Brody Luebkeman has been a constant presence in Josh Goldberg’s Kids Carpentry classes for the past eight years. His mother signed him up as a kindergartener, and once he started working on his first project, he became hooked on woodwork.
After taking the class for a couple of summers, Brody became an aide in the class, helping the younger students master the saws and drills. In the summer of 2004, Goldberg decided to take Brody on as a paid intern.
Brody has crafted many projects over the years, but he says his favorite was a modified rubber-band car that he turned into a reclining chair. Currently he is building a surfboard, although he has never been surfing.
This is Brody’s last summer with Kids Carpentry. He plans to retire to focus on his schoolwork as a freshman at Monte Vista High School. And Brody has no plans to turn his passion for carpentry into a profession.
“I just want to do it for fun as a hobby,” he said. “My best advice is to just have fun.”
Goldberg has been teaching Kids Carpentry classes for nine years. Eight of those years have been in the art room of the Danville community center, and next year the class will be moving to Hap Magee Park. Goldberg estimates that thousands of Danville kids have gone through the program over the years.
Kids in grades kindergarten through sixth, boys and girls, come for a week and build from one to two projects. Popular projects include a cell phone, jet plane, rubber band-powered paddleboat, birdhouse and super top. The kids craft their projects and then paint their creations.
Goldberg said the class teaches the children math enrichment but that is just one aspect. “It teaches kids confidence, motor skills, communication skills, problem solving, safe use and knowledge of tools, building techniques, and above all, fun,” he said.
The town of Danville is offering Kids Carpentry classes this fall, which run September through December, depending on which of the six sessions is chosen. An exciting new class – Moms Carpentry – has two sessions available in September and October for women ages 18 and up. Registration begins Aug. 15.
