looking for ideas
m_aduhene
hi all,
my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
blessings
michelle
my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
blessings
michelle
Jo
What about a garden shed type of shop? Ie. A garden shed you could cut a shop window in for him to dress and kit it out with shelves for his stock.... Do you have room? - it wouldn't need to be big. I know a really good seafood restaurant in Norfolk which started out in a garden shed. Be careful, business could grow! ;-)
Kind regards,
Jo
Kind regards,
Jo
On 17 Sep 2011, at 12:37, "m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@...> wrote:
> hi all,
> my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
> blessings
> michelle
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Sep 17, 2011, at 7:37 AM, m_aduhene wrote:
the same age! Kat wanted to turn her stories into glue bound books
with shiny covers. Not stapled pages. Not even printed out pages, sew
together and bound with cardboard and fabric (that turned out
great :-) and were fun but were *not* what she wanted.) Not any kind
of substitute. She wanted a printing press to turn out books exactly
like you find in the stores. (This was way before Lulu and other print
on demand places.)
I didn't find a great approach but came to understand her need for
real better. Maybe what would work is exploring what *is* possible so
*he* can decide how close he can come to his reality. Rather than
saying "No, can't do that because ..." approach it with a more
investigative route of how you'd go about something like that. When
you hit a snag, explore solutions to that too. Figure out the costs.
Make spreadsheets :-) Help him acquire as much information about his
desire so *he* concludes that something isn't workable. Approach it
not as impossible but has "Here's what is possible that I know about
and how that can be done."
It may ease his frustrations a bit but don't expect them to go away
until he gets a bit older. Build him a more comfortable nest rather
than trying to change his mind.
It sure will be nice when Star Trek holodecks are a reality! :-)
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build aI don't have any ideas but I do really remember that desire at about
> shop. with real bricks.
the same age! Kat wanted to turn her stories into glue bound books
with shiny covers. Not stapled pages. Not even printed out pages, sew
together and bound with cardboard and fabric (that turned out
great :-) and were fun but were *not* what she wanted.) Not any kind
of substitute. She wanted a printing press to turn out books exactly
like you find in the stores. (This was way before Lulu and other print
on demand places.)
I didn't find a great approach but came to understand her need for
real better. Maybe what would work is exploring what *is* possible so
*he* can decide how close he can come to his reality. Rather than
saying "No, can't do that because ..." approach it with a more
investigative route of how you'd go about something like that. When
you hit a snag, explore solutions to that too. Figure out the costs.
Make spreadsheets :-) Help him acquire as much information about his
desire so *he* concludes that something isn't workable. Approach it
not as impossible but has "Here's what is possible that I know about
and how that can be done."
It may ease his frustrations a bit but don't expect them to go away
until he gets a bit older. Build him a more comfortable nest rather
than trying to change his mind.
It sure will be nice when Star Trek holodecks are a reality! :-)
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
"m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@...> wrote:
What kind of shop? A store? A workshop? What kind of bricks? The little red kind or concrete blocks? Ask him for details, if that's not too frustrating for him. Sometimes people (kids And adults) get half-ideas, inspiration without any real sense of the details.
Don't bog down too much wondering "how are we going to do this?" and don't let yourself get stressed over the chance that he's going to be disappointed. If he reeeaaaalllllly wants to do this and do it a certain way... probably he's going to end up disappointed. Constructing a real brick building isn't the sort of thing which happens on a 7yo's timetable.
But maybe he just wants to play with the idea for awhile, as far as he can, so keep talking with him and tossing out ideas. Does it have to be a Brick shop? Wood is faster. A pre-fab metal building is faster still. It might help to look at different kinds of buildings and even different kinds of wall facings. You can have a faux brick exterior over wood or metal or... straw bales if you wanted ;)
If what he wants is to sell things - that kind of shop - you could go to a farmers market or craft show and see what people use for booths. A little awning and a table set up on the sidewalk is a lovely "shop" which can be taken down at the end of the day.
