Real skills. Real tools. Real tradespeople. Right here in Lake County, Florida.
Led by Working Pros
Classes are planned to be led by experienced professionals who work in that trade.
Real Tools, Real Projects
Kids will work hands-on with real tools, guided by their instructor, and take home something they made.
Ages 6 to 18
Open to kids ages 6 to 18, in small groups by age so everyone can learn at their own pace.
Learn to Run a Booth
We hope to offer students an optional chance to sell what they make at local markets, a first step into small business.
Trying a trade with your own hands is one of the best ways to discover what you enjoy. We bring working professionals into the room so kids can explore real skills and see what clicks, whatever comes next: college, a trade, or something new.
Our name comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:11. The apostle Paul wrote that letter to the church in Thessalonica, where believers were eagerly looking forward to Jesus’s return. Paul encouraged them to keep working faithfully in the meantime, because honest work is part of living well while we wait. The verse reads: “…and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,” (ESV). It reflects what we want for every kid: the pride and confidence that come from learning a skill and doing honest, quality work.
Classes will be open to kids ages 6 to 18, in small groups by age. Kids will work hands-on at stations and rotate between them to discover what they enjoy. Every kid is welcome. Each class will be led by an experienced professional from that trade, such as a plumber, welder or electrician.
We are planning hands-on classes in a workshop setting in Lake County, with real tools used under an instructor’s guidance. Kids will get real instruction from tradespeople in a safe, welcoming space.
Every class is planned to end with a finished piece kids can take home. We hope to also offer an optional market booth where students can sell extras they’ve made, a first look at running a small business.
A FEW OF OUR MANY CLASSES
Coming soon
Plumbing
Kids will cut, fit and glue real pipe to build a pipe tower or mini plumbing project, and learn everyday home repairs. Planned to be taught by an experienced plumber.
Coming soon
Electrical
Kids will wire real low-voltage circuits and build a doorbell, a light-up sign or a simple alarm. Planned to be taught by an experienced electrician.
Coming soon
HVAC
Kids will build a mini air-flow duct system, a thermostat-controlled fan or a sheet-metal planter. Planned to be taught by an experienced HVAC technician.
Coming soon
Woodworking
Kids will measure, cut and assemble a project like a birdhouse, cutting board or toolbox with hand tools and take it home. A great first step for our youngest builders.
Mr. Herrick has taught middle and high school math for more than eight years. He is a business owner and the founder of Work With Your Hands. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a Master of Education, and an associate’s degree in Fire Protection Engineering. He also served as a volunteer firefighter, rising from EMT to captain, and went on to paramedic school. He and his wife Annie have homeschooled their four children for 16 years, so he knows firsthand what homeschool families are looking for. He started Work With Your Hands to give kids a chance to learn real skills from people who use them every day.
Dominic Herrick is a home school student who started his own business. He has been working since he was 6 years old, mowing lawns and pressure washing, and he learned by doing real jobs for real customers. Dominic loves working with kids. He helps show other kids what he learned: that you can build real things with your hands and earn money from them.
Questions about classes, or want to teach? Leave your name and email and we will get back to you. No Facebook needed.