Kids and firewood

[92utownxh]

Figured you all might appreciate this. We have 3 kids, one more on the way, and the younger 2 are absolutely obsessed with firewood. As long as I'm not cutting trees down they go with me. They both wear ear muffs and just sit and watch. The younger one always falls asleep watching, my wife doesn't know how I do it.

Over the weekend I traded 2 rick/face cord for hay. It's an older couple with a huge farm. I didn't know it til I dropped the wood off, but the man hurt his shoulder and has surgery today. It helped them out a ton. They only heat with wood, and had been getting wood from people at their church to get through winter. I think next year I'll just trade wood for all the hay we need.

Last night we took another 2 ricks to our midwife. We are actually trading about 15 ricks of wood, a whole hog, and a bit of cash for her services. It works out great all around.

We had just dropped the wood off last night, and our 3 year old says now we have to go home and cut more trees down. I told him it was too dark and he starts screaming he wants to cut trees down. Then this morning as I took him to preschool he was saying he wants me to stay home with him to cut trees down. The whole way to town he was talking about the trees he saw.

 

[jrider]

If you're as lucky as I've been so far, it gets even better. My now 6.5 year old boy has been obsessed with all things firewood before he was 2. He would YouTube videos of guys cutting down trees at that age and now he's onto finding videos of every sort of log splitter I can imagine. He comes home from school each day wanting to run the log splitter. I now find myself setting aside "Robbie size" pieces he can lift onto the splitter. Hope yours continue to progress. It's awesome!

 

[Ryan'smilling]

That's great! Actually, we did pretty much exactly the same thing when our daughter was born. A cord of wood, a whole hog, some vegetables, and some $$ made a great deal for us and our midwife.

I mostly do firewood in the winter since we're busy growing veggies in the summer, but I did get to run the splitter a fair amount during naptime last year. My daughter slept very well with the noise from the engine running. My splitter runs on my 30hp diesel tractor, so it's a nice quiet purr compared to a air cooled gas splitter.

Mine's only 2 now, but I'm hopeful that she likes helping with wood. She does carry some small pieces now, like when we're building a fire in the furnace, but she's still a little small for coming to the wood lot while I'm working.

 

[stihlguy]

My 2 yo granddaughter loves to help papa stack wood in the basement. That is my 12 yo grandson in my avatar. Enjoy them while they are young.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

Figured you all might appreciate this. We have 3 kids, one more on the way, and the younger 2 are absolutely obsessed with firewood. As long as I'm not cutting trees down they go with me. They both wear ear muffs and just sit and watch. The younger one always falls asleep watching, my wife doesn't know how I do it.

Over the weekend I traded 2 rick/face cord for hay. It's an older couple with a huge farm. I didn't know it til I dropped the wood off, but the man hurt his shoulder and has surgery today. It helped them out a ton. They only heat with wood, and had been getting wood from people at their church to get through winter. I think next year I'll just trade wood for all the hay we need.

That's great! Actually, we did pretty much exactly the same thing when our daughter was born. A cord of wood, a whole hog, some vegetables, and some $$ made a great deal for us and our midwife.

This made me smile tonight......most of what we hear and see on the news these days is negative, so it is refreshing to see the good side - neighbor helping neighbor, trading services, etc.; there are a lot of upstanding people in this country with high moral character; would be nice to see more of this type of thing vs glorifying all the bad stuff, we'd all be better for it.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Another year or two and you can go sit on the couch and make them stack haha.

Where does "rick" come from, anyone know? I've never heard of that other than on here.

 

[sirbuildalot]

There was a guy named "Rick" who was too lazy to stack a true cord so he stopped part way and they'd say "he stacked a Rick"

 

[Ash_403]

It's the opposite around my area. Everyone around here says 'rick'. I use the term cord, and have to explain how many 'rickys' that is.

Some years back, my nephew, at the time 12 years old, helped me out loading my truck while I cut firewood from a fence row (trees already dropped). I was surprised at how much help he was.

