Little Folks'
Handy Book

BOOKS BY
LINA BEARD AND ADELIA B. BEARD

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 brain 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 I 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 materials 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 kindling wood, wooden clothespins, natural twigs, old envelopes and newspapers, and in this way to encourage resourcefulness, 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.

Flushing, N. Y., February 10, 1910.

CONTENTS

LITTLE FOLKS' HANDY BOOK

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 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. 1) fold it through the middle, bringing the two short edges evenly together. The dotted line in Fig. 1 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

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

The Pyramid

The third and top story will be one tent, which forms the 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

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 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 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 (Fig. 11). 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.

A comical little berry-basket

"Bow-wow"

Fig. 16 shows two clothespin horses attached to a

Berry-basket Wagon

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 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. 18). Then from side to side draw two more straight lines; 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. 18. 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. 18, and insert the point of your scissors 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

The Little Table

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 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 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 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

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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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 one'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. 38. 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.