Free Easy Woodworking Projects For Kids at Home Depot
The annual Midsommar Festival – Swedish Days in Geneva, Illinois, is touted as the “’Granddaddy’ of Illinois Festivals.” It includes a pie-eating contest, pet parade, and kids’ woodwork projects sponsored by Home Depot, the latter of which is highlighted in an online article from TheGenevaSun.com. The Home Depot Kids Workshop held at the Swedish Days Festival in Geneva, Illinois, and given on the first Saturday of each month at all Home Depot stores benefits both children and adults.
The Home Depot Kids Workshop has been part of Swedish Days for six years now. It is free and a big hit with parents and kids. Held at the festival’s “Creation Station,” this year’s project was a toolbox. It was made from a pre-cut kit which was nailed and glued together by the children, some as young as a year and a half. Home Depot provided all materials. The kids received miniature versions of the trademark orange Home Depot apron and a certificate of achievement upon completion. In addition, they had a toolbox to take home to begin their woodworking careers.
Similar programs are given at Home Depot stores throughout the country on the first Saturday of each month. They are advertised on Home Depot’s website as being for children aged 5-12 and given between 9:00 a.m. and noon. The toolbox is one of the projects. Others are mail organizers, fire trucks, and a window birdhouse. These clinics are also free and include a kid-sized apron and achievement pin.
Both kids and parents benefit from the workshops. Geneva Home Depot employee Terri Skaar calls it a real draw at the Swedish Days festival and claims that the parents enjoy it as much as the kids do. Home Depot echoes that sentiment on their website by saying that their Saturday workshops allow for quality one-on-one time between adults and children and adds that they teach children tool safety, do-it-yourself skills, and instill a sense of accomplishment. Skaar says that to see the children smile is the best part and adds that they take a lot of pride in their work.
The whole family gets something out of the kids’ wood workshops sponsored by Home Depot at Geneva’s Swedish Festival and at their individual stores. It will probably be part of the festival for years to come.
