It was a little disconcerting to be told by the Hill School science teacher that as parents, our No. 1 goal for the afternoon was to prevent these fifth-graders from cutting off a digit during the bird-house project. So, with the pressure on us, we adults helped the kids saw their boards into pre-measured pieces, use sandpaper to smooth out the cuts, follow explicit directions in nailing the pieces together, and then add wire to hold the top in place.

Cameron’s Aunt Pam traveled from Michigan on this important weekend to visit, and she enjoyed volunteering. While for the most part it all went smoothly, there were still a few moments where hammers hit digits, saws came unbearably close to connecting to humans, but only a tiny amount of blood was observed. All and all, a successful project. Now our hope is that the birds actually use these birdhouses that were lovingly made with a little blood, a lot of sweat and, thankfully, no tears.