Crafts that involve wood, hammer, and nails are always (always) a hit around here. So I am always on the lookout for a fun and creative woodworking craft for my kids.

I was browsing through Pinterest when I saw these cute woodworking hedgehogs by Vszell—simple and perfect for little hands. I popped over to the website and saw it was no longer available, so I thought I would write a post about how we made these cuties.

My boys thought they looked more like porcupines, so we decided to go with that.

Before we get into the woodworking craft, I have a printable you might like! This Plant and Animal Life Cycle Printable includes birds, butterflies, bees, frogs, and sunflowers and includes six ways to learn and play. There isn’t a porcupine life cycle in this one—yet!—but did you know that baby porcupines are called porcupettes? Adorable! Anywho, you can grab the Free Life Cycle Printable right here:

Here is how we made our porcupine woodworking craft for kids:

We started this craft by taking a short piece of 2×4 and cutting it corner to corner to make two triangular shapes. Then, we sanded and sanded and sanded until they were nice and smooth.

My boys like to rush through the sanding part, but I find it a very important part of a woodworking project with my kids. Some things in life simply take time to do them right. Ah, life lessons while sanding with Mama… 

After they were sanded smooth we painted on eyes and a nose. A permanent marker would also do the trick.

Finally, we got to hammering! I intended to head outside to do the hammering, but mother nature decided otherwise. As the rainstorm picked up steam, we opted the kitchen table was as good a spot as any for this craft.

Outdoors would really be an ideal place to do this craft, of course. If you have a very nice kitchen table, don’t do this craft on it! A piece of plywood would work very well and ensure no hammer or nail marks end up on the table. But we are not that fussy around these parts.

The boys like to use clothespins or pliers when hammering. This is a great trick for saving little fingers. The clothespin gives a bit more space between those little fingers and the nail head.  Most clothespins even have a tiny hole perfect for standing a nail.

My boys found the nails with a larger head easier to hammer. I hoped they would use the ones with the tiny heads to look more porcupine quill-like, but practicality outweighs cute when woodworking with my little ones.

These cute porcupines are more than just adorable too. This craft is full of wonderful learning! Through hammering, my boys are learning:

• hand-eye coordination
• developing fine motor skills while manipulating the nails
• strengthening finger muscles and hands for writing
• patience and concentration
• safety skills
• and patience while sanding, of course!

There you have it! Our latest woodworking craft for kids. I hope you like this craft and that it sparks an idea or two for you, perfect for your little ones.

And if you’re looking for even more hands-on nature and animal-themed activities for the summer, you will love Summer Camp at Home!

Summer Camp at Home is a 6-week nature program with just the right amount of structure and whimsy. It gives you and your children an easy summer filled with nature and beautiful memories.

There are two versions of Summer Camp at Home: the Little Kid Edition, perfect for children 2-6 years old, and the Big Kid Edition, aimed toward 6-12 year olds.

The secret to a magical and learning-filled summer.

Thank you so much for reading, friends!

xo
Sarah