Kids corner

[chaosracing]

I am in the process of getting a pole building put up at my place. Probably after the first of May the way things are looking. But yesterday we closed out both of our kids bank accounts at our old bank (they were locked into a CD) and will move the money to our current bank. But I was joking around when my daughter (she is 9 1/2) asked what we were doing with their money. I told her I was taking it all and putting it towards our new garage. Her response "As long as we get to have space in one of the corners of the garage."
A little more joking around ensued.

But in all reality, it got me thinking a little. Why not have a "kids corner" where they could have a small work bench to work on their own stuff as they grow (my son is almost 5 1/2) and it got me thinking.

Does anyone on here have a small area for their kids to work on their own stuff?

 

[Richard Cranium]

that sounds like a great ideal.

 

[Kaizen]

I wish. Neither of mine care to do anything like that. Great idea. They could build their own bench and set up as they wish to do whatever. Crafts woodworking computer stuff


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[bdbecker]

I'm planning on making one for my daughter. Just like you, I'm not planning on anything crazy - a small bench, a chunk of pegboard, and a handful of basic tools. My plan is to make the bench generic enough so when she outgrows it, she can remove the pegboard and re-purpose it as a coffee/end table in her room, or maybe throw a pillow on it and use it as a bench you sit on. I already have the vise - picked it up at the local ReStore for really cheap.

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She's two and a half now, but has been supervising me since she was a baby:

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When we get home each day, she asks for one of three things - either to go to the park, watch her favorite show, or hang out in the garage where we just work on simple things like sweeping the floor or organizing bolts.

 

[niget2002]

My kids just help me with whatever I'm working on. If they want to do a project, I'll be out there helping them as it is. The garage may be 'my' space, but with 'our' ability to use it.

The wife has her space for the arts and crafts stuff that she shares with them too.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

My Father built a workbench in the basement for my brother and I. Just a lower version of his. I remember though he painted the top red and made us a small wooden toolbox. Both my brother and I today are very mechanically inclined which likely started in that basement. Only downside was my poor Mother having to deal with her various appliances being taken apart for no good reason other then to find out how it worked.

 

[rossomania]

I think a kids space in the garage is an outstanding idea.

When we moved last summer, life got in the way and my garage ended up as storage through the fall and winter. Now that it's spring, I'm finally starting to get things sorted out in the garage and one of my design goals is making the whole space, as much as possible, a kid friendly and kid safe space.

My kids are 7 and 4, still pretty young. But my eldest loves robotics and my youngest sticks to me like glue whenever I'm doing anything with one of the cars. I want to do anything and everything I can to encourage this interest and that includes giving them a place to explore and learn about engineering, mechanics, and tool literacy. Of course, they are kids and their interests can change without notice. However long it lasts, though, I'm hopeful their memories of time in the garage will help them become wiser and better informed adults.

I'm really excited about this!

 

[moab11]

A little tip for you guys making a bench for your kids, put their name and the year you made it on a plaque or something on it. My uncle did that for me as a kid, and ~25 years later I still have that bench and fondly remember working on all my "projects" as a kid on it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I bought a Cman 3 drawer box for the granddaughter and painted it pink for her. . Unfortunately, with things going on, she hasn't been able to use it.

 

[chaosracing]

I think a kids space in the garage is an outstanding idea.

When we moved last summer, life got in the way and my garage ended up as storage through the fall and winter. Now that it's spring, I'm finally starting to get things sorted out in the garage and one of my design goals is making the whole space, as much as possible, a kid friendly and kid safe space.

My kids are 7 and 4, still pretty young. But my eldest loves robotics and my youngest sticks to me like glue whenever I'm doing anything with one of the cars. I want to do anything and everything I can to encourage this interest and that includes giving them a place to explore and learn about engineering, mechanics, and tool literacy. Of course, they are kids and their interests can change without notice. However long it lasts, though, I'm hopeful their memories of time in the garage will help them become wiser and better informed adults.

I'm really excited about this!

This is my thoughts to. My daughter loves technical stuff and my son is stuck to me like glue always asking questions. I am hoping that they at least will know the basics of vehicle maint and how to figure out why something broke. I remember helping my dad out all the time when I was a kid and want them to remember that as well.

 

[ForceFed70]

My kids love the mezzanine. Often kick myself - should have made it into a kids play area for the 1st few years and converted it to storage space after.

 

[coljar]

A little tip for you guys making a bench for your kids, put their name and the year you made it on a plaque or something on it. My uncle did that for me as a kid, and ~25 years later I still have that bench and fondly remember working on all my "projects" as a kid on it.

My dad made me a work bench in his shop when I was 6. He had my name and the date(1964) on it.

 

[ARFLY]

I bought a small Torin workbench for my son to have in his room. He use to build legos and these metal building sets that bolt together. Now that he is 12 he is into RC cars and he uses his workbench to work on his RC stuff. I'm not really into RC, but at least he is learning how to use tools and work on things. If we as parents don't give our kids a place of their own to work and teach them how to work on stuff, then how will they ever learn the value of all the things we enjoy?

 

[6768rogues]

I always had a spot for my son to work alongside of me. Today he owns two large construction companies and makes a ton of money.

 

[cdestuck]

Anything you can do to promote a kids interest in working with theirs hands I would say do it. All kinds of things you could do. And a shelf to display their cool projects

 

[NUTTSGT]

Anything you can do to promote a kids interest in working with theirs hands I would say do it. All kinds of things you could do. And a shelf to display their cool projects

I think this is spot on. Get them out and doing something rather than sitting around doing nothing.

 

[Blazinzuk]

I plan on building one for my 6 year old boy.

My 11 year old daughter can work on a normal height bench but she will be getting her own toolbox and some tools this year.

 

[James-W]

I think having a kid's workbench is a great idea in principle, but I am not so sure it works out all that great. Let me explain why I say that.

The wife and I had two children, both daughters. As they were growing up when they had a project they wanted to do, I built an adjustable platform for them to stand on so they could stand and do stuff on my workbench. As they got older and taller, I lowered the stand for them. Point is, they felt "grown up" because they were working on a "big person's workbench" and it seems to have worked well because they still come over when they have a project and we work on the project together.

I let them a lot of the work themselves, but I give them pointers on how to do it. They use the equipment we have and they enjoy doing it themselves.

For example, our oldest daughter works with a woman who has a daughter and the kid's dresser had a really terrible looking top. It had a particle board top with a veneer coating and the veneer had come off in places and in short, it looked terrible. Our daughter picked up the dresser at her friend's house and brought it to our house so we could fix it.

To make a long story short, we removed the top and make a new top from pine boards that we glued together and then we stained it to match the rest of the dresser. Well, it wasn't an exact match, but it was pretty close to matching. We had it all done in one day, but we put a coat of polyurethane on it and let it dry overnight and then put a second coat on it the next morning. We took it back in the afternoon and the kid loved it. The kid was so happy she gave us both a big hug. We didn't charge anything, in fact, we paid for the wood and stain and polyurethane. We were just happy the everything worked out and we had a good time doing it. I know I enjoyed working on the project with my daughter and I am pretty sure she enjoyed herself too.

 

[AhmadHasib]

The first thing I ever built in my home was a work bench. Had no idea what I was doing so I bought the Simpson Strong Tie hardware (link below). Super easy to use. All you need are 2x4s, and plywood and you can make it any height you like. Would be a fun project for you to do with the kids. I've changed mine from 4 foot wide to 8 foot wide and back to 4 a few times depending on how much space I needed in the garage. Very easy to change and grow into a bigger table in the future.

Simpson Strong Tie WBSK Workbench and Shelving Hardware Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K774V2Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

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