Little folks' handy book

Front matter

Si

LIMA BEARD

AND

Preface

"Let me do it. Let me make it," is the cry when a child sees an older person putting together the different parts of an interesting piece of work; and it is this desire to do things himself, this impulse toward self-expression, that when properly directed, forms so great a factor in his all-around development and education. Using the hands and bram together stimulates interest and quickens observation and intelligence, and, as the object takes form beneath the little fingers, the act of making, of creating, brings with it a delight and satisfaction which the mere possession of the same thing made by another can not give. "Look! See what / have made," comes with a ring of triumph as the childish hands gleefully hold up the finished article for inspection.

In this book we have endeavored to open a new and large field of simple handicrafts for little folk, giving them an original line of toys and a new line of material's with which to make them. We hope in these pages to bring to children the joy of making creditable and instructive toys of such ordinary things as empty spools, sticks of kindlin<. wood, wooden clothespins, natural twigs, old envelopes and newspapers, and in this way to encourage resourcefulness vi Preface

originality, inventiveness, and the power to do with supplies at hand.

Everything described in the book has been actually made by the authors, and made by such practical and simple methods that a child's mind can grasp them, and a child's hands be easily trained to manufacture the articles. It is, therefore, our hope that the "Little Folks' Handy Book" will be found useful both in Kindergarten and Primary grades of the schools and in the home nursery; a helpful friend to teachers and to mothers.

LiNA Beard.

Adelia B. Beard.

pLUsmNG, N. Y., Fehriiary lo, 1910.

Contents

I. Paper Building Cards . .

CHAPTER

PAGE

Chapter I Paper Building Cards

Make your building cards of ordinary writing-paper. You may have as many cards as you like, though twelve are all that are used to make the things shown in our photographs.

For each card cut an oblong of paper five inches long and two and a half inches wide. This is a very good size, but you

Fig. 1 — Cut an oblong out like tliis.

Fig. 2 — This is tlie building card.

can make them a little larger or smaller. Always remember, however, to have them just twice as long as they are wide, and all of one size. When you have cut out the oblong (Fig. i) fold it through the middle, bringing the two short edges evenly together. The dotted line in Fig. i shows where it is to be folded. Now open the oblong half-way and you will have the building card (Fig. 2). They are very simple and easy to make, aren't they? But wonderful and delightful things can be built with these pieces of paper. You can have a whole camp of little tents by standing the cards with the folded edge up; and to make

A Camp Chair

all you need do is to push two of your tents close together, then on top of their folded edges lay another card with one

Fig. 3— You can make a little camp chair. Fig. 4 — Use the tents to make this pyramid.

flat side down to form the seat and the other side up for the back.

The second illustration (Fig. 3) shows just how to do this. Use the tents again for

The Pyramid

in Fig. 4. Stand three tents in a row close together. On top of these make a floor by laying two cards across with one side of each card extending down at the back of the tents. Then build a second story — two tents this time, with a floor on top. The third and top story will be one tent, which forms the

Paper Building Cards 3

peak of the pyramid. Of course you can make your pyramid very much larger by adding more tents to the first row and then building it up higher.

The Stable

is very cunning with its four little stalls. To build it you must stand the cards on their side edges as in Fig. 2. One

Fig. 5— a little stable with four little stalls.

side forms the back wall of the stall, the other the side wall. When you have reached the end of the row you will find the last stall lacks a side wall, but all you have to do is to slide another back wall behind the last and there you have the needed side wall. Put a roof over the stalls just as you made the floors for your pyramid, and then stand a tent on top for the cupola. Place a card at each end of the stalls, as shown in the illustration, and your stable is ready for its tiny horses. Build

The Garden Wall

(Fig. 6) by standing the cards on their side edges. You can make the garden any size or shape you like, but always have the gateway just wide cnouf^h to hold the tent roof on top. See how the cards stand with edojes in on either side of the

Fig. 6 — A garden wall and gateway.

opening. This will support the tent-shaped roof. Perhaps the children will want a house in the garden. You can build one if you try. Then see how many more things can be made of the paper cards, for I have not told you half of them.

Chapter II Toys Made Of Common Wooden Berry-baskets

Use a one-quart wooden berry-box for the china closet (Fig. 7). Turn the empty box facing you, and slide the prongs of a clothespin up through the open crack at the lower right hand of the box. Allow one prong of the clothespin to come on the outside and the other prong on the inside

Fig. 7 — The berry-basket china closet.

