When I was a kid, I loved crayons, clay and fingerpaint. My Mum made sure I had plenty of art supplies and always encouraged me to draw, probably because when I was drawing was the only time I stopped talking.

When I wasn’t drawing or talking I was either reading comics or bashing things with a hammer.
I loved rummaging through my Dad’s tool shed and helping him make chicken coops and bookshelves… although if I’m honest, my skills were more suited to demolition than construction.

Remember that old proverb: give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day, teach him to use a rod and reel, and he’ll eat for a lifetime?
A functional understanding of basic tool use is a skill that will be invaluable throughout life.

Teach a man to use a hammer, and he can build a home.
Teach a girl to use a handsaw, and she can defy a despotic regime.

Refinement and culture are beautiful, but I think it’s not enough to teach our kids to paint pretty pictures, we need to show them how to use hammers and saws as well.

If you can’t afford to buy a house, it’s nice to have the ability to put up four walls and a roof of your own. And if you find your path blocked by walls, it’s good to know how to take them down as well.