March 2012 - BUILD AND GROW

With home improvements on the forefront this month, our next adventure took us to the local home improvement stores for some free and fun activities. Area home improvements stores offer free clinics for kids to learn tool safety, teach children do-it- yourself skills, while building self-esteem and confidence. This is one activity that can be done locally or across the country at Grandma’s house, because it is available at both stores, nationwide.

The Kids Workshop at Home Depot offers free clinics the first Saturday of every month and is open to children ages 5-12 years old, between the hours of 9 a.m. and Noon. All kids receive an apron, a certificate of completion, and commemorative pin. Each child will receive a Do It Yourself kit for the featured project of the week and will take their finished project home at the end of the workshop. Projects for the past few months have included, Making a Savings Shed, and building a Keepsake Box. For complete details about Kids Workshops, visit http://www.homeimproverclub.com/kidsworkshops.aspx.

We recently participated in the Build and Grow Clinic at Lowe’s. Each child is also given an apron and certification, as well as goggles and a completion patch that can be sewn onto the apron similar to earning scouting patches. The wooden project kits are available for all children. They do not have an age limit but recommend their projects for children in 1st through 5th grades. Hammering the nails was slightly challenging for my 9 and 10 year daughters but with persistence, they completed the projects independently. They each made a Science Lab Kit and brought home three test tubes and index cards with a variety of easy science projects. It was great to have the activity keep going for weeks to come with new science projects each day and the personal pride of knowing they built the stand themselves. Lowe’s Build and Grow clinics are offered two Saturdays per month at 10 a.m. and complete details can be found at www.lowesbuildandgrow.com. Recent projects included Build-a-Saurus and Build-a-Castle.

There is high demand for these workshops, so I would recommend registering early for the convenience of participating at your nearest home improvement store. Happy building! – Kristen Kucharski

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