Fig. 8 — Slide clothespins on the basket for legs.

of the thin wooden side of the box; adjust the clothespin well to the front edge of the box, and it will form the right-hand front leg of the china closet. Add another leg in like manner on the same side of the box for the back leg; then slide two more clothespins up on the opposite side of the box to form the remaining two legs (Fig. 8).

The prongs of the clothespins do not reach up to the top of the inside of the box, but leave sufficient space for a shelf.

Make the shelf by laying a clothespin across from side to side, supported by the prongs of the back legs, and another across, supported by the prongs of the front legs (Fig. 8). The clothespin used for the front of the shelf will probably have to be a trifle longer than that for the back, as the box is wider in front than at the back. Set some toy dishes on the top, the shelf, and the inside bottom of the china closet, as in Fig. 7.

With another quart berry-box and four more clothespins make the

Doll's Table

Slide the prongs of a clothespin down on either side of the box at the four corners (Fig. 9), then turn the table right side

Fig. 9 — Slide the prongs of the clothespins down on the sides of the box.

Fig. 10— Make the doll's table.

up, placing it on its feet. Set the table with toy dishes, and dinner will be ready (Fig. 10).

The table can be turned into a dressing-case by standing two clothespins on their heads at each side of the back of the top of the table, and sliding a piece of stiff paper across from clothespin to clothespin between the prongs for a mirror

Common Wooden Berry-Basket Toys 7

(Fig. ii). Of course, the addition of a fringed white paper, or cloth scarf, over the top of the dressing-case would enhance its appearance, as would also a table-cloth over the top of the dinner table, but the covers were purposely omitted in the photographs that one may see exactly how the articles were made.

Make a

Dolly's Bassinet

(Fig. 12) of a small oblong berry-basket with four clothespin legs slanting outward at the bottom and the prongs of the legs

Fig. 11— The table can be turned into a dressing-case.

' Fig. 12 — A perfect little bassinet.

on each side brought together at the top (Fig. 13). On the centre of one end of the basket slide down the prongs of a fifth clothespin to form the upright for hoMing drapery (Fig. 13). When adjusted, fold a lady's handkerchief diagonally through the centre and hang it over the support, as in Fig. 12. The bassinet will then be ready for a folded handkerchief as bedding and a little baby doll.

A comical little berry-basket

Little Folk's J I a tidy Book

" Bow-wow "

(Fig. 14) can be made by using a twp-quart basket for the body, the bassinet basket for a head, and clothespins for ears, tail, and legs Fasten the legs on the body so that the

Fig. 13 — The bassinet without the drapery. Fig. 14 — A comical berry-basket " bow-wow.

front legs will slant forward and the back legs backward, that the dog may appear to be running (Fig. 15); slide a clothespin on the end of the basket for a tail; then fasten two clothespins slanting backward on the small basket for ears;

Fig. 15 — Put the legs on slantingly.

Fig

16 — The berry-basket wagon witl clothespin horses.

set the small basket on the front end of the large one, placing it so that almost half of it projects over the large basket, and the comical little dog will be finished.

Fig. 16 shows two clothespin horses attached to a

Berry-basket Wagon

with clothespin wheels. The driver is a clothespin held up by a clothespin seat, and the wagon is filled with clothes})in people along each side edge.

Chapter III Straw And Paper Furniture

A HANDFUL of straws, such as are used for lemonade and soda-water, several large sheets of writing-paper, and some small-sized pins — these are your materials. A pair of sharp

Fig. 1'7— The old-fashioned bedstead.

scissors, a ruler marked off into whole, half, and quarter inches, and a lead pencil — these are your tools.

We will begin with the old-fashioned four-post bedstead with its canopy and valances (Fig. 17). It is easily put together, but you must be careful to cut the straws for the posts all exactly the same length, making them about seven inches long, and to have your measurements for the other parts quite correct, in order that the bedstead may stand perfectly upright. Select four straight straws for the posts — sound and whole. Split straws will not do.

The mattress and canopy are exactly alike; each has its valance, and they are just the same size ; so directions for one will answer for both. Cut an oblong of writing-paper eight and a half inches long and six and a half inches wide. Be sure that the ends and side edges form perfect right angles; if they do not, the bed will be crooked. The edges of your sheet of writing-paper are at right angles to one another, and if you use the top edge of your paper for the top edge of your oblong, and the side edge of the paper for one side edge of your oblong, the rest will come out all right.

