By Mary Munday, Head Teacher
Activities that include basic materials like blocks, clay, paint, sand and water are central to Bing’s curriculum. There is, however, another material that is a staple of our nursery classrooms—wood. On a table on the patio lay wooden pieces of many shapes and an assortment of hammers, nails and other fastening materials. Our master craftsman, Gene Aiken, cuts wood into shapes that children can fit together using tools and their own creativity to plan and carry out their projects.
When the school year began last fall, woodworking was new to many children. Many in East PM observed while others wanted to give the real tools a try right away. Children often began with one piece of wood and a nail as a teacher helped hold the nail with pliers. Over time children became skilled at tapping gently to secure the nails.
Children practice eye-hand coordination as they aim to hit the head of the nail. They focus and build strength as they lift and pound with the heavy hammers. Some may hammer in several nails, while others may use just one, and then return later to practice this new skill. As their skills develop, we often see multiple pieces being laid out onto the table and bigger plans surfacing.
Stages of Woodworking
Exploring the materials: Children feel the wood shapes, ask questions about the materials, and move the pieces around on the table arranging them in various ways. They may notice the sawdust or the smell of the fresh cut wood. Observations and questions arise about the protective eyewear, clamps, hammers, nails and the small pieces of pegboard, called bridges, that can be used to connect wood pieces. Children may explore these materials and set right to work, observe or move on and come back at another time.
Planning: At this stage, a child lays out the pieces in a thoughtful manner, moving them to fit how he chooses. In this example, a child chose many pieces and arranged them. Next, he chose the number of bridges that he would need to connect the pieces, and then he set to work gathering nails and hammering them into his project.
Labeling: Children may choose to label their project after completion.
Representational: At this stage, children come in with a goal of creating something specific and then figure out how to accomplish it.
Three-dimensional: While this stage can be complex for the 3- to 5-year-olds in our classroom, teachers introduced a three-dimensional project—building a garden box—and our woodworkers were eager to begin. This project called for many steps and much perseverance and focus. Children could work, take breaks and return when they were interested again. They later painted the boxes, planted in them and then took them home.
The children in East PM challenged themselves this year with elaborate ideas at the woodworking table. They inspired each other and helped one another through the process. As they built more projects, wood pieces began to come back from their homes to East PM to be used again, honoring the process and the opportunity for a repeated experience. As Sierra, our diligent woodworker, said, “You get better if you keep on doing it.”
Benefits of Woodworking
Woodworking activities offer many rich and varied opportunities for skill development across all domains:
• Dexterity, balance, agility and muscle strength
• Measurement, art, design and invention
• Planning and perseverance
• Eye-hand coordination
• Fine motor skills
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Independence and self-esteem
• Matching and classification
• Sorting and comparing
• Recognition of textures and properties
• Conceptualization
• Cooperation and social harmony
• Respect for tools and materials
• Increased awareness and understanding of the natural world
• Descriptive language
• Self-regulation