Built to order
Local 5th grader fosters innovation, can-do spirit
While these extra hours spent at home have proven to be idle time for some, that’s not the case for Vincent Lee.
When he wasn’t engaged in his school’s remote learning activities, the O.C. Johnson fifth grader was determined to stay busy with hands-on projects to “keep his imagination going.” And that’s how he built himself a new bed.
In the market for a new frame to replace the antique one he’d been sleeping on, Vincent’s mother Sara Lee started searching online for something that met her son’s list of specifications.
“He wanted it to have cubbies for his shoes and backpack, he wanted it to have this, he wanted it to have that,” said Sara. “So finally I just said, ‘Why don’t you just build it yourself?’”
That was all the coaxing Vincent needed — he got to work on the design and picking out the varnish, determining the measurements with a little help from his stepfather. Using their own wood and some from Home Depot, the pair brought Vincent’s ideas to life.
The project took a total of two days to complete and according to Vincent, the results met his expectations — right down to the cubbies.
“The good thing about making something yourself is it’s how you want it,” he said.
In a similar spirit, Vincent has since inspired his older brother to build a desk with the leftover wood scraps. And now with a couple of builders in the house, their mom is brainstorming new home projects for them to work on in the name of parental support.
“It would have been easier to just buy a bed, but it was something they could do to spend time together and keep his brain active in other ways besides school,” Sara said. “Just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we can’t do things to keep engaged. I think it’s important to teach our kids that if they want to build something, they can build it. We’re all about that.”