do with your kids, check your local Lowe's (online or at the customer service desk) for upcoming Build and Grow clinics in your area. (By the way, I think Home Depot offers a similar program if you don't have a Lowe's nearby. ) Most importantly, enjoy the quality time with your kids and have fun!