Making a pair of chopsticks from Taiwan cypress wood

To put into consideration both environmental and cultural experience, I think chopsticks will be the best representation. Chopsticks are shaped as pairs of equal length sticks that have been used as the eating utensil in Chinese history for at least two thousand years. Especially, we could use local-grown wood to make chopstick to highlight our “environmental protection” and “maker” specialties.

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Local-grown and recycled wood

在我任期屆滿前，終於「把大坪的孩子送上國際舞台」！這幾個身份弱勢的孩子落落大方地教導美國教師製作原木筷，孩子們表現真是超棒的！感謝儀華老師教導，感謝同仁的幕後行政工作。感謝環保局曾科長ㄧ路上的支持。感謝新竹縣的梁老師遠到大坪來幫忙拍照，照片都超美的！感謝我大學最漂亮的同學(兼老婆)扛著攝影機幫我錄影，影片構圖精準！最後感謝自己的敬業：花很多時間剪接影片、撰寫部落格。（弱勢=特殊生+隔代教養+新移民）

Video: https://youtu.be/Uok02JE69cI

My coworker, Teacher Wang, trained the four children to teach delegation teachers how to shape chopsticks. Materials come from local-recycled windows that are made from Taiwan cypress wood.

Hand plane tools

Students demonstrate how to plane wood.

Students demonstrate how to plane wood.

Students demonstrate how to plane wood.

At the first they use the hand planes to shape the wood. The next step is to sandpaper the sticks to a smooth surface. Finally, they should smear olive oil on the chopsticks for protecting wood.

Principal Hsu demonstrates how to plane wood.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

Students demonstrate how to plane wood.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

Students demonstrate how to plane wood.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

Taiwan cypress sawdust smells good.

Students demonstrate how to sandpaper the sticks to a smooth surface.

The olive oil can protects wood.

Principal Hsu demonstrates how to smear olive oil on the chopsticks.

According to the tradition, the length of chopstick is 7.6 Taiwan inch(about 23 centimeters) which indicates that people have 7 emotions and 6 desires. By the way, a pairs of chopsticks equals two chopsticks and the ”two” indicates the Chinese philosophy “Tai Chi”. （105-07-18，大坪國小）

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.

A experience lesson of making chopsticks.