Summer Home Improvement Projects for the Kid at Heart

The weather is beginning to warm up and our pecan trees are just beginning to be adorned with their fruit so it was about time to hear that familiar call of the bored child. "Mooomm, there's nothing to do!" are the cries heard through the hallways of my house. They have grown tired of television, video games, being outside with friends and the pool is just so bor-ring.

So it's time for the grownups to save the day. Not with another craft project that only takes up an hour of their lackluster day but with something that will occupy them all day and for several days afterwards. Both kids and adults can work on these projects and the work sometimes (remember that I said sometimes) is half the fun.

SAND PIT: This is something that I saw in an old issue of 'Mother Earth News' years ago and it quickly became one of my children's favorite toys. It had to be covered to prevent becoming a giant litter box by neighborhood cats but it endured for several years to the delight of my children. And their parents.

First, you must decide how many kids will be playing in the sand pit and with how many toys. Two children need about a one-to-three-foot-in-diameter play circle inside a larger circle of four-to-five-feet in diameter. Make it larger depending on the number of children that you just 'know' will be playing in it at any given time. You will also want to create a ring of 'floor space' where they can keep their toys when not playing with them.

We built our sand pit in the lawn underneath a large oak tree. If you have really young children there are two things you might want to consider. That is, the sun and whether or not you can see them from inside.

Our sand pit was more of a rectangle when we finished so it does not have to be a perfect circle to make an enjoyable sand pit.

Once you have decided on the perfect spot and shape, then digging the pit is in order. Cut out the grass in easy-to-move chunks. Since we had older kids helping, we dug up pieces large enough to be carted away from the construction site by wheelbarrow. We used this to fill in spots in the lawn that had holes from dogs digging and truck ruts when we had moved into our house. Do not, however, dump the lawn around the sand pit believing that this will save on digging. All you will get for your trouble is a round mountain of grass that is difficult to mow over. If you want to rim the pit with sod, pack a sloping fillet of then sod chucks or topsoil around the edge to from a gently sloping volcano shape.

After digging out the dark-colored soil, you will then reach the light colored subsoil. You will still need to dig 18 inches down but your may need a square-ended cutting spade or pick to remove it. If this subsoil is hard or clay, your pit may not drain well. If the pit is on a slope, dig a narrow channel until it exits the crest of the hill. Put in a perforated drainage pipe or drain tile or fill it with crushed rock or gravel. Then cover it with plastic sheeting and replace the soil. You can also use a posthole digger to dig out a dry well a foot across and as deep as you can reach. Fill this with rubble, stones or crushed rock.

Lip the pit cleanly by digging an undercut around the rim. Scrape about six inches of soil out from under the grass all around. If the soil is wet, loose or sandy, set corrugated metal or plastic lawn edging in under the ground all around the cut to keep the edge from subsiding and letting topsoil encroach into the sand wedge. The edging will keep soil 'varmints' from moving in and will slow the unavoidable mingling of soil with sand.

Don't run the edging up to ground level because the edging could hurt the children. Ram the ring of soil jutting beyond the undercut down over the edging to form a rounded lip at the pit's edge.

SANDBOX

On to other sandier items, for those who don't want to dig up their yard for a sand pit, a classic sand box might be the order of the day. The grass will die underneath but we have found that they make great garden spots later on when the kids are too old for it.

A simple sandbox can be made from ½" thick plywood (for the box) and a ¼" sheet (for the base). Cut one 4' X 8' sheet into three 15"X8" strips. Cut in half one strip into a pair of 4'lengths. Form the four panels into a 4'X8'X16"-high rectangular open-topped box. You can make it shorter by trimming the panels to an equal length. But before you start hammering, seal the wood on both sides with a clear, weatherproofing finish to prevent decay and those nasty splinters.

Fasten 2" long wood-lath stakes at the ends and every two feet along the outside of the panels. Then hammer stake ends into the ground to hold the panels down. Fasten the galvanized-steel right-angle truss plates inside each corner. You will run self-tapping drywall screws through the holes in the plates, through the panels and into the end stakes.

Then make triangular corner seats with scrap wood cleats fastened underneath to fit the edges of the plywood sides. Glue and nail the seats to the wood and corner stakes. Sand the seats to prevent splinters, especially the edges where a young one would be sitting inside the box. Finish seat and box with paint or outdoor varnish to bind it. We fastened all bicycle tires around the seats and the edges of the box for added protection. We cut them in half and stapled them into the wood. We also cut slender strips to lie over the tire sections so Mother Nature couldn't make them peel upwards. You can also use plaster bumper material or wood molding.

Be certain that you use outdoor-glued plywood that is smoother and splinter free. It is usually finished on one side.

