Jigsaw puzzle

I bought this Dremel Trio power tool recently and we made a jigsaw puzzle with it tonight. I have high hopes that it will be a light and easy tool that kids can use to make detailed cuts. Bruno (age 4) made a straight cut with it (with me holding it steady) and enjoyed it. Jack (age 7) was excited to use it but got bored or tired quickly trying to cut up the jigsaw pieces. I'll have to keep experimenting with it, and maybe try for an easier project next time.

He did enjoy the puzzle he made and it would make a neat gift for a friend's birthday or something like that.

Rope-making machine!

I know what you're thinking. Rope is pretty cheap and plentiful these days... need we really a machine to make it when it can be bought for about 2 bucks at the store? Yes yes, you'd be so right about that, but where's your sense of wonder, my nay saying friend? Kids squeal with delight when they see the rope machine in action. At a family reunion for my husband's family last summer, a rope making machine was brought out and the kids found it all just the height of excitement. That gave me the yen to make one just like it. I've started out with this very easy, starter version found in (my favorite book ever) Making Things: A handbook for creative discovery (really, it's the one book I consult over and over... so many great ideas). But I want to graduate to one like this guy built (the first version, at least at first...)( and I'd like to make rope out of plastic bags like he did sometime, too). Anyway, this is a start....

And apologies for the hasty, somewhat shoddy little video here... I asked my friend to hold the camera while I performed like a rope-making monkey and she was being devoured by mosquitoes, so I was performing as quickly as possible before they drained her completely of life-giving fluids. Normally rope making is a much more leisurely pursuit.

Mini bow and arrow

Fun quick and easy, and these arrows really zing!

Making a flower press

For our last carpentry class, a really sweet summer project that will hopefully be pretty fun for them to work with, especially in these early days of summer when the flora of Central Texas is still pretty lush and blossom-y.

If you'd like to make a flower press, with or without your kid, instructions can be found here.

Stomp rocket

You know these things? You can buy 'em, but they're oh-so-easy to make. What's not so easy, is getting a real photo that demonstrates what is happening, so I'll tell you: they stomp the bottle and the burst of air causes the rocket on the end of the pipe to shoot up in the air surprisingly high, usually eliciting much excitement and laughter from the little ones. You can find the instructions here, at this great website, www.sciencetoymaker.com.