So, er, construction experience, here - for an actual building you start with the foundation, which can be the most tedious part of the whole process, but it could be fun, too. Do you need a patio? Having a concrete slab poured can be fascinating for kids, and then you can build something on top of it later if you want. But in the time it takes to build the forms, get it poured and wait for the concrete to cure your guy could lose interest, too, or get really disappointed with the amount of time it's taking. He doesn't want a concrete slab, after all, he wants a shop! and he's going to be running up against some real life limits in that sense.
---Meredith
>**************
>> my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks.
What kind of shop? A store? A workshop? What kind of bricks? The little red kind or concrete blocks? Ask him for details, if that's not too frustrating for him. Sometimes people (kids And adults) get half-ideas, inspiration without any real sense of the details.
Don't bog down too much wondering "how are we going to do this?" and don't let yourself get stressed over the chance that he's going to be disappointed. If he reeeaaaalllllly wants to do this and do it a certain way... probably he's going to end up disappointed. Constructing a real brick building isn't the sort of thing which happens on a 7yo's timetable.
But maybe he just wants to play with the idea for awhile, as far as he can, so keep talking with him and tossing out ideas. Does it have to be a Brick shop? Wood is faster. A pre-fab metal building is faster still. It might help to look at different kinds of buildings and even different kinds of wall facings. You can have a faux brick exterior over wood or metal or... straw bales if you wanted ;)
If what he wants is to sell things - that kind of shop - you could go to a farmers market or craft show and see what people use for booths. A little awning and a table set up on the sidewalk is a lovely "shop" which can be taken down at the end of the day.
>>explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall.****************
So, er, construction experience, here - for an actual building you start with the foundation, which can be the most tedious part of the whole process, but it could be fun, too. Do you need a patio? Having a concrete slab poured can be fascinating for kids, and then you can build something on top of it later if you want. But in the time it takes to build the forms, get it poured and wait for the concrete to cure your guy could lose interest, too, or get really disappointed with the amount of time it's taking. He doesn't want a concrete slab, after all, he wants a shop! and he's going to be running up against some real life limits in that sense.
---Meredith
Sara Evans
I hope its ok and on topic that I recommend taking a look at Archiquest
blocks, which I bought through HearthSong online. I know they're no where
near being "real" bricks but maybe they will help scratch an itch?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
blocks, which I bought through HearthSong online. I know they're no where
near being "real" bricks but maybe they will help scratch an itch?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=- i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .-=-
I have an idea about safety. :-/
I have secondary ideas about foundations, rebar, building permits...
Some things aren't safe or sensible. Putting things up higher than one's head that could kill one if they fell isn't something mothers should encourage, and making permanent structures that aren't to code is illegal in many places.
Sometimes the answer needs to be "sorry; can't do it right now."
Kid's insistence can't trump laws and physics.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I have an idea about safety. :-/
I have secondary ideas about foundations, rebar, building permits...
Some things aren't safe or sensible. Putting things up higher than one's head that could kill one if they fell isn't something mothers should encourage, and making permanent structures that aren't to code is illegal in many places.
Sometimes the answer needs to be "sorry; can't do it right now."
Kid's insistence can't trump laws and physics.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
Thus may sound silly but what about a large tent. There are 8 person two
room tents that could easily be a shop. Just an idea :)
Cindy
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless
-----Original message-----
From: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, Sep 18, 2011 00:31:07 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] looking for ideas
-=- i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply
what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants
to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas
out there please? .-=-
I have an idea about safety. :-/
I have secondary ideas about foundations, rebar, building permits...
Some things aren't safe or sensible. Putting things up higher than one's
head that could kill one if they fell isn't something mothers should
encourage, and making permanent structures that aren't to code is illegal in
many places.
Sometimes the answer needs to be "sorry; can't do it right now."
