Daughter buying tools

Friday afternoon, I picked up The Girl (5yo) from school and told her I wanted to stop by the lcal ''big box'' hardware store to buy some more woodworking glue (the local Target-ish store [Big W] has ''interior grade'' WW glue, but not ''exterior grade'', which I prefer for its water-resistance).

The Girl announced that she wanted to get some more tools for her tool box [the blue bucket, pictured at left] -- and that she wanted to spend her allowance money on it. Sure -- fine by me!

We stopped by the house to get her coin purse, raid her piggy bank, and inventory what she already had in her toolbox.


The route to the hardware store passes by two pawn shops. She looked thru the bin o' tools at the first pawn shop, she had some trouble deciding, but said, "If I don't see anything I like, I don't have to buy anything." True enough. Intially, she wanted to buy a pair of pliers with red handles (pink's her favorite color), but I offered 50c and the lady said, nope, $2. The Girl didn't want to spend that much (I pointed out that it was four weeks' allowance).

I thought she'd revert to one of the red-handled screwdrivers she was looking at, but instead she chose a combination wrench (box-end + crescent): 50c. We went out to the car to get her money (I thought it was more meaningful if we used her money, rather that I fronting the money and she paying me back), and she went inside all by herself (with initial reluctance -- but I told her I'd watch from the doorway).




At the second pawn shop, she picked up a smaller (but ''real'') hand saw. It's doesn't have ''hardened'' (i.e. blue-tipped) teeth, so it's actually re-sharpenable. Two bucks -- although I talked the guy down to $1.95, as she was paying cash, and her own allowance money. (He didn't have to do it -- he was just being nice.)

The wrench, and the saw, are in the photo below. Bonus: the saw has a built-in ruler! (Dunno how often you'd use it -- but, hey!)



There wasn't much in her price range at the hardware store -- the difference between buying ''new'' and ''used'' -- although we did find a small tape measure (red!) for $2.60.

However, I pointed out that she already **has** a tape measure, and that you can only spend money once (my dad used to point this out to us): perhaps she'd rather wait until the weekend, and we'd see what Big W [Target-ish] had in their tool aisle (adequate tools, but much cheaper)? We could always come back to the hardware store if she didn't see anything she wanted at Big W. She agreed.


We went home, and she wanted to use her new saw. So I grabbed a piece of scrap, let her use a 90-45 triangle to mark off a line, and cut the ragged end off. I've labeled, and saved, the end: her first offcut! :)



Thus, her toolbox kit stands as you see below:

• tape measure
• handsaw (crosscut)
• Phillips screwdriver
• combination wrench
• claw hammer
  
• brush (for clearing sawdust and shavings off the workbench)
  

A good start. And lots of room for expansion. :)


--GG