Ah yes, the iconic Far Brook School Walkie Talkie Project™. Every Kindergartener at FBS works on this project as an introduction (or reintroduction) to the woodshop. The project is designed to expose the students to all of the tools they will be using in Kindergarten. They make great toys for dramatic play on the playground.
The project consists of 4″ of 1″ x 3″, and 8″ of 3/4″ lattice marked off into 4″, 2.5″ and 1.5″ sections. The dial is a small circle of wood, about 1/4″ thick. You can use a slice of a large dowel, or for a real challenge, have the students cut out a circle.
We start small by smoothing the wood using rasps and coarse sandpaper. Once we have all the sides smooth, it is time to drill the holes for the speaker. Using a push drill (sometimes called a yankee drill) the students create the holes. Adding a flag to the drill bit using some tape is a great way to show the students how deep to drill the hole.
Always secure your work in a vice or to the table using clamps! This prevents your project from moving around on you which can lead to an injury. That is as far as we’ve got in class, so stay tuned for the EXCITING CONCLUSION.
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