PS COLUMN　ARCHIVE

July 29, 2009

Memories of homework of handicraft in summer vacation

As schools have broken for summer holidays, my home is now a nursery for our grandchildren. As their parents work in double harness, we were asked of taking care of them during holidays. The parents also asked me to look after the summer homework of handicraft, which I, grandpa, accepted to see to it for I’m very much fond of it. While I was thinking what would be a good handicraft for children, I came to realize that situation around children now is quite different from that of my childhood.

I grew up in a small country town, and there were plenty of wooden pieces, tin plates, wires and nails stored in a closet of my house. Basic tools such as saw, plane, and tinman’s shears were all available at home. A small town it was though, there were a couple of model shops in shopping streets where were displayed many models of airplanes, ships, automobiles and locomotives all of which aroused children’s curiosity to motivate them to make real things when they grow up. When summer holidays came with plenty of free time, such surroundings became the source of many ideas coming up to mind to create some piece of handiwork by making use of the materials at hand, and that there was absolutely no need to ask for adult’s help.

What about now? Small town electric stores all became mass merchandise outlets where large screen TVs and computers are on sale but no such items like nichrome wire, solder and small motors are found on display. Small model shops of my paradise have disappeared in most of the towns in this country. Even though you want to make bamboo wares that were on display shelf of the model shop, you just can get neither bamboo materials nor chopper to split bamboo.

This makes you realize that the tools to inspire children’s curiosity and imagination are all gone from the towns. General situation to motivate children to make something by their own hands are vanishing from houses and towns. Children’s dreams seem to be all absorbed in TV games and characters of animation.

Some may say it is ridiculous to compare today with sixty years earlier. Certainly, pet bottles and super adhesives are abundantly available in towns in place of board pieces and tin plates. Children may contrive to make something new on their own by utilizing them. Do they? When I was a kid I was very happy to have been given from parents a wooden plate attached to fish sausage to make something out of it. Will children today be pleased to be given a pet bottle? Something must have changed.

This is how a grandpa of my grandchildren is wondering how to teach joys of handicraft to them. As of now I’m thinking of taking them to Akihabara known as electronics quarter but somewhat hesitating to do so, because the town has made a drastic change from before. Thirty years ago Akihabara was a paradise for the adults fond of handiwork with almost all kinds of tools and parts but such shops are rapidly diminishing. Regrettably enough though, I’m afraid Akihabara might be an only place in Tokyo to inspire imagination on handicraft. Coming to think of this makes me really feel sad.

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