I’ve always thought of my woodshop as my personal play space, but it never occurred to me that it might be the same thing to someone else.

We’re enjoying a two-week visit from our grandson Jed, and as anyone who’s attempted to keep a six-year-old entertained will attest, it can be a full-time job. While I was out of the house the other day, he asked Grandma if she would help him with his Matchbox cars. He was trying to use magazines to make a ramp for the cars, as well as a handful of golf balls.

Naturally, Grandma knew where there were better things than magazines for ramps, so she ushered him down into my shop on a scavenging expedition for odds and ends and assorted raw materials. Here’s what he came up with:

Like I said, I wasn’t home at the time, and while I would usually have frowned upon anyone scrounging through my shop stuff for playthings, I had to admit the little guy was pretty creative with what he found. I always have fun in my shop, but I’m beginning to think I’ve been playing with the wrong things.