This time, our Little Builders have started working on the Sakura Bonsai. When we did the kit draw, this was one of the most requested ones, together with the Christmas Fireplace, so it’s safe to say it’s a very popular kit. Both the kids and me love it, I’ve always been a huge fan of the cherry blossom collection and find this one absolutely beautiful.
Their progress with this kit has been quite interesting. At first, everything went very fast: they built the trunk and the pot fairly quickly and felt very confident. However, once they started working on the branches and flowers, things became more challenging. Some of the pieces that hold the flowers bent while being fitted, and then it became tricky to get them properly fixed in place.
That’s when super glue made its early appearance. A few important pieces, especially some flowers, broke along the way, so we had to do some emergency gluing to keep going.
The good part is that this kit has kept them very engaged. Most of them agree that it’s not a difficult kit, but because of the amount of flowers, it’s definitely a slower and more detailed process. And the best part? They celebrate every new branch (really, every branch! ) like a small festival. It’s lovely to watch them notice how the bonsai slowly fills with blossoms, becoming more colorful and alive with each step.
Well, I have 22 kids in my class and each one was working on a kit. We all started at the same time, but they’ve each found their own pace. I started by posting how they were doing when everyone began together, and since then I’ve been sharing updates from those who finished first so I can show their progress along the way.
The idea is for them to take their kits home before the 19th, when the Christmas holidays start, so they almost finish building them, but I haven’t been posting everything all at once so as not to overwhelm the feed with only posts about my students. I try to share at most one a day, if I have time to write it that day hehe.
The best part is that I actually have mine at home waiting to be built, and I still haven’t done it yet . After seeing how the kids built it and helping them along the way, I know it won’t be hard at all for me to get started. I’ll definitely build it during the holidays
I’ve just realized I didn’t answer your question exactly
Each one was building their own kit, and since there were 5 kits of 4 different model and 2 of another, they helped each other along. As they finished, they started helping others complete theirs, which is why they were able to speed things up a bit. Otherwise, some of them wouldn’t have finished their own kits at all, not a chance!
I love sharing their journey, and yeeees the flowers really helped them slow down, focus, and appreciate every little detail. It’s been a beautiful lesson in patience
Thank you! Well yes and no, honestly. It may seem easier because they have smaller fingers, but it was actually quite hard for them to place the tiny pieces. There’s so little space to work with, and they couldn’t press much without risking breaking something. A real challenge for them
) like a small festival. It’s lovely to watch them notice how the bonsai slowly fills with blossoms, becoming more colorful and alive with each step.
