As I watch my nephew grow I tend to reflect on my childhood and the experiences I had as a young person. As my nephew, Maverick, prepares to turn eleven and enter the tween years, I have been thinking about my life at that age. Here is how those thoughts led to the two of us building a birdhouse.
Growing up on a Farm
When I was Maverick’s age I lived on my grandfather’s farm with my mother and younger brother. The house we lived in was next to my grandfather’s farm shop. Around his shop was a pile of stuff. To outsiders it probably looked like the shop of a hoarder, but to my grandfather it was organized chaos. Tractor accessories and parts, tools, various hardware, extra materials, and pretty much anything that gets acquired on a farm over decades of operation were abundant. I have been reflecting on how that pile of farm stuff was my playground as a child.
I often entertained myself in this pile. I learned how to fit things together and what kind of tools were used with different materials. Sometimes my grandfather would pop in and show me a thing or two, but for the most part I just figured things out in my grandfather’s junk pile. Now, 25 years or so later, I really appreciate those experiences. It gave me a sort of intuition around various tools and materials. I may not always know the exact name of a tool, but the uses almost always make sense.
Considering my appreciation for my childhood experiences around tools, I decided to give my nephew a variety of Harbor Freight tools. I found it to be a lot of fun to go to Harbor Freight with a $100 dollar budget and pick out a bunch of starter tools for an 11-year-old. I got him a battery operated drill, a hammer, a square, some screwdrivers, and a variety of other little accessories and tools for his tool bag.
The Question of What to Build
So, I had the whole tool set ready to give my nephew as a gift. We were going to meet him and my parents at their home in the mountains of Northern Colorado. So I was talking and planning with my mom and she suggested we build her a birdhouse, so that became the plan.
Eventually we arrived in Colorado and gave Maverick his gift. He was first attracted to the hand saw in the bag. His instinct was to walk around the woods whacking it against tree branches. I let him play around to see the results and eventually stepped in to teach him how to properly use the tool.
After a few days and a few more lessons here and there, we set out to construct a birdhouse.
Building a Birdhouse
Our first step in building the birdhouse was to take account of our supplies. We had 1 inch planks of pine to work with. But before we got into cutting wood we need to design the house. Maverick was really natural at the design process. I sort of showed him how to sketch out the project and it only took us a couple hours to cut the pieces, sand them and put together the structure.
Maverick got to use his tape measure, square, hammer, drill, and my battery operated sander. He was learning things quickly and using a variety of tools seemed to keep his interest.
Finishing the Birdhouse
I cut some sheet metal for the roof and Maverick installed it with his drill. He had a hole saw for his drill that he was able to learn and use for the entrance holes. We also stained the birdhouse, which was not a task that held his attention, but we got through it. Then we went through a lesson on caulking and he sealed the roof up. All said and done, using tools during construction was more of a highlight than putting on the finishing touches.
Photo Gallery of Building a Birdhouse with my Nephew
Final Thoughts on Using Tools with a Child
Being able to use tools to solve problems is a big part of sustainability in our lifestyle. Having the independence to fix our vehicles, and build our home is not only a cost saver, but it provides us with the ability to not rely on others. It can help us to avoid the sting when prices get high due to economic reasons, and it allows us to get things done quicker than if we had to make an appointment at a shop or bring a professional out to our property. In building this birdhouse with my nephew, I was able to pass some of those skills along to him. While he may not ever build a birdhouse again, I can guarantee that knowing how to use a screwdriver, a hammer, and many of the other tools he became acquainted with will certainly come in handy throughout his life!
