![\"nick](\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nick-Offerman-outside-world_h.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAhead of the release of his new book, Outside chatted with the actor and humorist. <\/p>\n
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(Photo: Zohar Lazar)<\/p>\n
Published October 9, 2025 06:14PM<\/p>\n
In his new book for kids, Little Woodchucks<\/a>, Offerman Woodshop\u2019s Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery (out October 14 from Penguin Random House; $35<\/a>), actor, humorist, woodworker, and Outside contributor Nick Offerman<\/a> neatly balances two goals: teaching children to craft things with their \u201cgrubby little hands,\u201d and subtly nudging them toward mischief. The first of 12 projects outlined in the book is a literal slapstick, the classic vaudeville tool used to imitate the sound of smacking someone with a stick. Offerman advises his young readers that they can remove the elastic from an adult\u2019s undergarment to create the device\u2019s rubber band and butt hinge, which leads to the first of oh-so-many butt jokes. We called him up to ask why kids need more wood in their lives.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the biggest upside to giving children sharp knives?<\/b><\/p>\n Contrary to intuition, the duller your blade, the more dangerous it actually is. A dull blade requires more force to use and so exponentially increases the likelihood of a slip and an injury. Teaching youngsters to keep their blades sharp brings them into the circle of household responsibility. First pocket knife, then kitchen knife, and hatchet, axe, hoe, shovel\u2014and then, one fine day, chainsaw.<\/p>\n The word \u201cmeat\u201d appears 17 times in Little Woodchucks and the word \u201csausage\u201d appears ten times. Did you mean to write a book called Little Canines?<\/b><\/p>\n The conventional wisdom is to \u201cwrite what you know.\u201d I am astonished to learn that the count of those noble words is so paltry: my editor has trimmed the actual fat down to that lean percentage, and so she will be made to eat raw cruciferous vegetables for a week. No ranch!<\/p>\n How come you don\u2019t allow any computer-driven machines in the Offerman Woodshop?<\/b><\/p>\n Besides making swell items [out] of wood, we are trying to produce woodworkers. As nifty as 3D printers and CNC routers might be, they are basically the death of craft. We disallow robots for the same reason we don\u2019t want a computer painting our masterpieces or making our sandwiches\u2014it ain\u2019t art.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the trick to removing a super deep splinter?<\/b><\/p>\n One to two drams of Lagavulin single-malt Scotch whisky. Administer to the wound and\/or to the inside of the victim as required.<\/p>\n![\"cover](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-6.13.03\u202fPM.png\"\/)
(Photo: Courtesy Penguin Randomhouse)<\/p>\n