"Give them a ready made boat: at first they are pleased with it, its novelty gratifies them, but before the lapse of many days the toy is cast aside and forgotten; but if the boat had been constructed by the children, they would have taken a pride and pleasure in it for years.
Children like to make, not to have ready-made... It is the duty of the educator to give a proper satisfaction to these cravings, and thus to follow nature's lead." --Otto Salomon, 1890, The Theory of Educational Sloyd
So, here is a list of holiday gift ideas that will serve children of many ages, and serve long after this holiday season has passed... A plane, a saw, a hammer, a knife, a box of wood scraps, a tape measure, an assortment of nails and fasteners, a bottle of glue. Give these gifts before the child's creative powers are dulled and wasted, while the child is still alive to his or her own creative inclinations.
And even adults can be moved by the power of the self-made. "The adults at Nääs are always proud to take possession of their models at the ends of the courses, to pack them with care and bear them away as treasures to their homes in other lands."--Otto Salomon, 1890
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