Sienna Ranch Woodshop

Introducing the new woodshop at Sienna Ranch with Chris Lauf!

We have fun and challenging new classes for ages 4-14!

Spaces are limited so sign up today!

Experiential Building, Ages 8-teen

Join carpenter and outdoor educator, Chris Lauf, in an all new class designed just for Sienna Ranch. In Experiential Building, students will work together on real-life, usable projects using hand-tools, wood, and recycled materials. The aim of Experiential Building is to teach techniques and skills which the students can repeat at home with their own projects. Students will work on group projects or projects which will remain as permanent fixtures at Sienna Ranch.

Join Chris for a fun-filled journedy into the world of hammers, saw-dust and tree forts. In this class, we will introduce basic carpentry skills and build on skills already mastered by students, including the safe use of hand tools, sketching, technical drawing, and construction methods. We will design and build group projects which will contribute to our ever-growing tree fort under the oak tree on the beautiful hill overlooking Sienna Ranch. We provide the framework and materials- students bring their inspiration and creativity.

Discovering Woodworking Through Toys, Ages 4-6

Week 1: Wooden Puppets

Week 2: Wooden Cars/Planes – basic assembly and decorate

Week 3: Mystery of the Wheel that Rolls Uphill

Week 4: Spinning Tops

Week 5: Flipping wood blocks (Jacob's Ladder)

Week 6: Boats

Skills taught: gluing, sanding, painting

Gizmos, Gadgets, and Spinning Cogs, Ages 6-9

Week 1: Intro to 'round and round' motion, cogs etc

Week 2: More advanced 'round and round' motion, cogs etc

Week 3: Mousetrap racer

Week 4: Axle and cog story machines – part 1

Week 5: Axle and cog story machines – part 2

Week 6: Axle and cog story machines – part 3

Skills taught: gluing, painting, sanding, hammers and nails, sawing

Design It, Build It, Watch it Go!, ages 9-14

Week 1: Wind Powered Cars

Week 2: Mousetrap Powered Race Cars: Part 1

Week 3: Mousetrap Powered Race Cars: Part 2

Week 4: Group Project: Noisy/Crazy Pin Ball Table - Part 1

Week 5: Group Project: Noisy/Crazy Pin Ball Table - Part 2

Week 6: Group Project: Noisy/Crazy Pin Ball Table - Part 3

Skills taught: Designing and sketching plans, hammers and nails, screwdrivers, sawing, electric drill, joinery

Class	Ages	Day of Week	Times	Dates	No class dates	# of classes	Ratio	Cost
Experiential Building	Ages 8+	Wednesdays	12:15-2:15	9/8-11/3	none	9	1:8	$288
Experiential Building	Ages 8+	Wednesdays	3:15-5:15	9/8-11/3	none	9	1:8	$288
Discovering Woodworking Through Toys I	4-6 years	Tuesdays	11:15-12:30	9/14-10/19	none	6	1:6	$145
Discovering Woodworking Through Toys II	4-6 years	Tuesdays	11:15-12:30	10/26-12/7	none	6	1:6	$145
Gizmos, Gadgets, and Spinning Cogs	6-9 years	Tuesdays	3:45-5:00	9/14-10/19	none	6	1:8	$145
Design It, Build It, Watch It Go!	8-14 years	Tuesdays	3:45-5:00	10/26-12/7	Nov. 23	6	1:8	$145

Teacher Bio

Australia where he spent most of his childhood weekends in the shed, building go-carts, toys and tree forts, or backpacking in the mountains around his hometown of Canberra. As he grew up, the urge to build things and explore the world never left him.

While studying Biology and Music at UC Santa Cruz, Chris began teaching basic bicycle mechanics to developmentally disabled adults, sharing the feeling of empowerment which comes from the building process. He also studied education theory and philosophy which led him to complete a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication focusing on science education at the Australian National University.

Chris has spent the last year working as an educator in Jakarta with the Indonesian National Science and Technology Centre, and in 2008 he co-founded the Cycling Scientists, a 100% bicycle-mobile educational organisation which runs hands-on science and technology workshops for remote Indigenous schools in the Australian Outback. Now that he lives in the Bay Area, Chris is excited to share his passion for nature, carpentry and education with the vibrant community of students at Sienna Ranch.