Bow making with 8 year olds

[BigV]

It sounds like you have the perfect disconnect between their goals and your goals. Really. *They* think they're making a war machine, or a hunting weapon or whatever their mental image of a bow is; *you* think this is a good vehicle to work with the kids, engage them in some fun time that will *whistles tunelessly, looking as innocent as could be* coincidentally be spent working with tools, learning how to plan, work, test, evaluate, re-work, etc. There's a name for this mismatch: kismet.

Go play. Have fun, they sure will.