Attached you will find a press release.
Children from the Luitpold daycare discover the world of wood at Hodapp Carpentry
As part of STEM education, a group of children from the Luitpold daycare center are currently intensively exploring the exciting topic of "wood" – a small "wood workshop" was opened in the daycare center in recent days. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – areas that are becoming increasingly important in today's society and working world. Even at an early age, children can be introduced to technical and scientific topics playfully through exploring, experimenting, and researching on their own. This is exactly what the Luitpold daycare center places great emphasis on. In doing so, the boys and girls not only learn about different types of wood and their properties but also discover how high-quality products are made from a natural raw material.
The professionals consider it especially important to inspire girls early on for technical and craft topics and to reduce any apprehension. Children should have the opportunity to experience, regardless of role models, that creativity, technology, and craftsmanship are equally exciting and accessible to everyone.
A special highlight of the project was therefore the visit to the modern carpentry Hodapp in Saarbrücken. The traditional company has been in existence for 74 years and was taken over in 2021 by Hannes Seidel, who lives in St. Ingbert, from the previous owner Karl Friedrich Hodapp. Since then, Hannes Seidel has modernized the business with great commitment and implemented extensive restructuring and digitization measures. Currently, the carpentry is also being further expanded through the connection to the neighboring property and an extension of the operating area.
As soon as they entered the carpentry workshop, the children's eyes grew wide – Hannes Seidel welcomed the children with a welcome picture from their own daycare. And everyone wondered, "What is the photo of the Luitpold daycare doing in the carpentry workshop? How does Hannes know our daycare?" Hannes Seidel then immediately addressed the topic of artificial intelligence and explained to the children that digital media is also used in the carpentry workshop. The children quickly made the connection: "We use the tablet as a tool in daycare too – just like you," Maya called out to the group. The children told Hannes Seidel straight away that they also work a lot with wood in daycare and that even nail pictures were made at the summer festival. "We hammered nails into wooden discs! And everyone could create their own picture," Lukas called out proudly.
Arriving at the workshop, the children were excited by the special smell of the wood, the large machines, and the many different workpieces. With bright eyes, they watched the various steps of the work and asked numerous curious questions. A very special highlight for the children was the hands-on experience: together with the employees of the company, they were allowed to build stools out of wood themselves. In doing so, they experienced how important teamwork, precision, and craftsmanship are. For many children, it was a special achievement to hold a self-made workpiece in their hands at the end.
The children gained exciting insights into carpentry, observed modern machines, and learned about various steps in the wood processing. However, the most thrilling part was that the children were allowed to actively participate themselves.
The finished stools were subsequently even given to the daycare center as a gift. The children and the entire daycare team were very pleased about this.
Business owner Hannes Seidel emphasized: "It is nice to see how much curiosity and joy the children approach the craft with. It is important to us to give young people early insights into traditional and modern professions."
Also, daycare director Selina Vogler expressed her enthusiasm: “The visit to the Hodapp carpentry was a very special experience for our children. Through hands-on activities and participation, learning becomes lively and lasting. Especially in the STEM field, it is important to support children early and ignite their enthusiasm for technology and natural sciences. Such experiences not only promote the children's technical understanding but also their language development. The children learn new terms, describe their observations, ask questions, and exchange their experiences with each other. Many valuable opportunities for speaking arise precisely through practical experiences.”
The Luitpold daycare sincerely thanks the Hodapp carpentry, especially Hannes Seidel and his team, for the exciting morning, the great support, and the generous gifts.
Image: Thomas Bastuck
Title: The children of the KITA Luitpold visited the Hodapp carpentry workshop
