Tag Archives: woodworking with children

May 13, 2023 · 12:46 pm

Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy- Hand Prints

I am very fond of the little kiddo that lives next door. He and his Mamma are good friends of mine.

The doorbell will ring and my little friend will announce that it has been 50 years since we talked, so we will sit together on the porch and have a chat. His Mamma sits on the grass and we all enjoy the moment.

Yesterday, I took paper and pen outside and drew around his hand and he astounded me with his mathematical abilities. Three years old and doing some pretty clever addition! wow….

We had a lovely time drawing lots of handprints.

Then I cut one of them out, traced it on wood and cut it out. I burned the date on it and am going to give it to my friend for Mother’s Day.

I haven’t felt up to doing any wood work for more than 6 months, so it felt sweet to say hello to my saw and sander again.

I made wooden handprints of my children’s hands when they were little, and still treasure them.

Handprints are magical. They make me happy.

What made you happy today? ❤

2 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy

Tagged as #friendship, #handprint, #handprints, #simplelittlethings, #woodworking, friendship, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy, woodworking with children

October 9, 2015 · 1:46 pm

My grandson designs a truck

Last June, our grandson and I made a wooden doll together.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay www.tottietalkscrafts.com

We had fun doing it, but he didn’t express an interest in doing any more woodworking, so I haven’t brought it up.

BUT…. on Thursday, when we picked him up at Kindergarden, he was dancing with delight because it had ~finally~ been his turn for show and tell and he could hardly wait to show me what he had shared.

He proudly pulled his wooden doll out of his backpack and beamed at me. He was so happy!

Well, I did the ‘granny-swoon’- being washed over with gratitude at my darling boy’s choice of what was ~really~ precious to him. Melt, melt, melt.

I asked him if he was interested in making more dolls and he said: ‘Of course!’.

I got a piece of wood and asked him if he was more interested in making a doll or a truck and he voted for truck.

He drew the truck and I cut it out on the band saw and sanded it for him.

We didn’t have time for paint, so he worked with markers and will use paint at home with his Mamma.

Sigh. I LOVE these precious times. ❤

6 Comments

Filed under personal stuff

Tagged as grandson makes a wooden truck, Noreen Crone-Findlay, woodworking with children

June 30, 2015 · 6:47 pm

Teaching my young grandson how to carve a wooden doll

One of the joys of my life has always been doll making.

I have carved wooden dolls for as long as I remember, and I am now enjoying teaching my 5 year old grandson how to make wooden dolls, too.

I gave him a piece of wood, and had him draw a figure on it.

Then, I burned the lines he had drawn:

You can see to the right of his doll, a doll that his Mamma made when she was his age, and one that I am currently working on.

He chose some colors, and started adding them….

I cut her out with the bandsaw and he took her home, but wasn’t pleased that she had rough edges.

So, the next day, I took some of my tools over so he could work on sanding her and finishing her.

He’s already immersed in the family culture of being a Maker!

I’ve been giving him lessons on how to use a hand saw in a Zen way, as he tends to approach tools with wild abandon, which is not something I encourage at all.

Gently, gently, is my motto….

Ah, the bliss of being a granny….

my heart sings!

9 Comments

Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, personal stuff

Tagged as carving wooden dolls, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, how to make a doll, how to make wooden doll with a child, Noreen Crone-Findlay, teaching children how to make wooden dolls, wood, wooden dolls, woodworking with children