WARNING: CATS! Not that they aren't a lovely addition to any family but they will see any sand 'toy' as a larger-than-life sized litter box! Their feces carry pathogens so this is definitely not something that you want your kids coming in contact with! The best cover is a cheap, blue tarp that you can pick up at any discount store. Keep it covering your newest invention any time that the pit or box is not occupied. Large stones or wood planks can hold it down to prevent invasion. The kids will be able to take it off and, with enough coaching, they can put it back as well!

TOYS FOR SAND AND WATER: If you have a child then you know they just have to have something to push and pull through sand and water. These just help those imaginations create castles, mountains and raging rivers! These toys can be made from scraps of lumber left over from your larger projects so there is little expense on this adventure.

Mini-Bulldozer. The body is created from a block of 2"X 3" building stud and the blade is from ½"-thick piece of hardwood (which is held in place by two rustproof screws). Make certain to carve out grooves under the body just large enough for the axles to fit without moving out of the groove yet to be able to turn. Also carve out an area on the back upper back (and possibly a place for the child to put a small action figure) to be a place for the 'driver' of the bulldozer. Three sets of wooden wheels are fastened with waterproof wood glue to axles made from 3-3/8" dowel rods. The axles are set into grooves carved into the under body and held on by a hardwood strip fastened with rustproof wood screws. No drill is required, and easy to make and repair. The finish is minimal and intentionally rough; two coats of deck sealer (sanding between), so you can easily clean the toy when your children decide to 'decorate' it with crayons or pencils.

Scooper. The body of this toy is made from another 2" X 3" building stud. We carved out a hole on the upper back area for a place for a 'driver'. Joints are screwed and glued except for the scooper, which made from a thin oak box-making stock (or plywood) and joined with dovetails made with a coping saw with fine blade and a ¼" blade hand chisel. Be sure to keep the chisel razor sharp. Hardwood fillets from the doll-making section of craft supplies store are glued at inside corners of the scoop. The wheels are held on by 3/8" wheel pegs glued into 3/8" holes drilled in the body. You can stain this if you wish but Glue cautiously filled and spray-varnish.

Hauler: Be sure to paint and fill before you complete final assembly. This is made with a 2"-3" softwood body with plywood base. The wood wheels of this flatbed truck are held on with short 1/8"-shanked brass wood screws set into pilot holes drilled into hard dowel plugs that have been glued into holes into the softwood truck body. Be sure to use screws with round heads, as tops of flathead screws have sharp edges. Then give this toy several coats of clear varnish.

BULL ROARER.This is definitely for older kids around 10-12 years; the younger ones may get hurt using this one. But they are still the fun, just the same. Even though the main stick of this folk toy was made from a rhododendron twig, you can fashion yours out of a dowel or thicker stick of 7/8" X 10". If you are using a thick twig, strip it down to the smooth under bark. Take a jackknife and notch the top so that it can hold the 'spinner'. Take some copper wire and make a small loop (that will fit in the notched top without coming off) and form a small (I mean small) loop at the other end just large enough to hold the cord/twine/string. Then twist the wire in the middle so that the loops won't unwind or come undone. The copper wiring prevents the cord getting tangled around the stick. Next, make a paddle (usually out of cedar but scrap pieces of oak work just as well) of 1/8" X 1½" X 8 ¾". Make certain that it is shaped like one of those old-fashioned paddles with a handle at the top and then create a hole in this top handle. Loop a 3" cord through the hole in the paddle and then tie the ends to the small loop of wire at the top of the stick.

Why I said that this was for older kids is this, you must spin the paddle over your head at a very fast speed and it will make a great whizzing sound hence the name 'bullroarer'. Small children have a tendency to stop in full swing (and not slow it down) and get hurt when it hits them in its descent.

FLIPPERDINGER. This is most likely a toy that you have seen all of your life and never knew how to make one! It is usually made with a hollowed out reed but you can make this out of a dowel rod as well. It needs to be 11' in length and your choosing on the width (as long as its not too wide). You will need a plug large enough to put into one end and, about 2" away from that end, carve a hole on the top of the reed/dowel. In this hole, you will cut a hollowed-out reed or dowel about ¾" tall and place it into this hole. Then take the cap of a good-sized acorn and carve a hole the same size as the small reed (that is sticking out of the 11" reed). Then place the acorn cap, upside down so that you have a sort of 'catch-all" and glue this onto the reed without damming up the hole. Then you will need a small lightweight ball about 3/8" in diameter. We usually made ours out of cornstalk pith but not everyone has this. To play with this toy, you place the ball in the acorn cap and blow lightly from the un-plugged end of the reed/dowel. Small kids love watching the lightweight ball rise at the force of their own 'wind'. You'd be amazed how long this can amuse kids.

SOURCES:
Mother Earth News , August 1994

"Making Wooden Toys", by T. Stasio

"The Big Book of Weekend Woodworking:150 Easy Projects" by John Nelson

Popular Science, March 1960