volume 1, number 5

Today I sent out Volume 1, Number 5 of my newsletter, Woodworking at Home with Kids. In it, I offer useful information for both kids and adults, including two quick videos on wood grain, how to read it and how to understand it.

I've known for a long time that all kids need to have hands-on learning experiences that schools in general no longer supply. So the burden of education falls on parents and grandparents to offer creative experiences that the children's schools ignore. If you are not receiving the newsletter, you can sign up for it here: https://mailchi.mp/254bebc7494e/woodworking-at-home-for-kids-volume-1-number-5

It's interesting what the Covid-19 virus is doing to our nation's schools. On the one hand, teachers and students are being forced online, despite the warnings that screen time is actually a disruptive force in child development, that leads to depression, anxiety, childhood obesity and additional serious effects. On the other hand, the usual testing regime that takes place this time of year have also been disrupted, requiring universities to find other models for accepting students in place of the usual ACT and SAT test scores which never actually measured anything that important in the first place.

It is time to be acutely aware of our own and each other's needs for mental health. Researchers have noted that symptoms of depression and anxiety are alleviated when we are busy and feel a direct sense of agency and control over our own lives. Our hands have the power to reshape our emotions and our feelings about ourselves and our surroundings. Never has it been more important to be doing real things that offer some service to each other. This applies to both children and adults.

In my own wood shop I find a sense of comfort in preparing tools and materials for my students to make things at home. Be safe, Stay well!

Make, fix, create, and assist others in learning lifewise.