Students, or shall we say young entrepreneurs, who are part of the Home Learning Community will get a chance to show off their skills at the upcoming Biz Kids Market.
Organizer and Sidney resident Lisa Wilson began the market in 2011 because her two children, who also happen to be Biz Kids, were making all sorts of creative items and wanted to sell them.
And instead of getting lost in an adult craft fair market, she brainstormed ideas with a friend and decided to start a kids market to allow children to do it all.
“It’s very much part of school,” Wilson said. “It’s a part of real life to actually go through in the beginning and think ‘okay what will my customers buy from me? How do I price it and where am I going to get my materials from?” And all the questions that any entrepreneur would be thinking about.”
Held at the Fernwood Community Centre in Victoria, more than 40 tables will be set up, with products ranging from seasonal decor, baking, wooden toys, soaps and more, making it a great place for holiday gifts.
Home learners from Victoria, Sooke, Sidney or Metchosin are able to take part, with each child coming up with their own idea of what they want to sell and how they want to market it.
Wilson’s sons Isaac and Jade have gotten the chance to show off their creative skills while also making a few extra bucks.
“We sold soap dishes once and toothbrush holders and it worked out really good,” said Isaac.
This year, they have a bunch of wooden toy weapons including guns, bow and arrows and more.
“I know a lot of kids who like playing with guns, including us, and these are just prototypes,” he said, pointing to the many wooden guns on the floor of their home.
The boys’ father usually does all the power sawing, while the two brothers sand, carve and draw where they want the wood cut.
“The other part that I think is important to note is that they don’t buy any wood …” said their mom.
They find their materials on the beach, the side of the road or they ask friends and family if they have any spare wood they need to get rid of.
“It saves the environment,” said Isaac, which is one of their missions, added mom.
The brothers, both home learners, are part of a program that’s B.C. wide. It’s distance learning called Self Design and they have to follow a specific school curriculum.
In the future, both brothers wish to use the skills they’ve used for the market over the past few years. And their passion is wood.
For Isaac, who is playing a squirrel in an upcoming pantomine performance of Red and the Wolf, he said he hopes to work on backstage frames for plays.
“I was looking at them during my performance ... and there’s these really complex structures made out of wood and metal which would be very cool to plan out,” he said.
Jade, who wishes to build his own house out of wood one day, is thinking about going into construction.
The market is open to the public and will take place on Nov. 13 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Fernwood Community Centre. For more information people can visit the website at http://vhlnbizkidsmarket.weebly.com.