Kid's insistence can't trump laws and physics.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
room tents that could easily be a shop. Just an idea :)
Cindy
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless
-----Original message-----
From: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, Sep 18, 2011 00:31:07 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] looking for ideas
-=- i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply
what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants
to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas
out there please? .-=-
I have an idea about safety. :-/
I have secondary ideas about foundations, rebar, building permits...
Some things aren't safe or sensible. Putting things up higher than one's
head that could kill one if they fell isn't something mothers should
encourage, and making permanent structures that aren't to code is illegal in
many places.
Sometimes the answer needs to be "sorry; can't do it right now."
Kid's insistence can't trump laws and physics.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
This is such a helpful reminder! I have a daughter that is full of ideas, all of the time...and they are involved, intricate, "real-world" interests vs. the watered-down versions that sometimes cater to kids. If I am being honest, I admit to being overwhelmed fairly regularly. As an option to communicating this feeling to my daughter, I really like the idea of "exploring what is possible" together, regardless of the project that is wished for...I imagine that sometimes she would follow through with tenacity...and sometimes she may turn to something else when she sees the level of involvement required (if, in fact, she is not interested in this level of involvement)...but that either way, support is offered for these ideas vs. a kid simply seeing her mom in an overwhelmed state...or a mom who is attempting to limit her!
Kirsten
Kirsten
--- In [email protected], Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...> wrote:
>
>
> On Sep 17, 2011, at 7:37 AM, m_aduhene wrote:
>
> > my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a
> > shop. with real bricks.
>
> I don't have any ideas but I do really remember that desire at about
> the same age! Kat wanted to turn her stories into glue bound books
> with shiny covers. Not stapled pages. Not even printed out pages, sew
> together and bound with cardboard and fabric (that turned out
> great :-) and were fun but were *not* what she wanted.) Not any kind
> of substitute. She wanted a printing press to turn out books exactly
> like you find in the stores. (This was way before Lulu and other print
> on demand places.)
>
> I didn't find a great approach but came to understand her need for
> real better. Maybe what would work is exploring what *is* possible so
> *he* can decide how close he can come to his reality. Rather than
> saying "No, can't do that because ..." approach it with a more
> investigative route of how you'd go about something like that. When
> you hit a snag, explore solutions to that too. Figure out the costs.
> Make spreadsheets :-) Help him acquire as much information about his
> desire so *he* concludes that something isn't workable. Approach it
> not as impossible but has "Here's what is possible that I know about
> and how that can be done."
>
> It may ease his frustrations a bit but don't expect them to go away
> until he gets a bit older. Build him a more comfortable nest rather
> than trying to change his mind.
>
> It sure will be nice when Star Trek holodecks are a reality! :-)
>
> Joyce
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Dragonfly
When my uncle was 14 he wanted to open up a candy store. His Mom (my grandmother) let him use the garage. That's was over 45 years ago. He just closed it down two years ago. Times have changed but maybe it's something you can suggest if you have a garage ?
The question I had was is it a shop that he wants or is it to build or both? Maybe the shop is just a destination but what he is really interested in is the design and building up. It may be out of his reach right now ( permits etc ) but maybe a virtual store? Maybe he could set up a shop in eBay or Etsy and sell stuff or maybe he could design and build a virtual place in Minecraft.
Nuria
The question I had was is it a shop that he wants or is it to build or both? Maybe the shop is just a destination but what he is really interested in is the design and building up. It may be out of his reach right now ( permits etc ) but maybe a virtual store? Maybe he could set up a shop in eBay or Etsy and sell stuff or maybe he could design and build a virtual place in Minecraft.
Nuria
> On 17 Sep 2011, at 12:37, "m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@...> wrote:[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> > hi all,
> > my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
> > blessings
> > michelle
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
JustSayin
My oldest son had similar ideas at that age. He wanted to build a treehouse, with elevators and walkways to our house and to the neighbor's house (where his friend lived). It was a very impressive and complicated piece of construction based on his description. He could see it so clearly in his mind, and it made me and my DH feel terrible that we couldn't help him accomplish this monstrous feat (neither of us are handy at all, so actually helping him build this was out of the question ;>).