Now draw perfectly straight lines across your oblong from top to bottom, just one and a half inches from each edge

(Fig. i8). Then from side to side draw two more straight hnes; the first one and a half inches below the top edge and the other one and a half inches above the bottom, edge. This gives the mattress with a. border all around. In each corner of the mattress, a little more than a quarter of an inch from the end and side lines, draw a small cross as shown in Fig. i8. Be sure these crosses are placed correctly, and are exactly alike in mattress and canopy. Now cut out the four squares at the corners of the oblong, as indicated by the heavy lines in Fig. i8, and insert the point of your scissors

Valance

Mattress -t- +

IQ

I'A inches

Fig. 18 — The mattress and canopy.

Straw and Paper Furniture in the centre of each little cross and snip along each line of the cross. Do not make the slashes too deep.

Cut the edges of the border, or valance, into small points, as in Fig. 17; then bend the valance down at the sides and ends of the mattress. The- dotted _

lines in the diagrams show where to bend the paper. Make the canopy just as you have made the mattress, but cut deeper points on the edge of the valance.

Through each of the four straw bedposts run a small pin two and a quarter inches from the end of the straw (Fig. 19).

Push the long ends of the straws up through the slashed crosses in the corners of the mattress (Fig. 19) until the bottom of the mattress rests on the pins, then run a pin through each

straw just above and close to the top of the mattress. Between the two pins the paper can slip neither up nor down. Run another pin in each straw post half an inch from the top, slide the canopy down upon these, and fasten with more pins, as you did the mattress. Make the bolster by folding a piece of paper the proper shape and cutting the end edges in points for trimming.

Now you not only know how to make the bedstead, but

Fig. 19 — Slide the paper down to the pin.

The Little Table as well, for if you will look at Fig. 20 you will see that it is put together in the same manner as the bedstead.

Make the legs of the table three inches long. Cut the top of the table four inches long and three and a half inches wide, and the shelf three and a half inches long and three u inches wide. Measure one-quarter of an inch from each edge of the table top and draw straight lines as in Fig. 21. This will give you a narrow border all around the top.

Make and cut the little crosses in the corners of top and shelf, then cut out the squares at the corners of the top and

Fig. 20— The little table.

bend down the edges. The shelf of the table should be one inch above the bottom ends of the straws, and the top of the table one-quarter of an inch below the top ends of the straws.

By making the straw legs of the table twice as long, and the top and shelves narrower, you can have another useful article of furniture, for by adding two shelves of paper on

Straw and Paper Furniture

-finches

-A narrow border all around the tabic top.

the straws, and fastening them in the same way, this can be used as a cupboard or shelves on which to place the tiny doll dishes or clothes. The table can also be made into a little dressing-table, by simply using for the back legs straws twice as long as the front legs and then slipping a square piece of paper on the straws that extend above the table, to serve as a mirror. Just as the paper is slipped on the straws for the back of the chair (Fig. 22) , silver paper is pasted on this to make it look like glass.

With these few patterns you can make any number of useful articles to furnish Miss Dolly's house. You can make small beds and large beds, small tables and large tables, and many sizes of chairs.

You can make

The Chair

by merely looking at Fig. 22 and the diagrams, Figs. 23 and 24. No pins were used in this, but if you want the chair to last it is best to fasten it securely like the rest of the furniture. The straws for the back should be six inches long and for the front legs two and a quarter inches long. The shelf under the chair is the size of the seat.

This furniture will be especially useful in playing with paper dolls, and by using different colors, in colored papers, you can have a blue room, a pink room, and a green room.

You can make tissue-paper sheets and spread for the bed and pillow-slips, too, if you like. Thus dolly can be tucked away snugly for the night.

The ingenuity exercised in the construction of these simple articles will encourage the development of deftness and skill

Fig. 22— The high-backed chair.

Fig. 23— Push the straw through the back of the chair.

Fig. 24— Cut the back and seat Hke these.

in the little fingers, which are ever ready to imitate anything that teacher can make.

Chapter IV A Newspaper Boat Which Will Sail On Real Water

You can fold a thirteen-and-a-half-inch square of newspaper into a fine boat measuring thirteen inches from stem

Fto. 25 — The newspaper boat made water-proof and sailing on real water.

to stern. It will be a good, stanch craft like Fig. 25, to float and sail out in the open on pond, lake, or river, or at home in basin or bath tub.

Cut your square of paper even and straight. Place it out flat on top of a bare table and fold at the centre along the dotted line (Fig. 26), which will make Fig. 27. Bend each side of this down outwardly along its centre at the dotted line and bring

Fio. 26 — Square of newspaper for making boat.

^7

" J

B

Fio. 27 — Paper folded at centre.

Fin. 28— Paper with sides hcnt down, making

four lavers.

the edges a quarter of an inch lower than the bottom fold A; then your paper will be four layers like Fig. 28. Turn up the lower edge B of Fig. 28, making Fig. 29. Fold back the three

Fig. 29 — Paper ready to turn back lower corners.

