The Wonder of Woodwork

Exercising the Imagination - Big Bang! Small Hands … Big Ideas! Creative Woodwork in Early Childhood Education

by Pete Moorhouse

Millie (four) has a satisfied, radiant glow. She is admiring her work after spending two hours in the woodwork area, where she has been engrossed in constructing a bed for a princess. She used the hammer, hand drill, screwdriver, and a small pull-saw. It was a complex process, first designing, then making, adapting, and resolving problems as she went.

She had to adapt, and problem solve, using creative and critical thinking skills throughout; for example, cutting sections of wood so they would be the right size to fit. She joined the four legs but was disappointed to discover that the bed was wobbling. On closer examination, she realized this was because one leg was too long. The next problem was how to remove it, and then how to make it the right length … woodwork certainly throws up lots of problems! Millie finished by elaborately decorating the bed with beads and buttons, ensuring it was a bed fit for a princess.

Millie made a wonderful bed, but what was really ‘made’ was within Millie. Seeing her sense of agency flourish as she put her ideas into action and seeing her confidence grow as she mastered the tools were both clearly visible. We also know that by using the multitude of creative and critical thinking skills involved in the making, new neural connections and pathways will have been established. This is the wonder of woodwork. It can be truly transformational.

If you’re new to woodwork with young children, you may well have some initial concerns. But once some very basic health and safety measures are put in place, you’ll see that woodwork is low risk and makes a wonderful addition to early childhood programs. In this article, I’ll give some insight into the value of woodwork and provide some safety pointers for working with young children.

The value of woodwork

There is something special about woodwork. It is so different from other activities. The smell and feel of wood, using real tools, working with a natural material, the sounds of hammering and sawing, hands and minds working together to express their imagination and to solve problems, the use of strength and coordination all go together to captivate young children’s interest.

‘We observe children working with their hands, tinkering, constructing models, and working on projects but, in fact, the real transformation is inside the child – personal development is at the heart of woodwork.’

These are exciting times. Currently, around the world, we are seeing a surge of interest in woodwork within early childhood education, with examples from all corners of the globe. In some schools, this will be starting from scratch; in others, it’s a case of dusting down the workbench and digging out the tools after many years of neglect.

This is very welcome, as the benefits of woodwork run deep. Teachers who provide woodwork regularly observe exceptional levels of sustained engagement, with deep focus, concentration, and perseverance with challenging tasks — especially with complex problem solving. It is not unusual for children to spend all morning at the woodwork bench. Woodwork really engages hands, minds, and hearts.

When we analyze a woodworking session it is extraordinary to see just how much learning is involved. It’s truly holistic, encompassing all areas of learning and development and invites connections between different aspects of learning. In this sense, woodwork really can be central to the curriculum. It incorporates mathematical thinking, scientific investigation, knowledge of technology, a deepening understanding of the world, as well as physical development, coordination, communication, language, and personal and social development. This is evidenced by research from ‘The Big Bang Research Project’ for which the interim research findings are now available.

Children are particularly drawn in as they explore possibilities, rise to challenges, and find solutions. Woodwork is really unrivalled in terms of providing children with problem-solving opportunities and challenges. With woodwork, children can develop their learning at their own pace and find their own challenges. Once they have mastered basic skills, they move into open-ended exploration — initially tinkering, exploring possibilities, and then starting to make unique creations, drawing on previous experiences and their emerging knowledge of tools.

“The child who concentrates is immensely happy; he ignores his neighbors or the visitors circulating about him. For the time being, his spirit is like that of a hermit in the desert; a new consciousness has been born in him — that of his own individuality.” (Montessori, 1949, p. 273)

Sustainability

In terms of sustainability, woodwork helps counteract the current culture of ‘consume and dispose’ by introducing an understanding of the value of making and repairing. Children also discover how they can re-purpose materials by making models from a selection of recycled wood and other materials. In addition, the understanding of where wood comes from and seeing the beauty of wood can develop respect for the value of wood and inspire us to take responsibility for our shared environment.

Woodwork for all

To ensure equal opportunities, introduce the tools to all children so they all feel comfortable in the woodwork area. In that way, they can make an informed decision as to whether they want to choose to do woodwork. It’s important to acknowledge that there is often gender stereotyping around woodwork and sometimes an assumption that only boys will be interested. However, after an initial introduction, we notice no gender difference in who chooses woodwork. It’s hard to become what you don’t see, so support equality by having books with positive role models of girls and women using tools.

