Frequently Asked Questions

  • Absolutely. We strive to keep the woodwork activity as safe as possible for the children:

    • by providing ear protectors & safety spectacles for each participant

    • by using battery operated screwdrivers suitable for smaller hands

    • by NOT using any electrically powered drilling or cutting tools as everything is already pre-cut

    • by using child friendly (non-toxic, easy to clean) P.V.A. glue.

  • Jim Begley, the facilitator, creator and owner of Little Woodworkers®, has over 30 years of Furniture Making experience.

    As of 2019 he has facilitated over ONE THOUSAND woodwork incursions, with 25,000 children having made their own wooden toy and learning about the importance of trees and taking care of the environment!

    In October 2022 Little Woodworkers® won the Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Award in the Creative Industry.

    Alternatively, you can also CLICK HERE to read more on what Jim’s experience and what Little Woodworkers® is all about.

  • No. We follow the Government Health Guidelines, have full and current Public Liability Insurance and our Working With Children Check as required by law.

    During our incursions all children get a brief Safety Talk and wear safety glasses (which is more for effect than any danger involved).

    We do NOT use any electrically powered tools (our screwdrivers are battery driven) or any sharp dangerous items or tools.

  • Of course. Please see below a list of tools we use:

    • There are NO nails involved whatsoever.

    • We use screws and demonstrate how to use them in our "Safety Talk".

      Please note, the "Safety Talk" is more for general safety education than any danger involved.

    • Ear protectors and safety spectacles for each participant.

      This is more for effect during the "Tool Time Talk" than any danger involved.

    • We do NOT use any electrically powered drilling or cutting tools as everything is already pre-cut.

    • Child friendly (non-toxic, easy to clean) P.V.A. glue

    • Our mallets are specifically designed and weighted for smaller hands.

    Please be assured, our incursions are nothing that you wouldn't do on your own kitchen table (these were the actual words used by our Public Liability insurance assessors).

    I hope this helps.

  • Yes, absolutely! We encourage both girls and boys to participate in any of our woodwork activities.

  • We cater for Preschool children (3 to 5 years of age) to Primary School children (Foundation to Grade 6 students).

  • Jim, the woodworker, demonstrates and explains each step of the toy making and facilitates the children where needed.

    He asks leading questions and guides them through their own creative process, allowing them to experience that all important sense of achievement.

    For more info on what the children can expect from each incursion, please CLICK HERE.

  • The children use our popular battery-operated screwdrivers, suitable for little hands.

    We are NOT using any electrically powered drilling or cutting tools. Everything is already pre-cut.

    Please note, the battery-driven screwdrivers are NOT used for the making of the RACING CAR and for our 3-Year-Old toys.

    The 3-Year-Old groups are using child friendly (non-toxic, easy to clean) P.V.A. glue to make their toys.

  • We use sustainable untreated Pine for all of our wooden projects.

  • Yes. We always ensure our WWCC is current and valid at all times.

  • Yes. We hold a current Public Liability Insurance.

  • Of course. We are always happy to provide teachers with a current copy of our COC if required. Just send us an email to support@littlewoodworkers.com.au and we will forward it onto you.

  • Any regular activity or school desk is sufficient for the children to work on.

    Please note: The children will be working, hammering and gluing at the tables.

    If you are concerned about damaging the surface, please ensure they are adequately protected for this woodwork incursion.

  • We value the teacher's involvement in assisting the children. However, let’s keep in mind that this is the child’s individual woodwork.

    We want to give them the chance to experience that all important sense of achievement having done it without (or barely any) help from the adults. 😊

  • Usually the teacher of the class or maybe an assistant teacher gives a helping hand IF needed. So, generally, no parent helpers are needed.

  • No, we don’t require a rubbish bin. Jim, the toy maker & facilitator, will tidy up after himself and will make sure to leave nothing behind.

  • Yes, we do! In the midst of the Pandemic, we launched our hands-on engaging Woodwork PACKS.

