Two weeks ago I was chatting with a new cohort of 5th graders in the Slöyd classroom. As we waited for the rest of the students to arrive we discussed interests and hobbies. One of the students brought up yo-yos. A lightbulb went off immediately : I had to make a yo-yo.

Everyday in our Slöyd classroom we talk about mistakes (sometimes they’re about woodworking and sometimes they’re about forgetting sleeping bags). Mistakes aren’t just okay in Slöyd, they are expected and celebrated. They are celebrated because we do our best to encourage children to recognize their mistakes as a critical part of the learning process…we aim to foster a growth-mindset in our students.

The Sloyd Experience felt like a welcomed option for how kids can spend their free time. I liked the slower, deliberate focus on what kiddos need to experience in order to access the part of their brains where they learn to view themselves as a resource while problem solving.

A Cautionary Tale is an article written by Charles H. Hayward and published in Woodworker Magazine in 1957. There is so much more to say about Hayward himself, but for this blog post, I want to focus on his extraordinary prescience…something written 65 years ago that is so applicable today. The italicized text throughout this piece are excerpts from Hayward’s original article or quotes from other literary works; everything else is commentary by yours truly.