Big Tools for Little Hands

This article was published in the New York Times March 31, 2011. What a great way to get kids interacting, getting their hands dirty and engaging in something real and tactile. The WaterFront Center loves these types of activities and hopes every child and adult has a chance to become engaged no matter the time of year or location.

IN honor of President’s Day last month, Deb Winsor, a carpenter with a workshop in Brooklyn, led a crew in the construction of an 8-foot-wide model of the White House, complete with north and south porticos and two dozen hand-painted windows. 

After reviewing the plans with the workers, Ms. Winsor, 50, supervised them as they laid out two-by-fours for the front and back walls and then hammered the studs and plates together with three-inch nails. Next, she watched as some of them raised the walls and sheathed them in plywood while others used an electric jigsaw to cut bases for the portico columns. Finally, one of the carpenters used a screw gun to attach a flagpole to the roof and secure the pediment to the freshly painted facade. 

At quitting time, the workers removed their protective headphones, put their tools back in their holsters and cleaned up their work stations. Then they gathered up the wooden toys they had made during break and ran to the door to greet their parents. 

“Good job today,” Ms. Winsor hollered cheerfully at Oscar Markowitz, a 5-year-old boy with orange hair, flushed cheeks and a big grin, one of a dozen children (including the reporter’s son) participating in a weeklong camp she was holding at her workshop on Flatbush Avenue. 

To read the entire article click the following link:  

Big Tools for Little Hands - By JULIE SCELFO Published: March 30, 2011