Are ya’ shear?
As we continue the work to cut down the pine trees which previously stood between our house and the road I took the opportunity to involve the kids and teach them about some more tools.
Earlier in the week, Riesling and I disassembled the chain saw and I showed her how the engine works. She could see how the air is brought in through the filter and the gas is fed into the combustion chamber to move the piston which moves the gear which moves the chain. I showed her the sharp edges on the chain and explained to her that they were like lots of tiny teeth each taking a small bite out of the tree but since there are so many bites so fast it just looks like it’s slicing through the tree without me sawing. I was going to explain how this was similar to the miter saw that we we used last week, but she was ready to move on to something else so it will have to wait for another day.
It’s sometimes hard to balance my desire to instruct/inform with their desire to learn/explore, but in the end this form of instructional titration is the best way to encourage future learning rather than boredom.
As for what we did today, and the subject of the email, the kids learned how to use the long-handled lopping shears. We practiced how to handle the tool safely (glasses, shoes, always keep it closed when not cutting and pointed towards the ground) and they unconsciously explored the concept of a lever when I could see them slowly move their hands up the handle with each successive cut, especially on larger branches. Also, on one particularly large branch the kids teamed up for greater force, putting their collaboration and physics knowledge to good work!
I can’t wait to bring the first whole tree trunk down, I think the kids will have great fun watching it…from a safe distance of course.
