He's been working on this over the past three weeks with just a little bit of help from his Dad.
Woodburning or pyrography is an extremely satisfying and relatively inexpensive hobby and is really quite safe for a six or seven-year-old to do on his/ her own, with some parental supervision of course. All you need:
- A piece of wood. We used a letter-sized plaque from Michael's. Cost us a couple of bucks.
- A wood-burning tool kit. The pen tool looks a bit like a soldering iron. The kit should ideally include a few different tips for a nice variety of shapes. Ours was less than $10.
- A favorite photo. We used a photo of an eagle just about to land, from DS' Birds: A Complete Visual Guide.
- Tracing paper and a pencil.
- An appropriate varnish for the finished product, also available at craft stores like Michael's.
- A well-ventilated area like a garage (with the door open).
Here's a website with more details if you have a very interested kid. And here's a carousel of products for inspiration.
I'd forgotten how much fun wood burning was when I was a kid. (I still have a thing to put hot saucepans on that I did when I was about B's age!) I'll bet Billy would like to try that - it has the element of danger involved :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea; I've never heard of it until now. I've been looking for some good handicrafts for Stiggy and this may be a good one for him to try. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteWatch out, it's addictive! :)
ReplyDelete