Ideas

[keggie]

Hi I currently work with young adults with autism, I have excess to a small woodshop with a pillar drill vertical sander scroll saw and selection of general hand tools. Can anyone please assist me with ideas for small projects that take little ability to produce or construct.This type of work is excellent therapy for the trainees ie stimulates senses. I have my own workshop at home but fresh ideas are needed. Thankyou.


Ken

 

[Anonymous]

Morning Keggie,

The Simple Clock : Get hold of some clock inserts. The students then have to find/select a lump of wood to turn into the clock. I have used slices of yew with bark and they sell very well so must be liked.
The lump then has to be sanded , cleaned up etc. Then a hole cut on the piller drill to take the insert. If you can get hold of some burr wood these turn out awesome.

Koolwabbit

PS Not too simple, I hope.

 

[keggie]

Thankyou for your reply its sounds an interesting project for my list .

 

[EddieJ]

Firstly, it sounds as though you have a wonderfully rewarding job. The more that I read threads such as yours, the more that I realize that I'm not giving enough back to society.

I can't really advise on what may be something to suitable to make, but remembering back to my childhood, I liked nothing more than my father making simple wooden wheels, cut with I guess a hole saw, then placing them onto the sides of a flat wooden board.
I would imagine that there must be quite nice simple wooden toys to be made, and hopefully someone else can steer you in the right direction.

Anything that moves or makes a noise is sure to fit the bill.

Good luck with it.

edit.. How about making some very simple wooden planters, that could then be used as a next stage project of planting and looking after summer flowers or vegetables. This site may help http://www.buildeazy.com/fp_start.html

edit again! How about some simple bird boxes or bird tables. Once again, it may help to give longer term interest in what the pupils have made.

 

[keggie]

Thanks for your advice, the trainees that I assist have very limited ability which leads to putting your hands on theirs for guidance in the use of the shop tools , attention spans can be some what limited . Even sanding a piece of wood or hammering on a block of wood can bring them great pleasure, and your right its very rewarding.

Ken

 

[Anonymous]

Keggie, If you take up my idea I have about 20 inserts including batteries that I can sell to you at £1 each plus postage. What I paid.
Surplus to requirement.

Koolwabbit

 

[Tony Spear]

Bird nesting boxes!

I've always found that kids of all ages and ability can turn one out and they then get the pleasure of putting it up and monitoring it for occupants.

 

[Night Train]

My classes are the other way around, conventional students with an Autistic Spectrum teacher.

I was also going to say bird boxes and maybe also simple three legged stools.

The clock idea sounds good as they can make it to their own design on the scroll saw and have it something they can keep and see at home.

Have you thought of Pentomino puzzles? They can be scroll sawn out of a board or better still made from differing timbers. I make them as childrens building blocks by having them proportioned as cubes rather then 2D flat squares. It encourages spacial awareness.

 

[johncs]

Hi I currently work with young adults with autism, I have excess to a small woodshop with a pillar drill vertical sander scroll saw and selection of general hand tools. Can anyone please assist me with ideas for small projects that take little ability to produce or construct.This type of work is excellent therapy for the trainees ie stimulates senses. I have my own workshop at home but fresh ideas are needed. Thankyou.


Ken

Puzzles

It is perfectly possible you have some exceptionally gifted young people in that group. Trevor Tao, who was then an autistic teenager from South Australia came equal second in the Australian (Chess) Championship a few years ago. He's also a gifted musician and mathematician. He has two brothers (who might not be autistic, I just don't know) and all three won maths prizes as secondary students, and one has gone on to get the maths equivalent to a Nobel Prize.

Be prepared to believe some of them are brighter than you. I think that if you have them making some wooden puzzles, you set them two challenges, and maybe some will go on and design their own.
Trevor http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=106435
It mentions Terrence, who won the Fields Medal

(Oh dear, there went several hours../)

 

[Digit]

I haven't got a clue! But I do wish you every success.

Roy.

 

[keggie]

Thanks to all for your assistance

 

[+steve+]

Hi Kreggy,
I have a similar role to you working with young adult with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties.
We used to have a small woodworking shop that was used to produce small amounts of garden furniture including picnic tables, benches, planters and dog kennels to name a few.
All of these items are pretty straight forward to make and we had simple wooden templates to mark positions for holes and angles to be cut.
Very enjoyable and therapeutic for the trainee.

Best of luck
Steve.

 

[CWatters]

Local pub has some nice mirrors in the gents. These are made of a cork faced mdf board with a mirror in the middle. Around the mirror and around the edge of the board they have glued two frames of twigs. The space between has been filled with 1/4-1/2"" thick discs/slices of branches at various random sizes. Looks very good and lots of people comment on them.

 

[keggie]

Thanks guys , sorry for late reply, your projects will be put on my list of things to do.

Ken

 

[Mailman14]

Hi Keggie,

I've recently joined an evening workshop / course for adults,at a local school. There are three adults in the class with "difficulties" to be p.c.

One is in a wheelchair, she and her helper are making a table.
One is making a marrionette (sp?)
One draws ideas / doodles. (Not seen him make anything, but he is quite happy talking to others, and sketching what they do etc).

So, 3 different problems to overcome:-
1, Can do, help with the initial idea, capable of working on his own.
1, Can do, with help holding stuff, problem with assembled item being difficult to access in a vice / on top of workbench.
1, Wants to, just not sure about what!

The marroinette is a brilliant design, separate head, body, arms, upper legs, lower legs. shaped roughly, sanded, drilled for string to pass through. I made some copper wire spring to go through the joints, so the legs, shoulders, and neck revert back to 'straight', when pressure relieved.

NO great skill required for a physically / mentally able person, but a joy to see his face when he's achieved what he wanted! Who knows, maybe some of your students woudl be able to carve details (fingers, facial features etc) as well?

Good work, keep it up, you're one of the people who make me glad.

 

[Paul.V]

hi,

what about Dice? as discussed here

Instead of plugs for the numbers, use a small indentation from a drill in the press and paint it black. lots of sanding to get it smooth.

i remember visiting my brothers school (lingfield hospital school) and woodwork was used to inspire the students. nothing better than seeing a smile spread across there face.