Baloo the Builder with Bears

For the last three weeks, I got to work with Larry's cub scout pack on their "Baloo the Builder" experience.  I researched some simple woodworking projects and decided on this fun one from Boys Life: Make a Homemade Candy Dispenser.

This experience was somewhat "blind leading the blind," as I have no actual woodworking experience... I'm sure Weston would have been a much better candidate... But we did our best, following along in the Bear Cub handbook... 

Week One

The boys were introduced to some basic tools and learned a little more about them: hammer and claw, saw, sandpaper, and screwdrivers. They learned about pilot holes and why we love them, and learned vocabulary such as Phillips head, thread, and leverage... 

Each of the boys got a "practice block" to try out the different tools, complete with sharpie instructions:)  

The boys learned that the joy of a pilot hole when working with screws... and how to use leverage against a big nail... and learned to be thankful for power saws... and realized that sanding takes  f o r e v e r! 

After practice time was over, they starting building for real! They used a saw to cut pieces of dowel for the pull handle.  

Then they attached the bottom with wood glue, nails, and screws

Week 2: 

The cubs kept sanding, nailing, and screwing, and when everything (except the top) was attached securely, they got to stain their projects to a beautiful cherry... the only problem was... well... after they had dried and we came back the next week...

Week 3: 

SHOULD have been a quick assemble of all the pieces, but the stain made the wood swell or bend or something just enough that most of the slides in the middle no longer fit inside the center... so we spent a LONG time continuing to sand (and a couple I even had to take home and use our planer on them) So, if you are planning to do this, maybe don't do the staining part... 

The jar tops were attached with finishing nails (also kind of a pain to nail into a skinny jar rim; highly recommend a tiny hammer)

But even with a few surprises and setbacks, 5 out of our seven boys were able to take home working candy dispensers after three weeks of work. 

The boys each brought their own treat to share, and we all indulged in Skittles, M&M's, jelly beans, and gumballs!  

Good work, builders!