Comments on: MAKEcation: "Teach Your Family to Solder" week http://blog.makezine.com/2009/07/19/makecation-teach-your-family-to-sol/ DIY projects, how-tos, and inspiration from geeks, makers, and hackers Mon, 20 May 2013 07:13:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: brad http://blog.makezine.com/2009/07/19/makecation-teach-your-family-to-sol/#comment-279614 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://makezineblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/makecation-teach-your-family-to-sol/#comment-279614 I know it was written up before, but lucas learned to solder when he was 6 yrs old. He absolutely LOVED it, despite the small burn he got. It was fun for him but also pretty darn empowering for him. Also a great learning opportunity as we scrounged a bunch of parts for the amp from some junk PCBs lying around.

6 is way to young for most kids – I shudder to think of some I know doing this. However, he has grown up crafting and making – just as I did with my grandfather. For Lucas, this was a stretching but perfectly fine project. I think gauging the ability to focus, follow directions, and maturity is a better guide than simple age.

So far – he has done 2 projects – the amp detailed here and a drawdio. (and yes, for the drawdio and all new projects he now wears safety glasses when he solders – i got lots of flames the last time this link went up)

Lastly, one safety item that is especially important with young folks to good hand washing after working with old PCBs. Many will have lead based solder so you want to wash any residue off afterwards.

So – grab the kids, learn how to solder, and have fun!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30443412@N08/sets/72157611148172682/

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