Background;

For the past 3 years my family has been volunteering at a "faith based youth summer camp"Lakeshore UMA . We provide all the equipment, and run the archery range. (We are all NFAA / USA Archery coaches, and current or former State & Regional Champions. etc...) My wife was a school teacher and had summers off, my parent command allowed me to bank all my leave and use it to take every other week off during the summer. Now she has a better paying job but has to work summers, and I'm an unemployed, returning combat Vet, so guess who gets to spend all 12 weeks at summer camp!!!!! Should be great for helping me "reattach to polite society" as well and stop being so hyper-vigilant.

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So, someone heard I've been pounding on leather and suggested that, when I had time, I could help out in the Craft Hut and teach some kids how to pound leather as well.

Sounds great in theory, but I barely know what the heck I'm doing!!!! Now, many years ago I has a Sensei who used to always say "teaching is learning twice", but really I want the kids to have an enjoyable experience and be able to give mom or dad a nice looking key fob or wrist band instead of a mangle hunk of leather or show them a smashed thumb, know what I mean? If I'm going to do it, I insist that I do it RIGHT. On top of that I have no idea what the Craft Hut actually has for tools, in years past it has not a point of interest for me. I'll find out this weekend when we get there, but we are about 130 miles from the nearest Tandy store, and being unemployed well... Luckily I have been blessed by WinterBear, Bruce Johnson, Elliot, etc. and I have at least one complete set of the basics so as long as I don't have more than one or two kids at a time we should be good for now. I also just got a barely used arbor press which could be useful for setting snaps, etc.

And we cannot possibly forget the generosity and tutelage of my mentor, Mr. Luke Hattley!!!

I'm thinking of getting a pile of the ubiquitous pre-cut wrist bands and key fobs.

Maybe a pre-cut & punched coin purse, or some buckskin or suede trinket bags,

But I really want to stay away from having kids use an awl.