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posted by janrinok on Thursday July 09 2015, @06:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the how-many-of-us-started dept.

In 2005 Tulley founded the Tinkering School, which operates as an overnight summer camp in Montara, California, and a week-long day camp in San Francisco, as well as single-day workshops (some for all girls). There is also a branch of the Tinkering School in Chicago.

At the Tinkering School, children are allowed to pick up and use tools that are commonly viewed as dangerous by our overprotective society and be trusted not to hurt themselves or others. They use "wood and nails and rope and wheels, and lots of tools, real tools," according to one of Tulley's TED talks called "Life lessons through tinkering" (2009).

Most importantly, the kids are given time – something that's in short order these days with stressed-out, overworked parents and packed extracurricular schedules. Having the time to start these open-ended building projects, to fail at them, then to persevere and ultimately succeed (with the help of adults who are guiding the projects to completion) is a glorious thing.

When I was a kid this kind of summer camp was called, "Go Outside and Play!"


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  • (Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Thursday July 09 2015, @07:46PM

    by Kromagv0 (1825) on Thursday July 09 2015, @07:46PM (#207099) Homepage

    Hey not all city kids are wimps. My 6 year old knows how to use my chain saw (dad still supports it since he doesn't have the strength but he does know how to use it), but he can use the band saw, power drill (1/2" chuck 10 amps @ 120v), dremmel, angle grinder, and is learning how to use the welder and there I mostly just supervise. Hammers, nails, wrenches, screws, screw drivers, ratchets, and pulleys are all old hat now for him but his little brother is now learning about them and will eventually graduate up to others when he is ready.
     
    I do agree that this will be good for the kids that don't have access this sort of thing and they will probably really enjoy it. I loved doing similar things when I was little growing up playing in my dad's garage.

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  • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday July 10 2015, @01:26AM

    by anubi (2828) on Friday July 10 2015, @01:26AM (#207223) Journal

    Lucky kid!!!

    I see what the kids have to tolerate today... it would drive me nuts. Hell, just trying to pull permits for everything these days drives me nuts.

    Where do all these people think the people who build or maintain things in the future will come from? Mexico? China?

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    • (Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Friday July 10 2015, @12:22PM

      by Kromagv0 (1825) on Friday July 10 2015, @12:22PM (#207387) Homepage

      Where do all these people think the people who build or maintain things in the future will come from? Mexico? China?

      Probably, but then I want my kids to have skills. I like to point out to people that some of my neighbors probably make more than I do eventhough they have blue coller jobs. One is a general contractor who works for himself and is partially retired, another is an ASE certified Master Mechanic who owns his own shop, and yet another is a retired machinist. Most of my cousins wish that they could do simple things like change the oil on their car or replace a faucet, or fix a leaky pipe but were never shown how to even use tools.
       
        One of the more recent projects that was finished that I worked on with my 6 year old was redoing a 20 year old snowblower. It was my mother's and step fathers (not tool using people) and they did nothing to it, they did make me change the oil a few times, and eventually the carb got all plugged and varnished with the float corroding away so it didn't run. We spent about 3 weekends tearing it down, cleaning it, replacing what was needed, painting and reassembling it. When we got done I had sunk about $120 into it and if purchased new similar ones go for about $1300. My 6 year old also got to see and have things explained as we were working on it so he now probably has a better understanding of engines and mechanical systems than most high school students.

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