Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Home Depot Kids Workshops

I want to start out by apologizing - I have been gone for way too long!  Life happens, and I set aside my blogs for much longer than I expected to.  I'm going to try to get back on track, though!  So, here goes:


Did you know, the first Saturday of every month Home Depot offers a free Kids Workshop at each of their locations?  We've been attending these for almost two years now, and they are always SO much fun!  They may say it's for ages 5-12, but Kirsten has been going since she was 2, and I've seen "kids" as old as 16-17 there having a blast!  We've made napkin holders, herb gardens, garden planters, trivets, jewelry boxes, and so much more!

Home Depot provides everything you will need to complete the project - supplies, tools, paint, etc.. Everyone who comes not only gets to take their project home, but they also get a certificate of completion and a pin to put on their apron!  (You also get a Home Depot apron on your first visit.)   We always try to get there as soon as the store opens, because our location tends to run out of kits quickly.

This past weekend, they were making lawnmower pencil holders.  I'll admit, I was really not interested in having Kirsten make a lawnmower pencil holder.  I even asked the employees if there were any leftover kits from last month that we could make, instead.  Kirsten, however, was thrilled to get started!

When I first started taking Kirsten to the Kids Workshops, you can imagine that I had to do 99% of the work.  She's definitely gotten better with her construction skills over the past year, and now is quite impressive with the hammer!  I read off the directions for her, and find the proper pieces - she takes care of any gluing that needs to get done.  I start all of the nails, but she does an excellent job at getting them all of the way in!


She also has gotten much more detailed when it comes to painting.  A few quick strokes with random colors was all she cared to do at the beginning, but now she selects one color, and makes sure the entire project gets one - if not two - coats!  (I do have to occasionally help her out to avoid any drip marks or paint build up around the corners.)

Not only has she learned gluing, hammering, and painting skills from these workshops, but she is always so proud when she gets done, and goes around the store showing all of the workers what she just made.  The sense of accomplishment that it instills in her is amazing!


When we got home, I expected the lawnmower to be tossed to the side, but she used it all weekend with her toys, and made sure to "mow" our living room carpet multiple times!

The next Home Depot Kids Workshop is on July 6th - and it's a Despicable Me themed project!  I've never seen them post a "surprise" workshop before, so I am curious as to what we will be making!  So, what do you think - do you plan on taking your kids to the July Kids Workshop at Home Depot?  You can get all of the information you need at: http://workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/?pn=HT_WS_WeeklyWorkshops