Thank you Sherry!
My brother and sister-in-law don't live far from the store. I'll be asking for a favour!
Basswood can be purchased from Lee Valley too. Gabriel just wants some sticks. : )
W~
We recently purchased a whittling knife for each of our boys (9, 9, and 7) at Europe Bound in Toronto. They are simple, small, have a two handed lock mechanism and were 11.00 each.
We checked out Lee Valley and the knives are soooooo incredibly sharp, I wasn't comfortable buying one and they weren't comfortable selling one to boys the age of ours. They didn't have a a children's version, just the adult ones.
So far, a couple of months after receiving them, they each still have all their fingers and have successfully been able to whittle a bit. They are eager for spring so that they can find some good wood to work with!
Also came across this information re: woods to use. Just copied and pasted the part about the best woods to use as not all of the information listed on this site may be best for young children.
"Basswood. Basswood has been used for millennia for woodcarving. During the Middle Ages, it was the preferred wood of German sculptors who crafted elaborate altar pieces. It’s a good wood to whittle with because it’s soft and doesn’t have much grain. You can pick up basswood blocks in various sizes at your local craft store for a reasonable price.
Pine. Pine is another traditional whittling wood. It’s soft, cuts easily, and is readily available. But it has its drawbacks. Some whittlers think pine doesn’t hold detail very well. And if you’re using a fresh pine twig or branch, you’ll have to regularly clean the sticky sap off your knife while you’re whittling.
Balsa. Balsa wood is a soft, inexpensive, lightweight wood that’s perfect for beginning whittlers. You can buy it by the boatloads at craft stores like Hobby Lobby for pretty cheap. I picked up 9 blocks of balsa wood for a little under $4.
Random twigs and branches. You don’t need a pre-cut block of wood to whittle. Twigs and branches from most kinds of trees make for great whittling. There’s nothing more enjoyable than sitting around a campfire and whittling away at a twig while you talk to your buddies. Wooden knives are a popular item to whittle from a tree branch." from: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/12/12/a-beginners-guide-to-whittling/
Here is a link to the "Tree Trunk Tour" here in London I thought your children might like to view if they haven't seen these already. On the map you can click on the trees icons to see each tree carving. Of course these are much larger wood carvings done with bigger tools, but it shows how they can transform these trees into something beautiful. Some of these tree carvings have had to be removed due to rotting from the rain but they are trying to preserve what they can. http://www.londontourism.ca/treetrunktour/#
Hope this helps some. I will keep my eye out in the thrift stores for any "whittling" books for you too.
