Kids Workshops at Home Depot

Ashley absolutely loves the the kids workshops at Home Depot!

These workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.

The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Plus, it is a fun time for quality one-on-one time for parents with their children. Not to mention, the items make great home-made gifts!

In addition to the project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron (similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons) and an achievement pin. Ashley loves collecting them!

Building a Fairy House

Along the coast of Maine, there is an island that you can go walking on that has fairy houses in the woods along the walking path. Recently we went for a walk on the island looking for fairy houses. As we walked, we saw an occassional fairy house here and there. We gather special items along the way so that we could build our own fairy house... bark, sticks, rocks, acorns and flowers.

Finally we came to a clearing in the woods, where we found dozens and dozens of fairy houses, every shape and size. It was such an amzing sight! They were built with all different types of materials. Some were in the trees, others on the ground, some near bushes, some at the base of a tree. They were spread through out the tall pine trees as far as the eye could see. It was incredible!

We found a fallen log with a hollowed out section that made a perfect protected spot for our little fairy house. We propped sticks together and covered them with large peices of bark. Ashley gathered leaves, seaweed and a shell to fill acorns with and created a table and sitting stone for the fairies. We also made a little circle of rocks with nicely stacked sticks for a little fire ring. We finshed off our fairy house by lining the outer edges with flowers in hopes that the fairies would find it welcoming.

What a great way to spend one of the last days of summer!

Free Workshops at Home Depot

Did you know that Home Depot offers free workshops for kids?

The first Saturday of each month, our local Home Depot offers a class where kids can learn how to build things. They give each child an orange Home Depot smock with their name on it. For each activity the child participates in, they get a new pin for their smock.

Ashley loves going to these workshops! After each class, she likes to walk through the store pretending that she works there.

So far, she has made some really nice gifts for people that she got to make at these great work shops. She has built a memory box with a sliding top, a tool box (for art supplies or small tools), a football rack, a bug catcher and a plant holder (for seedlings). Of course, some of these projects she chose to keep for herself.

Of course, she typically needs help with the projects; but it is always a "joint effort" and a great way for Ashley to learn how things are made.

She really enjoys it and is always quite proud of the new items she gets to make.

Ashley Learns How to Make a Hoola-Hoop

Have you ever made your own custom hoola-hoop?

Ashley went to a class where she learned how to make her very own hoola-hoop, custom-made just for her height.

Made from black plastic garden tubing, first they measured the size that would be best for her. Then they used tubing connectors to connect the ends together.

They heated up the tubing with a hair dryer to make the plastic shrink tightly around the connectors.

Once the hoop itself was complete, Ashley got to decorate her hoop with colorful electrical tape, wrapping it around and around and around.

After making her custom hoola-hoop, she even got a lesson on how to use it!


What a great idea that was tons of fun!!!

Ashley Learns How to Use a Pottery Wheel

You are never too young to learn how to use a pottery wheel!

Ashley got to go to a pottery wheel class, where she got to try it out all by herself. It was rather messy ~ buy lots of fun! She got the hang of it pretty well ~ with some help, of course.

Once the bowls hardened, Ashley got to paint them pretty colors.

She made two bowls ~ a small one a medium one. They turned out great!

What a fun day!!! She can't wait to go again!!!