Youth Woodworking Cohorts
An 8-week woodworking apprenticeship for students ages 9–14. Small cohorts, real tools, and progressive instruction that builds genuine skill over time. Students leave knowing how to work with their hands — and why it matters.
Program Structure
• 8-week session
• 1 hour weekly classes
• Maximum 8 students per cohort
• Classes for age 9 and up
Small classes with lots of hands-on instruction. All classes will follow a curriculum that helps students gain confidence and competence with tools as they learn. With each new project, new tools are introduced and different techniques are offered as they master the basics.
Proud Heartland Charter School Community Partner
Philosophy
Young people thrive when trusted with real responsibility. Working with wood fosters confidence, resilience, and disciplined focus in ways few other activities can. My goal is not simply to complete projects, but to cultivate skill, character, and respect for the craft.
THE CURRICULUM
From Linden to Oak
Every child starts carving in linden with simple tools. As their hands grow steady, the wood gets harder and the projects get bigger. Each level is named for a wood that captures that stage. The species on the bench change with each project.
Skills, not age
Kids move up when they can show the skills, not after a set number of weeks.
Something real to keep
Every level ends with a finished piece your child made with their own hands.
Always a next step
Each level shows what comes next, so your child always has something to work toward.
LEVEL 1 · BEGINNER
Linden
Soft, even, and forgiving. Linden is the classic carver's wood, and all our carving is done in it. Other first projects use redwood, pine and other soft woods.
What they make
Darning egg
Spinning tops
Carved spoons
Wooden knives and swords
Simple carvings
Skills they master
Safe tool handling
Knife grips: push and pull cuts
Sawing to a line
Drilling
Sanding and finishing
Ready for Poplar when they carve a spoon on their own and handle every tool safely without reminders.
LEVEL 2 · INTERMEDIATE
Poplar
Steady and honest, like the wood it's named for. This is where kids learn to measure, fit, and join, and mallets bring their first true hardwood.
What they make
Wall clocks
Carved bowls
Boxes
Mallets
Skills they master
Measuring and marking
Chisel work
Planing a flat surface
First joints
Ready for Walnut when they build a square, well-fitted box and can plan the steps of a project themselves.
LEVEL 3 · ADVANCED
Walnut
Named for the fine-furniture wood. Walnut-level kids build real furniture in hardwoods chosen for each piece, made to stay in the family.
What they make
Three-legged stool
Shaker shelf
End tables and small tables
Skills they master
Fitted joinery
Multi-part builds
Designing their own piece
Ready for Oak when they finish a piece of furniture and are ready to help someone else learn.
MENTOR LEVEL · BY INVITATION
Oak
Every oak was once an acorn. Our oldest students come back to build and to teach.
What they do
A larger piece of their own design
Help younger students at the bench
Junior counselor at summer camp
What they grow
Leadership
Patience
Teaching a skill to someone else