As a dad to three young children, Dylan Warnberg knows the challenge of maintaining balance between keeping them moving, body and mind, and screen time.
The Langford carpenter was on a lunch break, ironically perusing his own social media, when an Instagram post captured his attention.
“It was a picture of kids at a workbench,” Warnberg recalls of his first brush with the Sloyd Experience. “I immediately dove into ‘what is this organization?’”
Now the founder of Sloyd Experience Canada ushers in the next generation of carpenters with hands-on learning in an age-old method. At its base, Sloyd is a platform for woodworking for children – based on a 150-year-old pedagogical framework.
“It’s not so much teaching them to woodwork, more so letting the woodworking teach the child and carve their character,” Warnberg said.
The Colorado organization he found was generous with their information, and in February he made trip out there to sink into the material first-hand.
“Through some trial and error on my own behalf and going to Colorado, it really set it in stone for me, this is more than just a side project,” Warnberg said. “It’s a good supplement to (kids’) education; it helps with their literacy skills, their math skills … to help a six year old understand what a tease measure is for is a powerful experience.”
Now he creates an environment where any kid can work safely – with specific instructions – and navigate the creating experience on their own part. He teaches the form at his home in Langford, and Makespace North Park in Victoria.
Each kid has a work station fitted with a vice for the wood and a series of tools. They own that space, it’s theirs for the duration of the session and they’re responsible for it.
There’s dialogue before anyone touches a tool; getting the pupils primed and engaged, and ready to learn.
He’ll outline the meaning of Sloyd. Derived from Swedish, it loosely translates to handicraft or skillful work. He’ll lead them in a conversation about who has made mistakes and how they’re good.
He goes over the measuring tools, marking tools, cutting tools – and how each works – then getting them into the flow of work.
“They’re using their tools within the first 10 to 15 minutes.”
READ ALSO: ‘Doing it for pops’: Victoria News rider Tony Trozzo takes on Tour de Rock
READ ALSO: Micro grants of love: Victoria grassroots charity funds youth building community
For some kids, it’s their first time seeing something like a ruler, square or block plane.
The Sloyd classroom affords time to learn from missteps, which are part of the learning process.
“A big part of it is letting the kids make mistakes and letting them recover from those mistakes,” Warnberg said.
After some trials, they’re ready to make their first piece – a pencil sharpener. Every five models, they get to design and create their own.
The Sloyd Experience holds educational value not taught in school here, though it remains a fixture in classrooms across Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, Warnberg feels. It’s why he founded and leads the Canadian organization.
“It’s a supplement to a child’s educational experience. It’s not the solution, but it’s part of the solution.”
Learn more at sloydexperiencecanada.org and expect coming summer programs at Makespace North Park.
Do you have a story tip? Email: christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca.