A practical manual of simple, safe pastimes and experiments for children, giving step-by-step instructions for crafts, optical and electrical amusements, natural-history observations, toys, and puzzles. It offers projects such as papier-mâché models, paper boats and birds, miniature panoramas and trains, aquarium setups, crystal-growing, a solar microscope, basic photographic printing, leather panels, and numerous tricks and mechanical toys, with brief explanations of underlying principles. Emphasis is on using common household materials, adapting activities to different ages, and providing constructive, supervised occupation for rainy days and vacations.