Strengthen the Mind
Just being a kid
7-12
4-H woodworker shines with Sawdust & Sparkles business
Photo and reporting by
Illinois Extension
Evie Ribbing was 12 and running her dad's table saw when she wasn't in seventh grade, cutting custom boards and trivets for a business she named Sawdust & Sparkles. Her first project, a stool with a multicolored seat, won best overall at the Clinton County Fair when she was 10.
The parent worked alongside
Her dad owns a woodworking shop and stood right there while she worked the saw, sketching designs with her and taking pictures of every step because he figured nobody would believe she'd stick with it.
Why we picked this one
Nobody handed Evie a business plan. She watched tutorials, drew the cutting board herself, and sold the first ones to relatives as Christmas presents. The table saw part is the part that stops most parents cold, and it's also the part that made the whole thing real.
The Drill: hand over the real drill, let them build the real thing, make them measure twice before you'll hold anything steady.
Read the full story at
Illinois Extension
Where it happened:
Clinton County, Illinois
Somewhere in your garage there's a table saw or a drill your kid isn't allowed near yet. Evie was ten the year hers started.