Written by: Kevin
Later this month, I’ll be participating in Family Art Night at Scott Central Public School here in Sandford, Ontario.
When the opportunity came up, it felt like an easy yes.
Most of the work I do lives in people’s homes. Dining tables, dressers, and pieces that are meant to be used every day. But this felt like a chance to step outside the shop for a minute and share a bit of that process with a different audience.
Not clients. Not adults.
Kids.
The Idea Behind the Project
The goal was to create something simple enough for a wide range of ages, but still rooted in real materials and real process.
I landed on a mosaic-style project made up of solid wood hexagons.
Each child will get a piece cut from a mix of species, including black walnut, maple, pine, and birch. From there, they’ll be able to sand it, decorate it, and add their own personality using paint markers, engraving tools, stamps, and stencils.
Once they’re done, every piece will be added to a shared backer board to form a larger mosaic that the school can keep and display.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about participation.
Preparing 150+ Pieces (and Why That Matters)
Before any of this can happen, there’s a fair bit of prep work.
Every hexagon is cut, shaped, and sanded ahead of time so the kids can focus on the creative part. That means selecting and working with solid wood furniture material, batching out consistent shapes, and making sure everything is safe and ready to go.
It’s a good reminder of something that doesn’t always get seen.
A lot of the work happens before the “fun” part begins.
What I’m Hoping the Kids Take Away
If everything goes well, they won’t just walk away with something they made.
They’ll walk away having:
- handled real wood
- shaped it with their own hands
- contributed to something bigger than their individual piece
There’s something different about that.
When you make something yourself, even something small, you look at it differently. You value it differently.
That idea carries over into the work I do every day, building pieces that are designed to live in real homes and be used for years.
Why This Kind of Work Matters
It’s easy to think of furniture as something you just buy and place in a room.
But there’s a process behind it. Materials, decisions, trade-offs, time.
This is a small way to pull back the curtain on that and let people, even at a young age, experience a piece of it firsthand.
Looking Ahead to March 26
The event is happening on March 26th, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.
If nothing else, it should be a room full of creativity, a bit of sawdust, and 150 very different interpretations of the same starting point.
I’ll share an update afterwards on how the final piece turned out.
A Quick Note for Local Schools & Groups
If you’re a local school or community group in or around Durham or York Region and you’re looking to run something similar, feel free to reach out.
I’m always open to finding ways to bring hands-on woodworking into new spaces.
