From the time my boys were young, they were fascinated with anything that moved. Cars, planes, trains, etc. So when we got the call that Isaiah (host of Treehouse TV's This Is Scarlet & Isaiah) wanted to come to our shop and talk cars, we were really looking forward to having some fun!
Here's a sneak peek—check it out:
There's lots that we can do with a 6-year-old, in terms of introducing them to cars. Isaiah and I loved going underneath the car and taking a look there. I mean, how many times do you get to look underneath your car? What's interesting about the Dodge Caravan that we demonstrated on is that the spare tire is actually located underneath the driver and front passenger—typically spare tires are located in the rear of the vehicle. Trying to reign in on Isaiah wasn't easy, he was like a kid in a candy store!
Next was under the hood, and here is where Isaiah caught me off guard. His skill-testing question? "What is engine oil?" Now, I can explain engine oil to grown-ups. You understand the concepts of friction, heat, and lubrication. I admit, I was at a loss for words when Isaiah quizzed me! Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t get the questions ahead of time to anticipate what he would ask. My response to him was that engine oil made things softer, so there's more lubrication—when I completely meant to say that things are more slippery. It was such a "d'oh" moment for me, but Isaiah graciously moved on with his next questions. What a good host! Let's hope if I ever have to undergo an interrogation, they don't question me with a 6-year-old . . .
Lastly, we changed a spare tire together. Isaiah helped me check the tire pressure on the spare, pump the jack, take the wheel nuts off and on, as well as torqueing the nuts. It was great working with him! All this goes to show that there’s lots you can do with your kids when it comes to teaching them about the basics of car maintenance. Why not expose them to car care when they're at the inquisitive stage?
To watch the entire episode, email us ([email protected]) and we will share the super duper top secret code. Due to copyright restrictions, we have to password-protect the video.
Check out these 5 things your kids can do with your car! GM also has a great kids website introducing cars to kids.
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