The sound of carpentry and sawing flies around your ears. For four days, the Experience Park in Dwingeloo is dedicated to the carpentry village. Children aged six to eleven can use all their creativity here while making a sturdy structure.
“Three years ago we thought of organizing an activity that could entertain children for several days,” says Bram Bloemerts of the organization. It was a big success. This year is now the third edition and more than 300 children are participating. “The great thing is that the children are busy with their hands, come here with friends, brothers, sisters and play fellow camping guests instead of being busy with the tablet or laptop.”
The children are very enthusiastic about the carpentry village, says organizer Bloemerts. “If they are allowed to start, they are actually standing in front of the gate an hour in advance to be allowed in. If they have a break or have to stop at the end of the day, it will take a while before they actually put down the hammers. “
As soon as all the participants of the carpentry village are allowed to get to work, a number of children are already queuing up to get wood. They have to hand over coins when they want new wood materials. They can collect the coins when they have completed assignments. A construction supervisor, someone from the organization, comes to see whether the assignments such as making a door or slide have been completed properly.
“It’s not quite finished yet,” Tirza says when she gives a tour of the structure she and her group are making. A curtain functions as a door and inside there is a sofa with two cushions and a table. There are also curtains, the structure has a swing for gnomes and a mailbox. Tirza and her co-builders have not done it all alone, they also get some help from their parents, they admit honestly.