CRAFTSMAN Outings/Activities
This badge poses several logistical and supervisional problems. If you normally meet at your dining room table, you will definitely want to change locations for some of these projects. A basement or outside on a nice day would be ideal. A home workshop may be ample for one adult but not several boys with their adult supervisors. SAFETY FIRST. Make sure any band saws or other power tools are unplugged and can't readily be plugged in. You don't want to have several scouts between you and your band saw in a tight space if someone accidentally turns it on.

Parents can probably help provide enough basic tools (e.g., hammers) but you may have to buy a couple coping saws out of den dues. Before you arm 8-10 restless boys with hammers and a project, you should line up at least 4-5 adults to help out and supervise. You can buy simple projects (bird house, napkin holder, tool box, towel rack, key holder, picture frame, etc.) out of den dues at a Scout or craft store. You may be able to save money by buying one kit and having a handy parent use it as a template to forge enough "kits" for everyone; even cheaper is to generate the kits from plans (e.g., from the internet) and scrap wood.

SAFETY FIRST so if you can't line up enough tools and supervision for all the boys together, then you'll have to schedule them to work in shifts. If you can't even work that out, recommend you save this badge for last or consider skipping this one altogether.

1. Contact your local Home Depot store (Bel Air, Edgewood, or White Marsh, MD) about Saturday morning do-it-yourself classes and projects. (Go to Store Locator and enter "Edgewood" and "Maryland" to get maps, addresses, and phone numbers of the 3 area stores.) {webmaster} You are here > Home > Know-How > Kids Workshops
   
   Kids Workshops are free "How-To Clinics" designed for children ages 6-12, available the first Saturday of each month at all Home Depot stores. Children accompanied by an adult construct projects from pre-fabricated kits. The kits are designed to be both educational and practical. Currently, The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer more than 50 projects from wooden birdhouses, step stools and sailboats to more educational projects like the plastic bag recycle box and window bird box, where kids can watch the birds build their nests. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to a Home Depot associate's apron, and an achievement pin.
   
   
   Fun Facts:
   
   • Since 1997, more than 7.3 million projects have been built at Kids Workshops.
   • More than 555,000 children built their first toolbox at The Home Depot.
   • Attendance averages about 150 children per store, with several stores hosting nearly 300 kids a month.
   • The most popular projects include toolboxes, birdhouses, step stools, treasure boxes, picture frames, bubble gum machines and banks.
   
   
   
2. If Lowes or another competitor is closer to you, by all means, see if they can help.