We said, "well maybe you could draw up some plans" and he did. Now what? So we ultimately just lamely said we couldn't afford the lumber and parts.
He also wanted to build a titanium robot. Drew up the plans for that too.
I still feel like we did him a disservice by not being able to help him to realize his vision, or at least not squash his ideas, so I feel your pain. I think I even asked about this on this group, so maybe some other answers are in the archives.
One idea (that I didn't know about back then) if he is into computer games at all is Minecraft (minecraft.net - get the download version, not the free version, they are totally different). In this game my kids have built entire towns, including grocery stores, restaurants, pirate ships, airplanes, water slides, and now they are adding moving parts like pistons, so my son finally got his elevators.
If it's building he wants, this could be really be cool for him. My younger son is 7 and he is awesome at it - I am truly amazed at the things he builds.
Anyway, give Mineceaft a shot - it might be enough of a substitute until he is old enough to build skyscrapers on his own.
--Melissa
We said, "well maybe you could draw up some plans" and he did. Now what? So we ultimately just lamely said we couldn't afford the lumber and parts.
He also wanted to build a titanium robot. Drew up the plans for that too.
I still feel like we did him a disservice by not being able to help him to realize his vision, or at least not squash his ideas, so I feel your pain. I think I even asked about this on this group, so maybe some other answers are in the archives.
One idea (that I didn't know about back then) if he is into computer games at all is Minecraft (minecraft.net - get the download version, not the free version, they are totally different). In this game my kids have built entire towns, including grocery stores, restaurants, pirate ships, airplanes, water slides, and now they are adding moving parts like pistons, so my son finally got his elevators.
If it's building he wants, this could be really be cool for him. My younger son is 7 and he is awesome at it - I am truly amazed at the things he builds.
Anyway, give Mineceaft a shot - it might be enough of a substitute until he is old enough to build skyscrapers on his own.
--Melissa
--- In [email protected], "m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@...> wrote:
>
> hi all,
> my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
> blessings
> michelle
>
Sandra Dodd
-=-Anyway, give Mineceaft a shot - it might be enough of a substitute until he is old enough to build skyscrapers on his own. -=-
It might be worth exploring the idea that nobody ever builds a skyscraper on his own, either.
Are there current kids' books or videos or websites about what it takes to create a skyscraper (or a house or whatever)? Site analysis, surveying, proposal, financing, architectural plans, revisions, excavation, foundations, plumbing, and I get lost in there, but walls (steel frame? stone? windows? floors and elevators, stairs, safety/escape/fire retardant, heating, cooling, electrical contracting to figure out all the controls for all that, natural gas, or whatever else besides electricity.
In the 1960's, my uncle worked on the electrical contract for the Holly Sugar Building in Colorado Springs. Before it opened, he took us up and showed us some of what they had designed and installed--dimmers in conference rooms (new technology at the time) and how the fixtures and features were nicer the higher in the building we went. :-)
Maybe exploring buildings, shops, brick construction either online or out in the world with a camera would be interesting, too.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
It might be worth exploring the idea that nobody ever builds a skyscraper on his own, either.
Are there current kids' books or videos or websites about what it takes to create a skyscraper (or a house or whatever)? Site analysis, surveying, proposal, financing, architectural plans, revisions, excavation, foundations, plumbing, and I get lost in there, but walls (steel frame? stone? windows? floors and elevators, stairs, safety/escape/fire retardant, heating, cooling, electrical contracting to figure out all the controls for all that, natural gas, or whatever else besides electricity.
