Since several were worried about the whole hot glue gun thing I figured I’d show you how they did.
Here are the ground rules:
1. No silliness, that’s an important one for safety.
2. You have to ask before getting it out. Many of our craft supplies they have free rein with, but these like paints and sharpies need permission first.
3. Unplug it when you are done, this is also a safety issue.
4. New one added in after last experience: put away all of what you used. Last time they did not properly put away their craft supplies.
Why did I do this? They’ve shown the maturity and readiness to use it. They know how to act with various craft materials because I’ve let them have lots of access to them. I did not give them a high temp one that would definitely burn them, but this one cools down within 5 seconds to a touchable level. We talked through a lot of safety issues, and now they know how to use it properly.
Would I trust every 6 year old or 5 year old with a hot glue gun? That’s a big NO, but my kids were ready.
And as a side note, I will be buying a large number of popsicle sticks very soon.
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I keep my kids away from the glue gun for the same reason we stay out of Yellowstone – six are a lot to watch all at once – and mine are definetly the step off the path or stick a finger into hot glue types 🙂
How cool! I need to learn how to use it myself first before I teach it to Anna 🙂
EXCELLENT!!! I need to get a low-temp glue gun, 'cause I KNOW my eldest is ready for such sticky fun. I only have a high temp glue gun, and since I burn myself all the time with it, the low temp would be a wise investment for the kiddos… ;0)
You are one bold woman girlfriend! I still have not let my kids try out the glue gun yet. For now they know that only mommy can use it! I think my daughter may be ready to try it, but I'm not so sure my boys are!
I guess I didn't even realize you could purchase high/low temp guns. My is the burn your fingers kind. I do like the size of yours as well. Nice and small!
Ah, Matthew's been using the glue gun for a year now… it is no big deal and he has never burned himself. He is MUCH more careful than I am with it, actually. I've never blogged about it for fear of having another mom let their child try and then them getting burned, though. And I always supervise, of course. He isn't allowed to plug things in (is that weird?), so I have to do that bit for him. Ours is a low temp too. It just gives them another avenue for creating. Gluing sticks and small branches into something 3-dimensional is super easy with a glue gun and a lot of fun too (and would never work with regular glue)!
Loved this and all the discussion. I have the hot type…
We have that same hot glue gun, and it doesn't get very hot. It looks like your kids were very careful handling it.
You really are the coolest mom!
My kids are afraid of the hot glue gun because they have each been burned! It's hard to avoid touching the glue!