Yes, We Still Build Things

In this day and age, it seems as though our children’s tactile experiences are limited to keyboards and game controllers. I remember to this day (and believe me, I have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday) things that I made when I was a little kid. I especially remember my grandfather teaching me how to put race cars and whatnot together. Not to diminish technology and the things that you can accomplish with it, I worry that our kids aren’t really experiencing enough of that sense of pride and accomplishment that you get from making and growing things. In an effort to nurture a generation to be innovative, making things feeds that curiosity about how things work.  It's great that they can build virtual castles and tend virtual gardens.  Just not the same as putting this little rock looking thing into some dirt; having an excuse to play in the water every so often; and then getting to eat it!  Fabulous!

Now, how 'bout taking a kid through that same journey of discovery of how things are made.  Look, when trying to teach the next generation the joy of simple triumphs, you have to be diligent in the search for activities/subjects that inspire them.  I would like my grandchildren to be better at producing something useful than in manipulating a keyboard/pad/whatever.  I realize that I'm a bit biased.  I can remember making my first potholder for my mom when I was a kid, and how it made me smile a little every time she used it.  I get a little tingle when one of the kids plays out of the toy box that I painted.  I want the kids in my life to learn the value of that.

There are lots of building toys out there, but none that really give the feel of the completion of a saw cut or that umph when a screw is snugged. Ron Hazelton, veteran home improvement personality, came up with this idea for power tools for kids and project kits that use a material that is totally harmless, yet feels remarkably like working with wood. As soon as I saw the iBuild2® product line, I just couldn’t get this image of me and my grandson building the little fire truck that you see in the video-followed by me and my granddaughter painting the jewelry box that she just built. Talk about Hands On Women® living, it just doesn’t get any better than that. There are so few things that give you such a sense of triumph as every time you use something that you made yourself.

This product isn’t on the market yet, but we will be keeping our eye out. Man, if this stuff is available in time for Christmas, MiMi’s going to be the bomb this year!  By the way, the grandson actually got a few little watermelons out of that endeavor pictured at the top of the page.  I can't wait to see his face when he see's them.  Hey...I know what...I'll take a picture...stay tuned...