In the 1960's, my uncle worked on the electrical contract for the Holly Sugar Building in Colorado Springs. Before it opened, he took us up and showed us some of what they had designed and installed--dimmers in conference rooms (new technology at the time) and how the fixtures and features were nicer the higher in the building we went. :-)
Maybe exploring buildings, shops, brick construction either online or out in the world with a camera would be interesting, too.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Karen
> Are there current kids' books or videos or websites about what it takes to create a skyscraper (or a house or whatever)?There is a great book called "Building Big"
(http://www.amazon.com/Building-Big-David-Macaulay/dp/0395963311/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316396880&sr=1-12)
Visit a lumber yard and ask to pick through their scrap wood pile. Stock up on nails, screws, hinges, wheels, whatever. Let him pick some stuff out at the hardware store. Get a little tool box for him and stock it with safe but useable tools.
There is a great little wood working kit with lathe, saw, drill and sander for kids:
http://www.thecooltool.com/produktgruppe.php?language=e&pg_id=2
Visit a shoe store and ask for their empty shoe boxes. They are great for building walls, fun to knock down!
Build structures with fallen branches. We have built toad houses, log cabins, and many other structures in our back yard using just some branches, nails and mud.
And, of course, Lego and Minecraft are great building tools as well.
johnsonscarandbody
What about those storage sheds that you see at home depot or lowes, they are not brick but I *think* they come as a kit and have to be put together by the purchaser. That may be a bit pricey(around $800 and up i think) but it would be a building of sorts and not so difficult that it would be impossible, and they usually don't need a permit if they are under a certain size in most areas.
--- In [email protected], "JustSayin" <mfcappella@...> wrote:
>
> My oldest son had similar ideas at that age. He wanted to build a treehouse, with elevators and walkways to our house and to the neighbor's house (where his friend lived). It was a very impressive and complicated piece of construction based on his description. He could see it so clearly in his mind, and it made me and my DH feel terrible that we couldn't help him accomplish this monstrous feat (neither of us are handy at all, so actually helping him build this was out of the question ;>).
>
> We said, "well maybe you could draw up some plans" and he did. Now what? So we ultimately just lamely said we couldn't afford the lumber and parts.
>
> He also wanted to build a titanium robot. Drew up the plans for that too.
>
> I still feel like we did him a disservice by not being able to help him to realize his vision, or at least not squash his ideas, so I feel your pain. I think I even asked about this on this group, so maybe some other answers are in the archives.
>
> One idea (that I didn't know about back then) if he is into computer games at all is Minecraft (minecraft.net - get the download version, not the free version, they are totally different). In this game my kids have built entire towns, including grocery stores, restaurants, pirate ships, airplanes, water slides, and now they are adding moving parts like pistons, so my son finally got his elevators.
>
> If it's building he wants, this could be really be cool for him. My younger son is 7 and he is awesome at it - I am truly amazed at the things he builds.
>
> Anyway, give Mineceaft a shot - it might be enough of a substitute until he is old enough to build skyscrapers on his own.
>
> --Melissa
>
>
> --- In [email protected], "m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@> wrote:
> >
> > hi all,
> > my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
> > blessings
> > michelle
> >
>
Sandra Dodd
This thread has entertainingly gone crazy. :-)
A kid wants to build a shop (for what? Not specified) with bricks (specified) and people are wildly brainstorming.
The was sent, and I'm only posting the middle part:
-=-Not sure where you are located but my husband has a sawmill if you wanted to pursue the idea of visiting a lumber yard. Big lumber yards may not be too kid friendly - but we are just a small operation working out of our home (our 10 year old daughter is unschooled). My husband built his woodshop mainly out of the resources we had to hand: wood and stones from the creek. He even made dowels to hold the floor down instead of opting for extortionate imported nails. You are very welcome to visit. -=-
The first poster is in the UK. Other list members are all over Canada and the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, Australia and India. The post above had a phone number. I don't think it's a good idea to be giving phone numbers to thousands of people, really. But the description of the sawmill and the shop does sound cool. And if it had been a UK phone number, I would've sent it on the side to Michelle whose boy has the desire.
Sandra
A kid wants to build a shop (for what? Not specified) with bricks (specified) and people are wildly brainstorming.
