Children are little adventurers. Children are little explorers. Children are curious. Children want to discover new things. And in order for them to understand what’s going on in this colorful world, they need to be allowed to try things. They should climb trees, sit in nettles, light candles and cut cucumbers. Of course, it is not true that everything was better in the past. But sometimes you can’t shake the feeling that little people are being trusted less and less. You could fall from a tree. Clear. Candle wax on fingers is painful. Correct. And nettle venom can cause itchy pustules. That’s true too. It is one thing that parents hold their protective hands over their offspring. Keeping the Steppkes away from anything that poses even the slightest danger is something else.
Knives are also a perfect example of this. Many children are fascinated by the silver blades. They often spread their bread and butter reluctantly, but carving around wooden sticks with Grandpa’s pocket knives is all the more fun. But when the junior maltreats the wood with the blade, many moms gasp and get sweaty hands.
Now grandpa’s Swiss army knife with bottle opener, scissors, Phillips head and 25 other more or less practical mini tools is certainly not the perfect introduction to the world of carving. But blacklisting the knife per se is similarly questionable. A practical compromise are carving knives for children.
The blade is naturally the most dangerous part of a knife. Carving knives for children are no exception. Unlike adult carving knives, little wood carvers have shorter blades with rounded tips. They are therefore useless as a replacement fork when camping, but the risk of injuring your hand when carving is significantly lower. The accidental folding of carving knives is just as dangerous. With this carving knife for children, this is prevented by an additional safety ring at the transition from the handle to the blade. Other manufacturers omit the folding function entirely. In this case, it is important that the knife is stowed in a robust leather sheath and can therefore be safely transported in a backpack. Even if children’s carving knives aren’t sharpened to a razor sharp edge, safety should always come first. Carving knives and pocket knives for children are not toys.
The red pocket knife with the white cross is considered a reliable partner for camping holidays or hiking by outdoor fans worldwide. And the popular Swiss Army Knife is also available in a junior version. In addition to the rounded locking blade for small and large carvings, the Victorinox tool comes with seven other functions – including tweezers and a small wood saw for cutting thin branches. Important: The blade of this knife is sharp and the unlocking mechanism for folding requires a little finesse. With a little practice, children from the age of eight should be able to handle it safely and easily.
Classics are and remain simple sticks from the forest. Children can let off steam on them. Remove the rind, add the tip and the perfect tool for the next stick bread event is done. If the stick is carved by yourself, the bread tastes twice as good. If you want to challenge your children artistically, you could try lumber from the craft department. These are round or angular blanks made of soft wood (e.g. lime tree) that can be worked on with a carving knife and transformed into imaginative figures or sculptures. Children of primary school age usually have the motor skills to do this and are able to concentrate on such a project. Nevertheless, they should never work unsupervised with carving knives. Some manufacturers also offer pre-punched figures (e.g. animals) that children can decorate and carve as they please.
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