Woodworking Workshops for kids
Workshops for Little Makers (Ages 3–6)
I run hands-on, sustainability-focused woodworking workshops designed especially for children aged 4 to 6. (I am aware some preschool classes are 3-5 which is also suitable) These 2-hour sessions take place at childcare centers, where I bring everything needed to create a fun, safe, and meaningful experience.
Each workshop begins with a child-friendly discussion about sustainability—what it means, why it matters, and how we can make a difference. From there, we dive into the woodworking! Using real (age-appropriate) tools and recycled timber, children create their very own project to take home.
Every child also receives a special letter explaining where the timber was sourced from—adding an extra layer of connection and learning to their creation.
Hear from some of the parents whose child participated in one of my workshops!
"Leo was ecstatic to come home from daycare with this car he made himself during a woodworking workshop with @houseoftierney! Repurposed timber and milk bottle lids as wheels, this is reuse at its most creative. Plus he got a talk on reuse and I bet he was paying more attention than at home!!!"
"Hi Katherine. I just wanted to say a huge thank you! My son Teddy made a bird feeder at his daycare with you and absolutely loves it. We have an Earth book and only a few days before it was suggesting ways we could help out Earth, and one of them was to put out a bird feeder. This is going one step further!"
Currently I offer the following projects:
- Penholders
- Wind chimes
- Key racks
- Bird feeders
- Toy cars
- Bee hotels
Educators are also welcome to discuss other project types that may suit what the children are currently working on.
Single session workshops
- Introduction to Sustainability. The three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Learn what happens to the rubbish in the red bin and where timber comes from.
- Children get to each create their own project made from recycled timber and materials. Children move through workshop stations where they will use real tools to create their project.
- Children will learn basic woodworking skills: using a hammer, screwdriver, drill, sanding, measuring and glueing.
- Each child will get to decorate and take their project home the same day.
- Each child receives a letter showing where the materials used in the workshop came from.
4 Week Woodworking Program
Week 1: Introduction to Sustainability and Woodworking.
-Discussion about reducing our rubbish and the 3 R's of Sustainability. Create a pen holder from recycled timber
Week 2: Recycling.
- What happens to our recycling? What can be recycled. Create a wind chime from recycled timber and recycled keys
Week 3: The Green bin and composting.
- Learn about the cycle of large and small scale composting. Create a bird feeder from recycled timber. Children also are provided with seed so they can see their project in action.
Week 4: Empathy.
- Why is empathy important to ourselves and our environment. Create a toy car made from recycled timber and recycled lids.