I think Magen Markham of Magen’s Mark House Painting sums it up nicely: “Learning how to use tools at a young age, in my opinion, is very important. Not only does it help build hand-eye coordination, but it helps kids foster a general sense of confidence in using their bodies to get things done. My dad taught me how to properly swing a hammer when I was six, and I can’t remember a time when I ever felt incapable of using, or figuring out how to use a tool. Those early lessons were priceless in my development into a capable, handy adult.”
With all of this advice in mind, here’s my starter list of essential backyard gardening and building gear for children:
Blanket For forts and picnics.
Bucket For plunking rocks into, collecting water, carrying dirt, you name it.
Hammer Child-sized hammers are widely available and easier for kids to maneuver safely. Indispensable for building projects.
Headlamp Perfect for nighttime excursions to explore the garden. Get one that uses AA or AAA batteries, not the annoying, hard-to-replace button cell batteries.
Magnifying glass Ever since our family participated in an excursion at Forsyth Nature Center in Kingston where Julie Noble supplied everyone with magnifying glasses for the day, we got some of our own at the Parent Teacher Store and frequently carry them around with us. Magnifying glasses take anything — and I mean anything — and make it more interesting. We notice details on bugs, plants, rocks, our toes, etc. that we would otherwise miss.
Nails Keep a supply of nails available for kids to use with scrap wood in making their own projects.
Pruners I had no idea how much fun pruners are for kids. They’re like magical outdoor scissors. Our daughter prefers her pink pair, our son uses a blue pair, and mine are green. We all love our pruners! We cut driveway shrubs back with them and trim flowering plants to bring the blooms indoors.
Rope For tying materials together for shelters or forts or hanging buckets.
Shovel I recommend a camp shovel. They’re child-sized but pretty strong.
You’ve got the gear, so now what? Here are some creative tips on building projects with your kids.
Garden features Remember those pruners I mentioned in the gear list? Liz Elkin of Bloom suggests: “Save shrub prunings to build teepees for imaginative play around the garden. Build garden fairy houses and leave nature-based presents for them and see what they leave for you the next day in return.”
Magen Markham of Magen’s Mark House Painting elaborates, “Another fun way to integrate building into gardening is to add functional, yet structural creations to your garden such as arbors, trellises, or shade structures. Use found objects such as sticks, branches, bark or recycled roofing and wood. Twine may be enough to hold together your structures, otherwise a few small, well-placed nails can do the trick. Be creative and encourage your kids to follow their instincts!”
Dollhouses Ann Guenther mentioned building dollhouses as a terrific hands-on family project that could be personalized in every way. And for a related design project without tools, she suggests gingerbread houses, made out of practically anything, any time of year.
Demolition Kim and Scott Cuppett value this “backwards puzzle of pulling apart.” They explained, “The kids help us with demolition prior to construction projects. We provide them with hammers and chisels to do this. They happily put on safety gear which makes for cute photos.” The Cuppetts also get help from their kids for splitting wood for the wood stove: “They have their own splitting maul, sledge hammer, and wedges. We tell them they will get big muscles if they help – it works to our benefit.”
Erica Chase-Salerno eats dandelions in New Paltz with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind HudsonValleyParents.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
