Summer Tinkers

An early woodworking single session drop-off program for ages 4 years and up.

On select Saturday mornings in July and August from 9-10:30 a.m.

location: CAF maker space

Instructors: Peter Coleman (He/Him/His)  and Aaron Senitt (He/Him/His)

Participants will be provided with a rich variety of woodworking materials and given opportunities to work with real tools to develop hands-on creative skills in a safe and engaging environment. The approach will be open-ended, exploratory and encouraging.

Our program aims to be a practical and thoughtful alternative to the kind of predetermined projects that are typically offered to young children. Be prepared for participants to bring home one-of-a-kind creations; independently designed and made from their own ideas and little hands.

*A note about ages: All ages (4+) are welcome in this program. Participants will be working independently and will be creating work appropriate to their skill level. We find that a mixed group of younger and older children offers the best learning environment for both ages. The curiosity of younger participants is peaked with older participants, while the older participants gain confidence by helping the younger participants learn new skills. If you have an 8 or 9 year old interested, please don’t hesitate to sign them up for this wonderful program.

About the instructors:

 PETER is a maker and builder and owner of the Art Factory! Peter had a hand in building most of the things found in the studio, including but not limited to: our easel, sensory and all our tables, the front desk, and our mini maker booths! Peter is also a longtime member of Diyode Makers Club and designs and produces many of the products and workshop materials using diyode’s laser-cutter. Peter is good at fixing and designing things. Peter's vast array of knowledge in creative building and love for our philosophy makes him the perfect fit to lead our early woodworking program!  

AARON is an educator and artist working with Kindergarten students in Guelph, Ontario. He has taught for over twenty years in early elementary grades as a classroom teacher and art specialist. He approaches research as a bricoleur, combining narratives and artefacts collected from the classroom, with diverse artistic and educational perspectives. Aaron shares his writing in journals, academic books, zines, blog posts and newsletters. His primary muses are Kurt Schwitters, Friedrich Froebel and Physarum Polycephalum, (the many-headed, plasmodial slime mould.)