Comments on: Handiwork for Boys?

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:34:15 +0000

Yes, I am aware of Contenders. Jeff and I taught a Contenders and Keepers group for 7 years! We LOVED IT!

By: Julie in Fl

Julie in Fl — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:19:18 +0000

I love all of those ideas. I agree with the Contenders of the Faith book. It has lots of neat ideas. Also Doorposts puts out a book for boys called Plants Grown Up. I have not bought the book yet, but have skimmed through it and it looks wonderful.
I set my boys up with a little garden all their own. I help them tend it and they love it. My boys are the same age as Patricia.

By: robin

robin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:22:17 +0000

Have you ever checked out Keepers of the Faith and Contenders for the Faith handbooks from the Keepers of the faith website?

Robin in TN
wife of my dear one
mom of a few
homeschooling two

By: Shirley

Shirley — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:46:37 +0000

Hi,
Great ideas! And don’t forget to them them see *your* hands busy!

When my son was younger, he was very curious about my crocheting and wanted to try it himself. So I showed him how. Off and on through the years he has picked up some yarn and a crochet hook and worked for a bit. He’s 15 now and doesn’t do it very much anymore (although it is interesting to see him give advice to his younger sisters on it!), but at least he was exposed to the art/discipline.

My husband was never exposed to any sort of handiwork in his youth (‘male’ or ‘female’). He didn’t understand my love/need for it for a long time. But I showed him that in his own way he has developed his own set of handiwork activities: he makes sure the shoes are polished and shined, the knives are oiled and honed, the grill is brushed. These are handiwork he learned as an adult and I think he is realizing how rewarding it is to ‘do’ something productive in the evenings and ‘spare’ time. Recently he has started to research fishing nets and how they are made, he is thinking about trying it out!

By: KiM Matlock

KiM Matlock — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:51:16 +0000

P.S. I absolutely love these ideas, Kathy! … and I must have scanned over what you said about electronics, because when I re-read your post… you mentioned basically the same thing about electronics.

By: KiM Matlock

KiM Matlock — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:47:33 +0000

I have another idea… take them to a cheap thrift store (Salvation Army is cheap; Goodwill isn’t) and let them pick out something to take apart and look inside (or better yet find something around the house).

I do this often with my boys and they love it. I have also bought them some tools (screwdrivers, measuring tape). Of course they need supervision, but who better than daddy to help them with that. They took apart a fax machine once and it had all kinds of goodies inside (magnets, copper, etc)