Fin. 30— Ready for folding l)nrk the ui)per corners.

lower layers of the corners at the dotted lines (Fig. 29) and you will have Fig. 30 Bend back the upper corners at the dotted lines to make Fig. 31. Open Fig. 31 at the top and it will be your boat. Turn the boat upside down and slide one

A Newspaper Boat loose edge on the bottom under the other loose edge; then pinch each bottom point and bend it down toward the centre of the boat, creasing it flat (Fig. 32). Turn the boat right side

Fig. 31 — Square folded into boat.

Fio. 32 — Fold points on bottom of boat inward toward centre- Fic. 33 — Newspaper boat without sail.

-this wav.

up again, set it on the table, bend the two sides well up and crease them along the bottom until the boat resembles Fig. 33. To render the craft water-proof melt a piece of wax candle, turn the boat upside down again and give the bottom a coat of the melted white wax, extending the coat half way or more up the sides. Use a teaspoon for pouring the wax over the boat; the hot wax soon hardens and in a few moments you may launch the little craft on the water. If you want to make a

Sailing Vessel

of your boat, roll up a one- inch- wide strip of newspaper into an old-fashioned paper lighter, which is merely rolling the strip spirally into a round stick; this is the mast. Cut a paper sail, not too large, puncture holes in it and slide the sail on the mast; add a small paper pennant on the extreme top; then insert the base of the mast into a common wooden spool and glue the spool tight to the bottom of the boat at the centre of the bow.

With thread and needle take a stitch or two in the lower corner of the sail and attach it with a short length of the thread to the stern; fasten securely. Also fasten the pennant to the mast, so that it cannot turn, for in this vessel both sail and pennant must be stationary and not swing to either side. Be careful not to have the sail too heavy.

Chapter V Paper Jewelry

Ordinary brown wrapping paper is the best to use for this paper jewelry. Indeed the pale, creamy yellow of some wrapping paper is much like ivory in color, and the chains and ornaments made of it are really charming.

The Necklace

See how simply the necklace is made without glue or paste. It is a system of double rings that shift and slide in oije's hands like the links of a metal chain. When the principle is understood it is all very easy.

The rings may be cut out free-hand by folding the paper as in Fig. 34. Cut an oblong about six inches long and three inches wide and fold it crosswise through the middle, then bring the two side edges together and fold it again lengthwise. Start at the top where the paper is folded and cut out the ring as in Fig. 34. You will notice in the drawing that the circle at the top is slightly elongated; this is necessary in fitting the rings together. The ring when opened will look like Fig. 35. Cut out six rings the size and shape of Fig. 35, then make two smaller ones, like A (Fig. 36), and eight still smaller ones, like B (Fig. 36). Now cut a single ring perfectly round, a trifle larger than Fig. 34, a double ring like C (Fig. 37), and a pearl-shaped pendant like Fig. ^S. Open Fig. 38 and cut the three-cornered catch in one half and the slit in the other half, as shown in Fig. 39. Cut the catch first, then fold the pendant again, as in Fig. 38, and punch small holes with a pin at the base of the catch through the other half, to mark the place for the slit. The slit must not be as long as the base of the catch, else the catch will not hold. Put the necklace together by slipping the half of one ring over both halves of another, as in Fig. 40. Commence with

The little queen. Adorned with paper jewelry.

the single ring. Slip half of a large double ring through the single ring, bring the double ring together and slip another large ring through that, then add another large ring and you will have a chain of three large rings with the single ring at the end.

To the end double ring attach a ring, like A (Fig. 36) ; to A add a chain of four rings like B (Fig. 36). This gives you foXcL

Fig. 34 — Fold and cut like this.

Fig. 35 — When the- ring is opened.

Fig. 36 — Make smaller rings like the.se. Fig. 37 — Fasten the pendant on the ring. Fig. 38— The pendant.

Fig. 39 — The pendant open.

Fig. 40^Slip the half of one ring over

both halves of another.

Fig. 41 — Cut a clasp like this.

Fig. 42 — Fasten the clasp in this way.

Little Folka' Handy Book just half of the necklace, for the single ring is to be the middle one. Make the other half in the same way, starting on the opposite side of the single ring and slipping ring into ring as you did before. Attach the ring pendant, C (Fig. 37), to the single ring between the two side rings, then add the pendant. Fasten the two halves of the pendant together by folding the two points of the catch inward, slipping the catch through the slit and then spreading the points out again fiat. This

Fig. 43 — The finished jewelry.

makes a very secure fastening and, unless the neck of the catch is too slender, it will neither break nor pull apart.

