Little hands, little hearts, and little minds were alight with holiday excitement, anticipation, and generosity this year. Very clear ideas were expressed in regards to the perfect gifts for those she loves. Her scope was quite broad and she was busy creating in the workshop (with power tools…yikes!!!), in the sewing room, and in the kitchen,…with quite a few hours being clocked with a creative mess all over the dining room table. She did a wonderful job keeping her surprises (mostly) secret!!
For her dear cousins she made sewing cards. She carefully chose the perfect paper for each of them, cut, glued, and mod podged, and then…after careful instruction went down into the workshop!
She is not a stranger to the safety rules of the shop, or the tools there. She has after all asked endless questions about each of them. But I have never used them with her…so after extensive instruction (partly for her and partly for my own reassurance) she approached the drill press….only to remark “oh…I used that with Daddy…ooops that’s a secret!!!” pointing to the stationary belt sander. It was not to be her first power tool use after all….what was she doing with a belt sander?…I’ll show you soon!
A drill press is a very safe first power tool as there is no blade and when working with an adult the child’s hand can stay on the handle and never come within dangerous proximity to the drill bit. When instructed she carefully, slowly, and smoothly lowered the bit into the wood and then raised it again. Very repetitive, very simple, very safe. 
She is no stranger to wood. She lives with and uses wooden toys, utensils, furniture, and products each day. However the doors of woodworking have been opened to her and she is fascinated. Hands…big and small must touch and feel and do in order to truly live and experience and learn. Feeling wood, working with wood, creating something from wood has lit in her a curiosity regarding the wooden pieces that surround her, and has opened a new world to her. It’s beautiful!
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