Maybe something like the Micro-Fork or the Perennial Fork on the Lee Valley site? I don't know how heavy these are.

Claire

Would a stable fork work? Also called manure fork. They are meant for scooping up manure out of straw bedding, not tossing big things of hay.

One brand is called "Dura-Fork" and comes in bright colors, plastic.

look here http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/garden-forks/

Claire, the Lee Valley Micro-Fork looks extremely promising, thanks! It's longer than ideal, I think, but light-weight ("less than 1.8 lbs." they say) and it seems reasonably sturdy. The price is good, too. The perennial fork costs more than I was hoping to spend on this particular item.

I don't know where (or if) I can find Lee Valley tools in the United States, but I conveniently have some Canadian friends visiting in just a few weeks. I will ask if they'd be willing to bring one across the border for us.

Lazygardens, I don't know if a manure fork will work! The tines look not-very-sturdy in the pictures, but I've never seen one in person. Could they handle the weight of unfinished compost?

Jrmckins, those tools look lovely (especially the 24.5" fork), but cost more than I was hoping to spend on a 2-year-old's pitchfork.

My price point might be way off, but I managed to get most of my daughter's tools, except for her spade, in discount shops for about $3 each, and they are surprisingly well-made and sturdy. The only exception was the garden spade, which is the Ames one with the 17" handle, which isn't actually billed as a child's tool, but rather a "tight spaces tool" (I'd been planning to get one for use in my raised bed, and I used it extensively today to dig up strawberries). Even that was only $10, though.

Thanks, everyone! Additional ideas are welcome.

leira, Lee Valley has 3 catalogs, gardening, wood working tools and hardware. Most of their items can ship from the Buffalo area. You can request a catalog from their website.

Perhaps a very tiny very sharp pitchfork isn't the best idea for a two year old, hence the reason they aren't easy to find.

Otherwise, they would be perfect for my wife who isn't allowed to ride some roller coasters due to her height.

Well, MoleX, my adult-sized pitchforks (classed as "digging forks," I believe) aren't actually sharp. The tines are a bit pointy, but certainly not sharp.

Or course, it depends a lot on the temperament of the individual kid in question, but I tend to think that kids, with appropriate teaching and supervision, can handle a lot more than people often give them credit for. Even at age 2.5, we're aiming for "small tools" rather than "toy tools" (which is exactly what I had as a child), and it's been quite successful. She doesn't quite have the dexterity or strength for some things, but that will come. I've been lucky enough to find some great stuff without breaking the bank, and they should serve her well until she's big enough to use the grown-up stuff.

We compost in trash barrel bins, and turn it by dumping, then shoveling everything back in with a pitchfork. My little one wants to help to do this, and just needs a tool that will allow her to do the job. When she saw us working, she immediately grabbed her leaf rake (the only tool she had with tines on it), and asked for help figuring out how to use it. It didn't work, of course. We tried her little shovel, but it reminded me why I stopped trying to do this task with a shovel a few years ago. A pitchfork really is the right tool for the job...now we just need to find one.

leira: I often buy online from Lee Valley. They ship quickly to MA and Customer Service is very responsive. Good quality and reasonable prices, and they carry things you didn't know existed (but can't live without once you know about them).

Claire

Just my 2-cents ... I have 3 daughters (my youngest is now 7). I wouldn't waste a lot of time/effort on finding a pitchfork. If I were in your position I'd just have her rake up some of the compost that gets messed up when turning, etc. Or just have her "feed the pile" each night by dumping the table scraps into the pile. Or have her throw handfuls of grass (or whatever) onto the pile.

These are all things a 2.5 year old are capable off so she won't get frustrated or lose interest and allow you and her to spend time together.

jrmckins, she already does all of those things, and well. She wants more, and I'm happy to give her more.

She also won't be 2.5 forever, and yet would benefit for smaller-sized tools for a number of years to come.

I think MoleX was kidding a bit. I had a similar thought. Your little gardener sounds like a great kid. But who hasn't known one or more 2-yr. olds who could not be trusted with such a weapon under any circumstances? :-] I mean, my sister for example. When she was a kid she would eat mulch, and eat it faster if mom caught her and told her to stop. Armed, she would have terrorized the neighborhood. Heehee.

Hope you find what you're looking for.

I thought I would report back that some Canadian friends brought my daughter a Lee Valley Micro-Fork (and the Micro-Spade for me, for good measure), and it's perfect.

The fork isn't exactly lightweight, and the handle is nearly as long at the handle on my grown-up pitchfork, but the head is a lot smaller, so it gives her a manageable load. She helped us to turn the compost yesterday...and even got nearly halfway through the task before getting bored with it!

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

Sounds like another tool I need to get for my grandchildren. Right now they all love helping in the garden, and that's about the only thing I don't have that they would like to use.

Well, mytime, this one is pretty good. The proportions aren't perfect (in my ideal world, I'd have a somewhat larger head, and a somewhat shorter handle), but it's quite functional, and extremely sturdy.

Happy gardening to your little ones!

I like Claire's micro fork.
May get one for my gran daughter.
What a Compost wacko I am, she is only 6 weeks old, she should get pink tennis shoe or a baseball first.:-)
Could get all three.