The Home Depot Kids Workshop

Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post brought to you by The Home Depot.  All opinions are 100% my own.

You guys know how passionate we are about DIY.  It helps our bank account, it improves our home, it teaches us new skills and gives us confidence in home ownership.  All good things.  Really good things.  Things I want for EVERYONE….including my favorite people on the planet – my kids!  I want them to be passionate about DIY too.  So you can imagine that I was shocked that I hadn’t taken them to attend the Kids Workshops available at The Home Depot.

What is the Kids Workshop?

So glad you asked.  It is a FREE  (yep.  totally free.  said the magic word folks.) and local workshop in The Home Depot stores across the country that kids can attend to create really adorable items like book ends, toys, birdhouses and more.  The Home Depot provides the tools and materials needed and the kids bring the creativity and enthusiasm and energy (lots and lots of energy).   The parents, grandparents, aunts, friends, etc. bring the cuteness.  No seriously…they have to drive the cuteness in the car to the workshop 🙂

We were invited to attend our local Kids Workshop and we were THRILLED that they were doing a sports related build for the boys.  Both Weston and Will love football and so this was the perfect first timers event for them.  And you won’t believe what happened!  SPOILER – they are HOOKED.  It was a complete touchdown with extra points.  They absolutely loved it and now all four of my boys are begging to go back.

Here is a video of what we did while we were there….

 

 

So fun right?!

Here’s how it works.  First you have to check out your own local Home Depot’s calendar to see when the next Kids Workshop is and what they are going to tackle.  Each month it is something different and adorable.

Then you show up.  I always figured in the past that I would be late if we weren’t there at 9am sharp on Saturday morning (and with five kids that time is pretty near impossible)….but that isn’t the case!  You can still go!  Look for the signs or ask an associate. Most stores have a large area to accommodate the maximum number of people.

The Home Depot provides the materials and supplies and even a great little area for assembly and painting.  It was the perfect setup and kids were all over the place hammering their wood together and painting their little field goals.

Each kid gets an apron to wear so don’t fret about those Saturday fan gear items.  They are gonna survive!

Also each kids gets their project packet….

The instructions are easy to follow and soon, you will be shocked at how handy your kids really are naturally.  It’s crazy!

Will can read.  Weston can not.  So instead he sings into a hammer 🙂

The projects may need some minor assistance at first but for the most part, both my boys were able to do 90% of the creation themselves.

Weston was obviously into the painting.  He loves to paint so he felt right at home.

Once they finish, they get a certificate and a sticker and a pin for their apron.  There were a couple girls at our Kids Workshop that had over 30 pins!  That is incredible!  They were so proud of themselves and that confidence just radiated off them!

And the project itself was pretty darn cute too!  (did I mention that all of this was FREEEEEEE?!?!)

After the field goals had dried, the boys played for HOURS.

Then we went home.  But the fun didn’t stop there. NOPE.  Nopeitty nope nope.  It only got started.

At home you get to do ANOTHER project.  This at-home-part-two fun are called Extension Activities.  Home Depot partnered up with Discovery Education….they created these amazing resources and additional FREE activities for everyone.  They are all available on a site called Science Fair Central.  Here is the link to that!  Even if you didn’t do the projects, you should check these out for your kiddos.  They are simple and fun activities with an educational twist 🙂

For our project, we built a football launcher!  It was fun to watch the boys construct it and then learn how to manipulate it to get just the right about of height and speed.

The whole thing is just so darn good for kiddos.  All of it.  Is there anything easier than going to Home Depot?!  Or having fun with your kids?  Is there anything better than nurturing a confident and excited DIY kid….or learning how to do something fun at home with your imagination and creativity?  The answer is no.  There isn’t 🙂  And y’all…I don’t know about anyone else out there but my kids have to be DOING to learn.  They are kinesthetic hands on learners for sure.  SO this was absolutely perfect for them.  They are still talking about the fulcrum from our extension activity!

All that to say – THANK YOU to the Home Depot for having these workshops and for teaching the next generation of DIYers!  Thank you for providing this amazing stepping stone for our children to love CREATING.  And we will be back.  Guaranteed.  The kids can’t wait!  I hope to see you all there!

 

*I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.