Starter gear and projects for kids

I'm relatively new to DIY, slightly less new to gardening. I'd like to get my kids started earlier than I did. I just bought my 5-year-old son a kid-friendly (real) basic tool set for Christmas. What kinds of projects could he do with his new tools? Right now I'm thinking of having him help with my first DIY project, which is building a simple doll bed for his little sister.

What could I get him next?

And is there any gear you'd trust a 2-year-old with? (Currently even a pencil requires close supervision, because her artistic ambitions extend to our walls...) One of her Christmas presents is a plastic chef's knife, so she can help with cutting things like cucumbers and melon.

We wanted daughter to help more around the garden. So we gave her, her very own flower bed. We help her maintain it, but she gets to pick the flowers to plant. By working with her, we hope to instill the need to grow.
We also engage her in conversation about our annual fruit and veggie beds. This helps. She mostly likes to harvest.

I think it really depends on the two year old...many things go straight into their mouths.
That's awesome he's got a knife and will help build a doll bed. I was with a 4H group that was teaching kids to whittle with a bar of soap. That seemed like a good way to practice.  

For the 2 year old: gloves. They're safe, they're useful, and they're something she will truly be able to call 'hers' (an important characteristic at 2 years old!)

Kevin Max wrote:For the 2 year old: gloves. They're safe, they're useful, and they're something she will truly be able to call 'hers' (an important characteristic at 2 years old!)

I like that idea. It can be the first item in her home and garden tool set, which we'll build up over the years.

Sena Kassim wrote:We wanted daughter to help more around the garden. So we gave her, her very own flower bed. We help her maintain it, but she gets to pick the flowers to plant. By working with her, we hope to instill the need to grow.
We also engage her in conversation about our annual fruit and veggie beds. This helps. She mostly likes to harvest.

I think it really depends on the two year old...many things go straight into their mouths.
That's awesome he's got a knife and will help build a doll bed. I was with a 4H group that was teaching kids to whittle with a bar of soap. That seemed like a good way to practice.  

It's fun to garden with kids, isn't it? So far, they've only "harvested" (grabbed cherry tomatoes and popped them in their mouths), but for next year we were thinking of letting them start their own box. Maybe give them some carrot seeds or other relatively no-fail vegetables. Flowers would be a nice addition. Do you plant seeds or ready plants?

Gardening with kids, is certainly more interesting...haha

We grow mostly from seed. We've done carrots together, tomatoes, herbs and corn.

We warm the seeds in our hands and say a few words of thanks before planting too. This year we are creating a garden shaped like 'M' for the letter of her first name. Plus (hopefully) planting a sunflower house. Just some flowers in a circle that she may go and admire the pollinators.

Kids also enjoy, playing with worms and making seed bombs. Might be something yours would enjoy too.

We gave our two year old a good solid short handled spade for his birthday (he's now 13) and he still has it and loves it. Endlessly useful and portable. He loved that it was just like Dad's but smaller. He learned respect for sharp things early, and is now forging and grinding knives on his own. Now if I could only teach him to clean up .

Sena Kassim wrote:Gardening with kids, is certainly more interesting...haha

We grow mostly from seed. We've done carrots together, tomatoes, herbs and corn.

We warm the seeds in our hands and say a few words of thanks before planting too. This year we are creating a garden shaped like 'M' for the letter of her first name. Plus (hopefully) planting a sunflower house. Just some flowers in a circle that she may go and admire the pollinators.

Kids also enjoy, playing with worms and making seed bombs. Might be something yours would enjoy too.

I'll make note of seed bombs as a nice late winter activity. Could have been a Christmas present for family, too, but maybe next year.

bethany Vedder wrote:Now if I could only teach him to clean up .

That's one of my big parenting regrets. I wish I'd started a clear cleanup routine when they were really young. The 5yo is pretty resistant at this point...

Projects: Build a toolbox, bee house, sawhorse, tool rack, planter box, mini bookshelf???

Jay the nag here - if you're going to start DIY projects and if kids are going to help, I highly recommend you look for adult and kid sized eye and hearing protection. I started my kids very early with "safety first" and it paid off - when they out grew the Peltor child-sized hearing protectors, they started fighting over the adult Peltors, so I bought each of them a pair for Christmas and put their name on them.
Kids are often closer to the work than an adult would be. If they hit a nail wrong and a chip flings into their eye it will teach the lesson after the horse is out of the barn and on the run - to emerg!

Similarly, with knives in the kitchen, I *always* gave them a cutting board to cut through the cucumber, onto the board. Grating cheese was another early "help mom" task I'd involve them in.

Some tools are much safer than others. Number 1 son just *loved* the drill press. With the right protection and clamps, I find it's one of the safer "first power tools" for kids to try.

We mostly screw things together to make it easier to deal with life's little "oooppppssss". We like Robertson head screws which I believe those south of the border often call "square drive", ad they're easier for smaller, weaker hands to drive (with proper pass-through holes). My sister, bless her heart, gave #1 son a complete set of stubby screw drivers for his second Christmas. Hubby was very jealous!

Second the gloves and small trowel. My two year old loves hers.

I've been keeping my eye out for a child sized wheelbarrow. Whenever we use ours, our two year old tries her best to move the thing around. So we end up pushing the wheelbarrow in circles instead of working.

She also loved spreading straw around the garden with us.

Jay Angler wrote:Jay the nag here - if you're going to start DIY projects and if kids are going to help, I highly recommend you look for adult and kid sized eye and hearing protection. I started my kids very early with "safety first" and it paid off

This is excellent advice. Thank you.

Especially so to have adult and kid sized, because you set the standard, and they get to emulate you.

I found fixing stuff to be an easier pathway than new creations. 2/3 of my kids will fix loose handles and drawer pulls, unclog sinks and toilets, patch drywall holes, and even caulk seams. I keep all the standard fix-it stuff easy to reach and will just point out things that need to be repaired. Still waiting on people to start noticing the problems themselves, but I'll take what help I can get.