Let the Games Begin

I'm getting ready for the two days with my grandchildren and have decided that on Saturday morning I'm going to bring out the old sewing machine to tear down and see how it works. Here's the victim model I'm taking:

Singer 418

This one I got from a hoarders house and was found in a corner of the basement. The hand wheel is rusty on the belt-line and when plugged in the motor sparked way too much for me to feel comfortable. This is also not one of Singer's finest moments, although you might have one of these sewing machines that gave you many hours good use. Found in a damp basement after decades of storage? It's a good candidate for learning on.

When the top and bottom panels are removed you can see the gears, cams, belts, and pulleys just waiting to be explored:

Singer 418: note rust on right?

Singer 418 with odd feed dog belts?

Along with the sewing machine in a large cardboard box ("It has to stay in the box!"), the power cord, needle, and light bulb are staying at home but I'm bringing screw drivers, small wrenches, and a plastic box for sorting out their findings:

Made for jewelry or embroidery floss

As you might be able to tell, I'm an educator at heart and always looking for the next teachable moment. This could be the start of an engineer career for these kids, ages 7, 5, and 2 (or learning what they don't want to do) and grandma is always willing to give it a try.

I'm also bringing my trust Singer 99 hand crank

Singer 99 with hand crank

 with fabric for sewing up some items they will figure out they need, like sleeping bags for bunny or a cape for bear. You never know what is needed until you get the needle moving and the creative juices flowing! Tell me what you have done with children that has resulted in unexpected fun or even disaster since we even learn from our mistakes.