Woodwork captures children’s curiosity, and it has been particularly successful in significantly engaging children who may be less confident and have more difficulty focusing. Giving children a high level of trust and responsibility is empowering, and woodwork so often has been key to unlocking certain children’s learning and really building their self-esteem and confidence.

Establishing your own woodwork provision

Woodwork is perhaps one of the more difficult activities to offer. There is a fair bit of tools, wood, and other materials, such as: corks and bottle tops; nails and screws; sandpaper; safety glasses; and a workbench all need to be sourced. A sturdy workbench is essential as the wood being sawn must be clamped tight in a vice.

When it comes to your toolbox, only four tools are essential for children:

• Hammers

• Hand drills (manual, non-electric drills)

• Screwdrivers

• Pull saws

Having incremental progression is important in responding to each individual child’s stage of development and confidence. Avoid introducing too much challenge too soon.

Introduce the tools in small groups. For younger children, starting with a softer material such as balsa wood makes for a much more positive initial experience. Gradually, increase the level of challenge; start with small nails, and thin wood to join to blocks before slowly introducing a wider selection of wood sizes and larger nails.

As children gain confidence, woodwork can become a continuous project or be made available to larger groups at specific times. Continuous access gives children more choice and autonomy, but it only works well if you have enough resources, and children can go through a lot of resources fast! What is important is that working with wood is a rich experience, with enough resources to allow complexity in thinking.

Risk

If you have not done woodwork before, it’s natural to feel a little apprehensive! It’s easy to conjure up images of accidents with children wielding saws around! But those who have embraced woodwork find that it’s surprisingly safe. Woodwork is low risk when introduced correctly and basic safety measures are put in place. I have been providing woodworking for young children for over 25 years with no significant incidents. I would advise introducing woodwork from three or four years old.

We are now seeing a more balanced attitude to risk. Health and safety measures should enable children to experience new opportunities safely, not deny them. It is important that children get to experience risk within controlled experiences, as they need to learn to understand and manage risk. This way they learn to self-manage and make decisions and judgments to better protect themselves in the future. Giving children a high level of trust and responsibility is also empowering, and woodwork so often has been key to unlocking certain children’s learning and building their self-esteem and confidence.

Of course, health and safety does need to be taken seriously. After all, it is our prime responsibility as educators to ensure the physical and emotional care of our children. We need to put in measures to reduce risk, such as using the most appropriate tools and taking proper safety precautions.

Key Health and Safety

• Safety glasses must be worn at all times to eliminate the risk of eye injury. Children are more comfortable and are safer in safety glasses than chunky goggles.

• Ensure children are given instruction on the correct use of all tools. Take time to discuss safety together and draw attention to hazards. Children need to understand why health and safety measures are put in place.

• Monitor sawing with a 1:1 ratio. Ensure no children are watching from in front of the sawing area. The teacher should stand in this area to prevent other children from getting close to the saw. Pull saws (held with both hands) are easier and safer for young children. After use, the saw is to be put out of reach. Wood is always to be clamped in a vice when being sawn. An adult must check that the vice is clamped tight.

• Hammering follows gentle taps to get the nail standing up. Then hold the wood well away from the nail before hammering hard. Embed this practice right from day one.

• Be sure to check wood for splinters. We need to limit exposure to splinters. Avoid rough splintery wood. Sand the edge after sawing if rough.

• Children should be monitored at all times, initially with close supervision. When children are confident using tools, ratios can be relaxed and they can work independently, with the exception of sawing which is always done with a 1:1 ratio. A staff member should always remain within line of vision of the woodworking area.

Final thoughts

Woodwork is a symbolic language of shape, form, and space. It encompasses a way of working that develops over time as children express their ideas with increasing fluency and complexity. As children tinker and experiment and then construct, create, and explore narratives, these experiences can combine to build rich foundations for children’s healthy emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Woodwork can promote an experimental mindset, and, at the workbench, children ‘become’ innovators, makers, sculptors, tinkerers, engineers, and architects.

“As children make with wood, they will be learning skills that will empower them to shape their world.”

Woodwork is certainly a very popular activity and incorporates so much learning – a real win-win. It would be wonderful for all children to have this opportunity to flourish at the woodwork bench.

WOODWORK TRAINING & RESOURCES

Irresistible Learning irresistible-learning.co.uk/woodwork

The Big Bang Project www.youtu.be/OZkr5X-CqRE

Learning Through Woodwork

Contact: studio@petemoorhouse.co.uk