Getting stuck into some serious woodwork!

During February half-term, staff and volunteers at Kids Kabin got to do something a little bit different to usual. We were joined by Matty Whittaker, from Land of Roots CIC, for 4 days of serious training session. With his guidance, we learned loads of new woodworking techniques, from splitting wood to whittling, using traditional tools. 

In our first workshop, we learned how to use a froe (a cleaving tool with right angles to the blade) in order to split pieces of wood. Trust in your team-mates was essential, with one person holding the froe in the right position, and the other swinging a large and heavy mallet. 

Matty then taught us how to use an axe and then a carving knife to shape our wood piece into a spatula (the first day) and then a spoon (the second day). Thankfully, very few plasters had to be given out, with the exception of one heavy handed staff member :)

With new skills in our back pocket, the team successfully built a functioning shaving horse (a workbench used for green woodworking), which we can now use in Kids Kabin's woodworking sessions. Using the divide and conquer method, the shaving horse was put together piece by piece. 

After crafting our own spatulas and cooking spoons, we now feel confident about introducing these new woodworking techniques to the kids in our sessions. It was amazing to see how simple tools can transform a piece of tree trunk into usable items. Thanks to the new skills that Matty taught us, we can expand the range of projects available to the kids at Kids Kabin, enabling them to explore new creative opportunities.

Nikki learned a lot and had an extremely positive experience with the training.

She says, "The 2 days of woodworking training were excellent and much needed!  

I was thrilled to hear how some of my colleagues who had felt apprehensive beforehand, found the experience of crafting with wood so satisfying and relaxing. I believe this will help us to pass that enthusiasm on to children who so need those amazing wellbeing benefits!"

#woodworking #kidskabin #greenwoodworking