Think about the things kids play with these days. How many of their cars, boats, puppets and playhouses did they build themselves? (Rough guess: none.) That would require designing an object, drafting a blueprint, and putting it together using a hammer and nails. Schools don’t even offer shop class anymore, so where on earth could this be taught?

Deb Winsor’s ConstructionKids. For several years now, Winsor, a carpenter and mom, has been teaching boys and girls to build anything they dream up using materials and tools that are safe for small hands. She first taught a version of her camp at the Maple Street School in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, but now has a 1,200-square-foot studio across the street. There, kids from the age of 18 months to 10 years learn things that we wish we had been taught. (Though grown-ups can also become handy through her adult classes).

No matter which ConstructionKids class or summer camp session–there are after-school programs, school vacation programs, and vehicle, bridge and construction camps–the kids first build a large project together, like an igloo, go-cart, or clubhouse, things most kids in Brooklyn only see in suburbia or on cartoons. “In an urban setting, kids don’t have an opportunity to build something bigger than themselves,” says Winsor.

The children then go on to build smaller objects of their own choosing. Each class is generally evenly split between boys and girls, but Winsor and her staff don’t sway the kids toward gender-specific projects (like, say, cars for boys, puppets for girls). “We find the hobby or interest of the child and go with that. So if a child wants to build a giraffe, Yankee Stadium, or the Staten Island Ferry, we can do it.”

In the process of building their group and independent projects, kids strengthen skills like hand-eye coordination and exercise their body. “Building large objects with wood, nails and hammers engages a whole-body physicality that children don’t often experience in a classroom,” says Winsor.

They also sharpen their math skills, learn basic architectural terms and tools, and how to problem-solve.

“When something doesn’t work correctly, the children learn to fix and adjust,” whether that means adding oil to an axle or putting a longer tail on a kite. “We try to turn problems into opportunities.”

The kids even gain an appreciation for the outdoors. Every day at camp, the junior builders make two trips to Prospect Park, where they can test out their boats, planes, cars and kites, and learn from the environment. Often Winsor will use an example of construction in the natural world–a bird’s nest for instance–and then ask the kids to copy the design and see how it stands up to the elements.

Safety is another skill that’s hammered home in Winsor’s classes. Plus, all the tools are specially made for kids, and any power tool is guided by adult hands.

Two upcoming open houses on March 13 and April 17 will allow parents to see the studio and register for summer camps, though you can also sign up in advance. The cost is $400, but mention Brooklyn Based and you’ll save $50. Not that you can put a price on teaching kids to build the things they love by hand.

Sent by Nicole. Photos courtesy of ConstructionKids.