    What was meant to be a temporary solution (to keep us afloat at the time), quickly became a permanent part of our Little Woodworkers® services for BOTH Preschool and Primary School children.

    The packs received such amazing feedback from teachers straight away, we quickly decided, they are here to stay. They became an important part of our Little Woodworkers® services.

    The packs also enable us to offer a unique hands-on woodwork activity at a much lower price-point (vs an IN-PERSON incursion), because of the TIME, travel and petrol we save.

    Each pack includes:

    • 25 x WOODEN TOY KITS of your choice

    • a fun easy-to-follow VIDEO TUTORIAL with Jim, the toy maker, as he guides the children through each step of the making process

    • STEP-BY-STEP GUIDANCE for the teachers to get organised beforehand

    • TOOL REFERENCES for the simple (child-friendly) inexpensive tools the children need to make their toys

    • FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY IDEAS to make the experience last even longer

    For more information on the Woodwork Packs, please CLICK HERE.

    If you are a PARENT, wondering if you’re in the right place, don’t worry, we have something for your little woodworkers at HOME too.

    CLICK HERE to learn about our unique Woodwork Projects, perfect to encourage your child’s interest in woodwork and building at HOME.

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  • Depending on the age group you are enquiring about, you can find all our rates and more details on each respective page on our website.

    Please find the quick links below, to save you time searching for it:

    • For our 3-YEAR-OLD incursions (45 minutes), please CLICK HERE.
      (Please note, these are designed for the fine-motor-skills and attention span of the older 2/young 3-year-olds and do NOT include our popular mat-time and sustainbility talk.)

    • For our 4-YEAR-OLD incursions or mixed groups of 3-5-YEAR-OLDS (90-minutes), please CLICK HERE.

    • For our FOUNDATION - GRADE 4 incursions (90-minutes), please CLICK HERE.

    • For our GRADE 5 - GRADE 6 incursions (60 minutes, bigger/more challenging toy/projects), please CLICK HERE.

    • For our HOLIDAY PROGRAM for 5-12-YEAR-OLDS (60 minutes), please CLICK HERE.

    • If you are on a budget or not within driving distance, or interstate, we have the perfect alternative with our hands-on engaging Woodwork PACKS. For more information CLICK HERE.

  • That depends on where you are located and how many incursions you would like to book. (We can be more flexible and travel a little bit further for multiple same-day incursions.)

    If you are too far to travel to, please know, we do have the next best thing with our Woodwork PACKS. These are the perfect alternative, which we are also still able to offer at a much lower price-point due to the time, travel and petrol cost we save.

    For more information on our Woodwork PACKS, please CLICK HERE.

  • We are based in Mount Martha, VIC.

    For return distances of less than 25, no travel fee applies.

    For return distances above 25 km a sliding scale per km to and from Mount Martha applies.

    If you are too far away for us to travel to, please refer to our Woodwork PACKS. They are the perfect lower-priced alternative, saving you HALF on what a Premium In-Person incursion would be (due to the TIME, travel and petrol cost we save).

    CLICK HERE for more information.

  • No. Unfortunately we don't offer Birthday Parties anymore.

    They were becoming less and less feasible for us to keep offering them.

    However, we now offer a great alternative for parents and their little woodworkers at HOME with our Woodwork Project KITS and the Woodwork Apprentice EXPERIENCE.

    CLICK HERE for more information.

  • No. Unfortunately we don't offer individual or group woodwork classes or tuition outside of school hours or at a fixed location.

    The way it works, Teachers book our incursions and we visit their kindergartens or schools.

    So, if you want your child to experience our woodwork incursions (and we are within driving distance), feel free to tell your child’s teacher about us. 😉

    Alternatively, we offer a couple of other woodwork experiences for children at HOME to purchase ONLINE in our WOOD SHOP.

Still got a question that’s not covered above? CLICK HERE to contact us.

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