-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
This hand-written, thank-you note from Laura Friedrichsen was a pleasant surprise for John Kauffman, who has sponsored Farm News’ coloring contest for a few years. “It’s always fun to hear that kids like the barns and sheds I make," Kauffman said.

There are few things more exciting than winning a contest. It’s even more thrilling when you’re a kid, and the prize is a toy machine shed from Farm News’ coloring contest.

For Laura Friedrichsen, 10, of Holstein, this wasn’t just any toy, either. It was a custom-made barn from John Kauffman, owner of Kauffman’s Wood Kreations in Eagle Grove.

“The kids had seen John and his barns at the Clay County Fair and really liked them,” said Melissa Friedrichsen, Laura’s mother. “Laura took her time with her coloring contest entry and tried really hard.”

Her efforts paid off. She enjoyed her prize so much that she mailed Kauffman a hand-written thank-you note.

“Dear Mr. Kauffman, thank you for the machine shed that I won in the coloring contest,” she wrote. “I’m trying to get my brothers to rent it for their farm toys. (It isn’t working!!)”

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Laura Friedrichsen, 10, of Holstein, won a Farm News coloring contest and received this hand-crafted toy machine shed from Kauffman’s Wood Kreations. The shed has also been a hit with Laura's brothers, including Jonathan, 13, and Caleb, 7.

The note was a pleasant surprise for Kauffman, who has sponsored Farm News’ coloring contest for a few years.

“It’s always fun to hear that kids like the barns and sheds I make,” he said. “I wish I could give every kid a prize. They do a great job.”

The machine shed has been a big hit in the Friedrichsen home, not only with Laura, but with her brothers Jonathan, 13, and Caleb, 7.

“Our basement is a giant ‘farm,’ and the toy machine shed is part of it,” said Melissa Friedrichsen, whose family raises crops and cattle.

While some of the Friedrichsen’s young ag entrepreneurs tried charging 5 cents for combine parking on their “farm,” no one was paying. Then came the idea of renting space in the toy machine shed.

“We thought John might laugh when he got Laura’s note about trying to get her brothers to pay rent,” Melissa Friedrichsen said. “It’s so nice of John to sponsor this prize and provide a lifelong memory for the kids.”

Toy barns

spark creativity

Kauffman’s toys offer kids an enticing alternative to computers, digital devices and television. When Kauffman had a booth at the Iowa State Fair in 2019, his barns and sheds attracted kids and their parents all day long.

Kids weren’t easily distracted as they explored every door, gate and livestock pen in the barns. Conversations flowed naturally as children and adults interacted not only with the toys, but each other.

These toy barns also might just be one of the keys to inspiring the next generation of ag leaders, said Kauffman, who has owned and operated Kauffman’s Wood Kreations for more than 13 years.

“You’ve got to reach kids early if you want to encourage tomorrow’s farmers, veterinarians and livestock nutritionists. Instead of just giving kids an iPad, why not give them a barn that sparks their creativity?”

Kauffman builds wooden toy barns in a variety of sizes, styles and colors, from gable roofs to hip roofs to monitor-style designs. Most barns measure 24 inches by 28 inches and stand 22 to 28 inches tall. Kauffman sometimes designs toy barns to match actual barns that once stood on customers’ farms. Designing a toy barn that captures a child’s imagination requires Kauffman to see the world through new eyes.

“You’ve got to think like a kid. Where will they want to reach in, and what will they want to grab? Remember, kids are pretending that this is a real barn with real doors and real livestock.”

Kauffman discovered that in the winter of 2008, when he decided that his nephew, Nick Lemmon, needed a barn to house his toy farm animal collection. “I went to the garage with a sheet of half-inch plywood and out came a gambrel-roof toy barn. You should have seen the look on Nick’s face when I gave it to him. I was hooked on making wooden barns from then on.”

Attention to detail

makes the difference

Building each barn brings back many memories for Kauffman, who grew up on a farm south of Marcus in northwest Iowa. As a boy, he loved playing with a wooden toy barn his grandfather built him. It was a close replica of the real barn on his father’s farm. As he grew older, Kaufmann gained plenty of first-hand experience working in real barns.

“I baled a lot of hay in my day,” he said.

Kauffman, who studied drafting in high school and worked for a cabinet shop in Nevada at one point in his career, relies on these skills as he crafts his toy barns.

“Everyone thinks they can build a toy barn, but attention to detail is the key,” he said.

This is evident in each toy barn and farm building Kauffman makes, from the curtains that go up and down in the hog confinement barn to the gates in the gambrel-roof barn that swing open on real hinges.

These aren’t fragile dollhouses, either. These are sturdy farm toys that can stand up to repeated use.

“I want the barns to look as real as possible and be strong and durable,” Kauffman said. “Kids want to pretend that everything is just like the barn or farm building where mom and dad or grandpa works.”

That means making a door in a toy machine shed or barn big enough the child can drive a toy tractor or combine inside. When children play like this, they are doing more than entertaining themselves. They are also developing fine motor skills as they move wooden livestock pens, open barn doors, hook gates and more, Kauffman noted.

“Boys and girls love playing with toy barns,” said Kauffman, who is grateful for the first-time and repeat customers across Iowa, America and Canada who are helping him inspire the next generation’s interest in rural life.

He also appreciates the photos some customers send him of their kids playing with their toy barns. There’s no better reward than seeing kids smile when they’re playing with his toy barns. “I make my barns to last,” Kauffman said. “I hope they become family heirlooms.”

To learn more, visit http://woodentoybarns.com.