 

[92utownxh]

Ash_403, you are near me. It's the exact same around here. People look at you crosseyed if I say a cord of wood. People only know the term rick, which is 1/3 of a cord.

Our 8 year old can stack pretty well. I was impressed at the pieces the almost 4 year old was carrying. He helped me unload the truck and trailer at the midwife's house.

Yesterday it was in the 70s around here, when I got home from work we all went outside to enjoy it. My wife and I wanted them to play on the play ground...didn't happen. The 2 year old had his toy saw, and he goes following the dog down the trail in the woods. Then he goes to the wood pile to cut some pieces. The 3.5 year old starts digging holes in the yard with is shovel. Determined little guys. I love every minute with them.

 

[Toy4xchris]

My 3 yr old loves helping me with firewood his favorite part is when I make a pile of noodles.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Ash_403, you are near me. It's the exact same around here. People look at you crosseyed if I say a cord of wood. People only know the term rick, which is 1/3 of a cord.

Our 8 year old can stack pretty well. I was impressed at the pieces the almost 4 year old was carrying. He helped me unload the truck and trailer at the midwife's house.

Yesterday it was in the 70s around here, when I got home from work we all went outside to enjoy it. My wife and I wanted them to play on the play ground...didn't happen. The 2 year old had his toy saw, and he goes following the dog down the trail in the woods. Then he goes to the wood pile to cut some pieces. The 3.5 year old starts digging holes in the yard with is shovel. Determined little guys. I love every minute with them.

70s?! Holy cow! It got up to 28* yesterday. The sun was out too. I was just in a sweatshirt.
18* right now. Nice working temp.

 

[unclemoustache]

 

[Mustang71]

My 3.5 year old has been firewooding for about 2 years now. He's getting much better at stacking wood. I'm hoping he will stack while I split this summer or st least help. My last kid cost me 6k $ and that's with my health insurance. I wish I could have traded wood and what not instead.

 

[DFK]

You are a Blessed man Unclestach.

David

 

[sirbuildalot]

:44 was impressive. That weighs more than he does

Great job giving them work ethic and teamwork skills.

 

[sb47]

Bartering and trading is older then money itself. It's a great way to help each other out and it keeps Uncle Sam from dipping into you pocket.
Teaching kids what hard work is, and what hard work provides, is an invaluable lesson they will carry with them there whole life.
Neighbors helping neighbors is what built this country.

 

[Mustang71]

That's one reason I moved way out into the country before I had kids. I grew up in the country but I didn't want my children having an easy life of eating chips and playing video games all day. I still have a chance to show them how hard work pays off and that it can be fun too. It's very important to play outside and be active as a kid.

 

[Jere39]

Start them young, let them learn to love the outdoors

 

[chipper1]

Bunch of amish guys in this thread, are you guys supposed to be on the computer .
Dang Josh, working there fingers to the bone .

When I had my kids we didn't trade wood for them, but I'd take a few more if it was that easy .
We always say if you want to warm yourself by the fire, bring a stick, or two .
I have made sure I always cut some small pieces for the little ones to carry, I don't want them sitting on the sidelines, that's a bad habit to break even at a young age.

 

[Mustang71]

My kid this summer at the age of 3 grabbed the small 2 inch diameter logs that I cut because y not. He helped me Sunday, 3 in a half, and he was grabbing full sized splits lifting them above his head and stacking them. I've had him helping with wood since he could walk by his choice. I'm one of those people who is always working because Idk what else to do. So this makes me happy when he wants to help. We had our 7 month old daughter outside Tuesday after work, it was a record high, and she loved the out doors. I was always outside as a kid building tree forts or riding bikes or atvs as I got older and that's what kids need.

I'm not omish lol or religious and I like my drinks after work. I don't hope my kids do a skilled trade like me but I'd like them to not be helpless when they own a home and something needs fixed.