The was sent, and I'm only posting the middle part:
-=-Not sure where you are located but my husband has a sawmill if you wanted to pursue the idea of visiting a lumber yard. Big lumber yards may not be too kid friendly - but we are just a small operation working out of our home (our 10 year old daughter is unschooled). My husband built his woodshop mainly out of the resources we had to hand: wood and stones from the creek. He even made dowels to hold the floor down instead of opting for extortionate imported nails. You are very welcome to visit. -=-
The first poster is in the UK. Other list members are all over Canada and the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, Australia and India. The post above had a phone number. I don't think it's a good idea to be giving phone numbers to thousands of people, really. But the description of the sawmill and the shop does sound cool. And if it had been a UK phone number, I would've sent it on the side to Michelle whose boy has the desire.
Sandra
Rippy Dusseldorp
Maybe he would be interested in working with the building kits if he learned that some architects build miniature models of their buildings before they build full size versions. Perhaps you could find these scale models somewhere in your city and visit with your son - at a local university, or architecture office, or maybe you even have a tourist attraction close by like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb6FO7D09q4&feature=fvsr
When I was a child, I volunteered with my parents on a community project where people were working together to build a structure. If you could find something like this in your area, maybe they would let him volunteer with you.
We recently built a foundation for a garden shed using sand and tiles. Both those materials can be reused for other projects if he lost interest.
There's a children's book about a creative child architect that he might like:
Iggy Peck Architect
http://www.amazon.com/Iggy-Peck-Architect-Andrea-Beaty/dp/081091106X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316447795&sr=8-1
Rippy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb6FO7D09q4&feature=fvsr
When I was a child, I volunteered with my parents on a community project where people were working together to build a structure. If you could find something like this in your area, maybe they would let him volunteer with you.
We recently built a foundation for a garden shed using sand and tiles. Both those materials can be reused for other projects if he lost interest.
There's a children's book about a creative child architect that he might like:
Iggy Peck Architect
http://www.amazon.com/Iggy-Peck-Architect-Andrea-Beaty/dp/081091106X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316447795&sr=8-1
Rippy
kylady423
Big ideas are great and this one could go everywhere and occupy quite a bit of time, if he continues to purpue it. What type of bricks? From where in the world? What type of products? Offer geometric information so he can work on that. Geometer's sketchpad has a free downloadable version. Also, help him find your local ordinances on buildings; some areas require permits for constructing anything that can't be moved. As far as business end of things, point out accounting information, maybe talking to small business owners about inventory, business plan, and product ideas. It's a testament to the beauty of unschooling that he is willing to have such big ideas at any age, and especially at an age that's traditionally only supposed to be interested in maybe Erector sets.
(I could inappropriate to chime in here, especially since my lifelong learners aged 14 months and 3 years and I'm officially new to unschooling and still reading through Sandra's blog and several others. That said, there is so much to be covered here and I felt inspired to respond because my 3 year old thinks like this. I think we can all learn more from how this turns out.)
Clara
(I could inappropriate to chime in here, especially since my lifelong learners aged 14 months and 3 years and I'm officially new to unschooling and still reading through Sandra's blog and several others. That said, there is so much to be covered here and I felt inspired to respond because my 3 year old thinks like this. I think we can all learn more from how this turns out.)
Clara
--- In [email protected], "m_aduhene" <m_aduhene@...> wrote:
>
> hi all,
> my son, 7, woke up this morning and announced he wants to build a shop. with real bricks. i said we would look into this. i offered to call local builders and see if we could go and watch them and maybe help a bit (health and safety allowing). this is not what he wants. i looked up building kits with the small, realistic bricks and mortar. this is not what he wants. he wants to build a shop. i showed him the instructions for building a wall and explained simply what we would need to do and said we could start with a wall. he still wants to build the shop. a shop to fit people in like a real shop anymore ideas out there please? .
> blessings
> michelle
>