Cane for a 6 Year Old

Intro: Cane for a 6 Year Old

My little brother sprained his foot a view days ago. He couldn't put much weight on it, and where we didn't carry him, he hopped and crawled. Someone gave him a stick to hobble around on, but he didn't like it very much, and it scratched up our nice wood floors, so I modified it a bit.

The stick is just a sawed off broom/rake handle. I took a piece of wood from another project (it's actually a piece of a branch from the woods, peeled, cut and sanded) and nailed it to the top to make a handle he could grasp more easily. Then I cut a rubber bouncy ball in half and attached it with putty to the bottom so he could use it inside on the wood floors.

I gave it to him, and he was delighted! He used it more like a cane or walking stick, but it could also easily work as a crutch, especially if you made a set of them. He used it for about 15 minutes, then left it somewhere and forgot it so had to get up without using it.

Whereupon he discovered he could walk on the foot now! Most excellent news. And now we have a stick for next time one of the little kids hurts themselves...

Comments

[kelseymh]

That is really great, Adrian. What a wonderfully considerate quick project! When I saw it (yes, I'm subscribed) I was going to add it to the AT group. Thank you for doing so!

I must admit to having this terrible, sappy image of Tiny Tim in black and white run through my mind. It must be the season :-)

[Lithium Rain]

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. (I knew you were subscribed. :D *Cough* I might...uh...be subscribed to you...)

The AT group is one of the coolest groups I've seen on the site. I just wish there were even more ibles in it. I think my favorite so far is that cable car for Grandma. That one was awesome.

Tiny Tim XD
He did look kind of like that! He was pititful. Fortunately little kids heal fast.

[kelseymh]

>> (I knew you were subscribed. :D *Cough* I might...uh...be subscribed to you...)

You and several of the others (plus two lurkers I've never heard of :-?). But not Kiteman, sniff, sniff

>> The AT group is one of the coolest groups I've seen on the site. I just wish
>> there were even more ibles in it. I think my favorite so far is that cable car for
>> Grandma. That one was awesome.

Thank you! I created it mainly to have somewhere to put my crib project, and then went through most of the I'bles repository to populate it. Unfortunately, like most groups few people know it's around, so it doesn't get any traffic. There also aren't so many AT-related I'bles around (I do keep my eye out), and it seems that forum topics can't be cross-posted (just redirected by admins).

[jeshyr]

Bwaha! I just joined instructables.com specifically so I could join your AT group... I run a few disability-focussed websites and have severe disabilities myself and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to do things :) So you can add another lurker to your list.

[Lithium Rain]

:O Scary, that's like me! I have two obligatory lurkers who nobody's ever heard of subscribed. We must be interesting to teh newbies...

Heehee, I haz a subscription from Kiteman. :-P Actually, I think he even beats out ewilhelm for subscriptions (he had 44 last I checked). Even some of the staff subscribe to Kiteman. I'm playing catch-up with only 19! :D

It's too bad it hasn't been featured, IMO it deserves to be. That and its brethren, the two prosthetics groups. I've always wanted to design my own arm! I have a rough mental sketch of it, with air muscles, a wifi detector, built in pda and LED fingertips just for fun... :D

[kelseymh]

Last week, you wrote, "I have two obligatory lurkers who nobody's ever heard of subscribed. We must be interesting to teh newbies..." I picked up another seeming lurker today. It occurs to me that maybe they think (as I did the first time!) that "subscription" applies to the I'ble or forum topic they're reading, not to the author.

[Lithium Rain]

Hmm...I bet you're right.

[kelseymh]

What's the second prosthetic group? I've joined Open Prosthetics (did you see the SciAm article about them a few months ago?), and the TETRA I'ble Group. I tried contacting their Bay Area chapter, but got no response, the same as happened about 5 years ago :-(

[Lithium Rain]

Sorry, yes, I meant Tetra, my mistake...(that group is kinda bare...that's a shame :-\)

[DIYerr]

I also thought of Tiny Tim when I saw this.... Adrian, this is a very kewl project. I know some old peoples, and it could be easily modified to fit their specific height needs. Or not, depending on how tall they are. Hehe.

[stephenniall]

i feel a pvc walking cane with a sword hidden in the handle coming up!

[Matt21497]

I didnt mean to make the 6 year old need a cane. I just meant to beat him up and steal his Big Wheel. He said his dad could beat up mine but I just beat up him!

[Wafflicious]

That was nice of you. (And I'm not just saying that for a cookie... or am I)

[Lithium Rain]

Lol, thank you. :-D Here, have a cookie anyway!

[ReCreate]

me wants cookie too?

[skunkbait]

A cane for a 6 year old? Isn't that a little harsh? I prefer to just use a goo ol' fashioned switch!

[Lithium Rain]

xD

[JellyWoo]

*gasp* if your brother is still 6, that means your not that old after all...

[kelseymh]

Not necessarily. My father-in-law is about 20 years younger than his sister. Age spreads within families can be really small (I think 11 months is about the minimum for natural births), or really large. It's probable that Adrian isn't "that old" (how old would that be, anyway?), but you can't draw any conclusions.

[Lithium Rain]

>Note to self: send kelseymh some cookies, too< >Big ones<