I am not handy with a hammer. I did go through wood-shop classes in middle school and that is where I perfected the art of batting my eyelashes at boys who were handy with a hammer. But when it comes to my own boys, I have a soft spot. And a husband with a to-do list a lot longer than it should be right now who doesn't need the added task of hammering about 100 nails into wooden tree planks... I do encourage and allow for woodworking activities here, and the boys also enjoy working on simple building kits with their Tatty as well.
They even built this quaint little xylophone we recently designated to the playgarden. (I'm pretty sure the neighbors love us--but at least this is our quiet xylophone...) I, on the other hand, like the idea of building and the finished products more than I enjoy actually building things and using a hammer and nails. I wish I could say I was not singing popular children's Pesach songs about slavery in Egypt while I hammered...but I can't. I wish I could say I didn't cuss like a construction worker when I missed and hammered my thumbnail...but I can't. I wish I could say the finished products don't look like I had a lot of help from kids in spacing and arranging my nails...but I can't.
But I can say that the boys love these geo-boards (phew!) and that it was worth the smashed thumb, the "creative" sound effects and the effort overall. And if you are potentially still interested in making your own geo-boards, here's how I made ours:
You Will Need:
- a wooden plank (I had several of these tree planks with bark edges from a craft supply store)
- a hammer
- nails (fewer than you'd think you'd need)
- patience (more than you'd think you'd need)
- possibly an ice pack
- rubber bands, yarn, string or loom loops
I used a piece of graph paper over the top of my wooden plank at the beginning to space out my nails. Then I decided to ditch the graph paper and just eyeball it once I got more comfortable/confident. However, if you do want to be exact, you can use graph paper and/or mark your spacing in advance. Then you're up to the hammering part. Hammer in a nail. Repeat. Repeat again. You get my drift? You'll want to make sure they are secure and as evenly spaced/straight as possible. You'll also want to find someone on Etsy who already does this and sells the darn things. That person will not be me--although I might just make one or two more for some really beloved nephews of mine.
Both boys had a great time with our new geo-boards the next morning. S is quite proficient at making shapes and designs. He even made several "pyramids" shaping the rubber bands into triangles of various sizes. You could work on letters, shapes and all kinds of things in this way. For Y, geo-boards and rubber bands are still a practice (albeit a very valuable one) in fine motor skill development. Here was his "loose interpretation:"
You can definitely purchase manufactured geo-boards, but I love the natural look of these. Older children can also help with hammering the nails with adult support and supervision. I love rubber bands the best when using these, but string, yarn and even cotton loom loops would work well with geo-boars. These would also be great to bring and use outdoors, though I am hesitant to leave them exposed to the elements for concern of rusting. Geo-boards are also a developmentally versatile material that can meet many fine motor, early math and early literacy skill targets as children grow and explore with them. While younger children can practice the skills of stretching and placing/removing rubber bands, older ones can explore shapes, patterns, letters, numbers and a number of other creative ways to use these materials. And when you DIY your own, the cost is little more than some scrap wood, nails and a bag of assorted rubber bands.
Happy Playing!
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