Fig. 41 is the clasp for the necklace. Cut it out like the pattern and make it about three inches long. Slip one end of the clasp through the last ring on one end of the necklace, the other end of the clasp through the last ring on the other end of the necklace, then bring the clasp together and slip the catch through the slit, as in Fig. 42. The photograph (Fig. 43) shows how pretty the necklace is when finished.

Paper Jewelry 23

The Coronet

The coronet shown in the illustration of the "Little queen" is cut in one piece (Fig. 44) . At the widest part, from top to bottom, it is three inches wide, and the ends may be lengthened or shortened to fit any head. The ends must meet and fasten at the back.

Little rings, one inch in diameter, cut like Fig. 45, ornament the coronet, as shown in Fig. 44. They are fastened by the catch at the top through slits cut in the coronet. Make three slits, one below the other, a little over one inch apart, down the middle of the coronet, and on either side of these make six more slits in the position shown on the right half of Fig. 44. This gives fifteen slits, for which you must have fifteen rings. These dangling little rings that shake and twinkle with every movement are fascinating little ornaments, and are far prettier than more elaborate designs.

Ear-rings

Quite oriental-looking ear-rings are made lik.e Fig. 46. Cut first two single elongated hoops like Fig. 47, making them almost three inches long and one and three-quarter inches from side to side. These long hoops are to slip over the ears to hold the ear-rings on. Cut two hoops, like D (Fig. 46) , and two pendants, like E (Fig. 46). Fasten the hoop D upon the hoop (Fig. 46), and the pendant E upon the hoop D, clasping the pendant by its catch as you did the pendant of the necklace. The children need not follow exactly the shapes of the "danglers" and pendants shown here — let them exercise their own taste in these.

The Bangle Bracelet

The bangle bracelet (Fig. 48) is made as in Fig. 49. Cut a strip of paper half an inch wide and about eight inches long;

Fig. 44 — The coronet is cut in one piece. Fig. 48 — The bangle bracelet.

Fig. 45— Little rings ornament the coronet. Fig. 49 — Cut a strip for the bangle bracelet. Fig. 46— Oriental-looking earrings. Fig. 50 — Cut si.x round charms.

Fig. 47 — Cut two hoops like this. Fig. 51— A link bracelet.

Fig. 52 — Slip one link through another.

Paper Jewelry 25

make a catch at one end and a slit in the other end, then a little below the middle cut six slits half an inch apart, as in Fig. 49-

Cut six round charms, three-quarters of an inch in diameter, with a catch at the top like Fig. 50, and fasten the charms iM

Playing lady. The lorgnette.

on the bracelet. Fig. 49 gives the inside of the bracelet with three charms attached. This bracelet is large for a small child, but can be shortened at the end to fit any litde arm.

A Link Bracelet

Fig. 51 is a link bracelet. Make this by folding a strip of paper eight inches long crosswise through the middle. Bring the folded end half way down and fold, turn back the other

Little Folks' Handy Boole end and fold like a fan. This divides the paper into six equal parts. Now cut out the outer edge of all the links at once. Free the two end links and cut out the centres of the others, then cut the centres of the two links, as shown in Fig. 51, making the catch and slit like the pattern.

The links of the long chain shown in the photograph of "The queen and her captive," are cut exactly like the

Fig. 53 — Make

the lorgnette

case of a strip

of paper.

bangle bracelet (Fig. 49). The slits and charms are, of course, omitted. Fig. 52 shows how the chain is put together by slipping one link through another and fastening it with its catch. You can make the chain any length. It is so strong that only rough handling will pull it apart.

The Lorgnette

Now comes the lorgnette, which works beautifully made of rather stiff paper. Make the case of a strip of paper three

Paper Jewelry inches wide and eight inches long. Fold the paper lengthwise through the middle and cut it, rounding at the top like Fig. 53. In one side cut a small round hole at the top, rather near the edge of the case, F (Fig. 53) , and fold back the lower corners according to the dotted lines. Cut out the eyeglasses liM

The queen and her captive.

like Fig. 54. Curl the edges of the ball G together and slide the ball through the hole F in the case, as in Fig. 55.

The glasses swing quite loosely by this hinge, and will slide easily in and out of the case. When tucked away inside the case a little flirt of the hand, a turn of the wrist, will throw them out and they can be lifted to a piquant little nose in the most approved and fine-ladylike fashion.

The lorgnette in use is shown in the photograph, "Playing lady." "The little queen" displays jewelry, and "The queen and her captive" show the long chain.