Periwinkle Junior

[Rich Jones]

The excellent article, Periwinkle Junior, brought back childhood memories. The article is about 4th and 5th graders building this little skiff. I wish such opportunities existed back when I was a kid.
Back around 1964-65, I was in the eight grade and loved wood shop class. The teacher passed around a book of project ideas for the kids to pick from. On the last page was a small, simple flatbottomed skiff. Of course, I picked that. The shop teacher just kind of chuckled and told me to build a birdhouse like all the other kids.
Undeterred, I went home and built a scale model of the boat and beseeched my father to let me build it. He, too, turned the project down.
At age 17, I finally built my first boat. Seventeen boats later, at age 65, I'm still at it.
But I still remember that first boat building dream from 1964 and regret not being able to build it.
My hat is off to any and all who help the youth of the world build boats!

[Garret]

My school didn't have shop at all, but luckily my dad had one. I still would've gotten a lot out a the class though.

Many schools are closing shop class - cost of equipment & liability. Stinks & is, IMO, short-sighted.

[Bookmark]

When I was in first and second grade in the Los Angeles school system in the 1950s we had a shed attached to the back of each classroom with a basic selection of woodworking tools (saws, hammers, clamps, etc.) and a supply of lumber in manageable sizes. We were expected to design and make our own toys for use in the classroom and to take home at the end of the year. The inevitable injuries were handled with antiseptic and band-aids.