OK, you probably think I mean electronic "tools," such as the standard laptop or tablet, cellphone, MP3 player, docking station, TV, and so on. Not so. I'm talking about hand tools.
Before our son and daughter left for college, I outfitted each with a toolbox that included screwdrivers, small socket wrenches, pliers, wire strippers, a hammer, an adjustable wrench, and so on. I even threw in a small soldering iron and rosin-core solder. (By this time, both kids knew how to solder.) At first, my suggestion to head to college with a geeky toolbox met resistance, but the kids humored me, and we packed everything and left for freshman orientation and move-in day at the dorms.
During the first weeks, our son got to meet and know almost everyone on his co-ed floor. He had the tools residents needed to put up a corkboard or posters, repair a stereo connector, and tighten screws in bed frames, desks, and dressers. As he loaned his tools, he made new friends. Our daughter had similar experiences in her dorm room and later when she lived in a module on campus with six or seven other students. You never know who might need a screwdriver late at night to tighten a towel bar. Even in his fraternity, my son was the go-to guy for tools.
Before sending kids off to college with tools, though, they need to know how to use them, and that education starts at a young age. It's easier to ask a spouse to "look after the kids" as you tackle a project than to let the youngsters help, but they learn best by doing. So let them hammer nails into wood scraps, use a square to mark lumber, handle screwdrivers (point down, please), and practice with a small saw. They will bang fingers and get cuts and scrapes, but that's part of learning.
Our kids watched as I changed the oil in our station wagons and got under the car when I replaced the filter. I thought they should know what the job involved, and why cars needed oil changes, even if they never changed the oil in their own cars. That knowledge and those skills help later in life.
When I turned 12, my dad showed me how to safely use his radial-arm saw and band saw. Under his guidance, I helped with projects at home, and after taking wood shop in junior high school, he let me use the saws on my own. So far no injuries. I still have the old band saw and refurbished it a few years ago. (Kids need to learn how to take care of tools, too.)
Our kids learned to solder at first by melting globs of solder on my workbench with a low-wattage soldering iron. Then they graduated to soldering wires and junk-box components onto PCB scraps. Eventually, they could apply solder without splashing molten bits all over. Neither became an engineer, though.
The point here centers on helping kids learn how to do things -- giving them the right tools, and letting them develop useful skills -- as much as on equipping them with knowing how to think about things.
I agree, Rich. Every time I've dropped one of my four kids off at college, I've brought my own tools to help them, but I've failed to pass the habit along to them. Jon's right: It's definitely in their best interest to give them the tools and aquaint them with the everyday chores he mentions.
milld01, I did the very same thing. We have three boys and as soon as they turned 10 years old I bought them a tool box. I don't mean plastic tools; I mean real tools you can use to get a job accomplished. They have been adding to their boxes for some years now. The oldest is 45, then 43, then 33-- they all have their individual tools. Like you, I don't have an engineer in the family except me. (Feel like a failure here but that's how it goes.) I think this is a great idea and I'm really surprised more families don't do it.
Hello, Rob. Students can always use their time-management skills and say, "I'm busy now, come back at..." A college education goes beyond studying and homework and should include some fun, whether playing a sport or helping someone troubleshoot a car problem. If you trust your friends and neighbors, let them borrow your truck and tell them to return it with a full tank of gas. You could mention it's only a quarter full now and it takes xx gallons (or liters).
Don't do it. I own a pickup truck and ALL of my friends think I'm a moving company. Your kids should be studying but instead will be "helping" the others to repair everything from their cars to their stereos.
Hi, Rich. I don't understand why dorms don't have some type of cove moulding along the upper edge of walls so students could use an "S" hook and hang things with wire. We ran into the same problem when our kids went to college--nothing on the concrete walls. The concrete was full of Teflon because nothing would stick for any time. ;-)
Excellent. Kids enjoy working with grownups and they like to learn about practical things. It's also important to help them understand things like fasteners, cutting tools, adhesives and glues, and so on. That type of knowledge comes from working on projects. We also should let kids know that before they can do things well they first must have the fortitude to stick with them as they learn and when projects don't turn out as expected. We all went through that phase.
We bought my son a tool box for his first Christmas and have been adding a tool set every year. He's 10 now and starting to help with projects. He recently helped worked on the riding lawn mowers stuck starter solenoid and with replacing the slave cylinder on my car's clutch. He really enjoyed operating the clutch pedal as I bleed it.
The toolbox shouls also include a top-of-the-line Leatherman tool, a large and small pair of Vice-Grip pliers, one 13" "plumbe's special" slip-jhoint pliers, a rool of duct tape (make sure it actually sticks), and a can of WD-40. Thus equpped, the kids can do anything including assist McGuyver in defusing H-Bombs.
With two kids in college and each having their own cars, it was a rule that they first understand oil changes, jumper cables and changing a flat tire. I wish I had also thought to arm them with a tool box as Jon's article summarizes, but I didn't. Even so, I think they would have "accidently" forgotten to pack it at the last minute, as they never really gravitated toward my engineering mentality. Their mentality was always, "Dad can fix it." This article makes me hope they are slowly realizing Dad won't be there forever. Great article, Jon, Thanks. A little tool box might be under the tree this Christmas,,,,
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
