Family Fun Idea: Home Depot’s Kids Workshops

On a bright first Saturday morning in March, Chris–the husband and daddy–packed up the girls and drove to Menards, Lowe’s, and Home Depot. They were on a mission to buy the supplies needed to redo our bathroom. What they ran into was the opportunity to build. They all came home extremely excited and chitty-chatty. Meanwhile, the boys were beside themselves with envy having to wait until the following month.

That month couldn’t go by fast enough. Finally, the first Saturday of April rolled around. Everyone piled into the van and away we drove.

The activity in April was to build a birdcage. Not only did they get to build it, but they got to decorate it as well. Decorate equals paint. And not just 4 or 5 different colors. That would be too lame. You gotta have at least 15 or more different colors to choose from.

What to Expect from Home Depot Kids Workshop Projects

The projects are easy for parents and children to do together. They have many different steps with simple instructions to follow. I promise they are fairly simple. I have a hard time with following written directions and I was able to do it. When we arrived at 9:15 am, the benches were packed. I think this was an anticipated event this month because we were told that they had 15 families there before 9:00. I noticed that for the most part, the kids were very patient. They were excited to do their projects, so I was amazed at how well they waited for a spot to open.

I would recommend no more than two children for one adult. Any more children per adult could get to be overwhelming. But if you are game, go for it however you can.

All the workshop participants felt a sense of accomplishment because they carried home a completed project. Not only that, but they presented their handiwork to the workshop foreman and were offered a Home Depot Kids Workshop Certificate of Achievement. They carried home their project, their own apron, and a pin representing the completely project.

Highlights of Home Depot Kids Workshop

• A completed project. We were able to put our birdcages up in the backyard and each of our kids can be proud of their work.
• The workshop runs for 3 hours from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. That is a nice chunk of time.

Disadvantage of Home Depot Kids Workshop

• Plan for an hour. Some activities may take 15 minutes, but the activity that includes painting will take much longer. Especially those with painting. Especially those with over 15 different colors to choose from.
• The finished products from these kits are rarely toy-sturdy. You have two choices in most cases 1) find a place where you can display the creations unmolested or 2) expect it to get broken and use it as a teaching moment about fixing broken toys and taking care of what we own.

Home Depots are all over the country. And since we have them here in the Twin Cities, it’s fun to take advantage of the things that are in our own backyard.

For the bigger kids, Home Depot has a new program called Science Fair Central, where they share ideas for STEAM projects. If you like the in-store workshops, you may enjoy some at-home projects, too. Home Depot also offers Workshops on Roblox. If your child tries them out, leave us a message in the comments and let us know how they like the Roblox Workshops — or any other parental hints or reviews of Home Depot kids programs that yout want to share.

Upcoming Workshops & Registration Link

• Dates: Always the First Saturday of the month. Find upcoming events on our calendar here.
• Times: 9:00 am-12:00 pm.
• Sign up for a Home Depot Kids Workshop: Registration is encouraged. Find the workshop schedule and sign up here.

Twin Cities Home Depot Locations

We recommend that you verify your closest Minnesota location here before heading out.

1. Apple Valley, 15101 Flagstaff Avenue, Apple Valley, MN 55124; (952) 432-7171
2. Blaine, Village of Blaine Shopping Center, 4550 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Blaine, MN 55449; (763) 717-0316
3. Blaine Northtown, 99 Northtown Drive, Blaine, MN 55434; (763)795-2060
4. Bloomington, 400 W 79th Street, Bloomington, MN 55420; (952) 881-7020
5. Brooklyn Park, 6701 Boone Ave North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428; (763) 533-1200
6. Burnsville, 155 Nicollet Blvd West, Burnsville, MN 55337; (952) 898-6960
7. Chaska, 300 Pioneer Trail East. Chaska, MN 55318; (952) 368-0281
8. Coon Rapids, 3550 124th Ave NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433; (763) 422-1200
9. Eagan, 3220 Denmark Avenue, Eagan, MN 55121; (651) 452-2323
10. Eden Prairie, 13100 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344; (952) 949-0982
11. Elk River, 18011 Zane Street Northwest, Elk River, MN 55330; (763) 274-0543
12. Forest Lake, 1943 W Broadway Avenue, Forest Lake, MN 55025; (651) 464-5277
13. Fridley, 5650 Main Street NE, Fridley, MN 55432; (763) 571-9600
14. Inver Grove Heights, 1300 E Mendota Road, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077; (651) 552-9020
15. Maplewood, 2360 White Bear Ave, Maplewood, MN 55109; (651) 770-9600
16. Maple Grove, 15800 Grove Circle North, Maple Grove, MN 55369; (763) 494-0117
17. Minneapolis Quarry Center, 1520 New Brighton Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55413; (612) 782-9594
18. Plymouth, 1705 Annapolis Lane, Plymouth, MN 55441; (763) 509-9590
19. Richfield, 6301 Richfield Parkway, Richfield, MN 55423; (612)243-2400
20. Shakopee, 1701 County Road 18, Shakopee, MN 55379; (952) 496-3076
21. St Louis Park, 5800 Cedar Lake Road, Saint Louis Park, MN 55416; (952) 512-0109
22. Woodbury, 8334 Tamarack Village, Woodbury, MN 55125; (651) 714-8751

More Ways to Indulge Your Child’s Love of Building/Fixing:

• Lowe’s: Workshops for Kids
• Fleet Farm Kids Crafts
• Fix-It Clinics; An Ecological Family Fun Idea
• Leonardo’s Basement, Minneapolis

This article was originally written by Gianna Kordatsky
in September of 2017 and is updated as needed