Mario Needed A Geekdad

When I taught kindergarten and preschool the workbench was one of the most popular spots in the classroom. There was always someone pounding roofing nails into a piece of soft wood or patiently using the screwdriver to insert or remove a screw. There were no blueprints, projects or assignments; no birdhouses, toy cars or identifiable objects. The purpose was process not product. I can’t remember the last time I saw a workbench in a kindergarten classroom. They are rare in preschools! There are at least a dozen good reasons why woodworking should be included in every early childhood and elementary classroom. It won’t happen unless there is “research” connecting the workbench to higher test scores. It is up to parents to make sure kids learn and create with real tools.  Geekdad, the new blog at WIRED magazine, has lots of great ideas for projects parents can do with kids. It's about much more than woodworking. Physics, biology, field trips, software, are some examples of the categories included. So far my favorites are Capturing a spiderweb and Proving the theory of relativity in your minivan.