Once upon a time, the value of practical construction skills was recognized by educators as an important part of a child’s education. Here’s a truly wonderful vintage toymaking guide from Project Gutenberg, this time for the workshop. With a few simple tools – what you see to the left – your child can make many classic wooden toys and puzzles found in this manual, including rocking animals, jumping jacks, buzzers and many more familiar old-fashioned childhood toys.Most parents these days have little inclination to let their kids use real tools and actually build things… but if you let them try, you’ll end up with a much more confident hands-on, skilled young person. Ask us how we know.
from the introduction:
Toy-making takes into account the child’s view-point, his proclivities and his emotions. It is a form of activity that appeals strongly to his fancy, has a direct relation to his environments, and is within the range of his mental grasp and constructive ability. His wonderful imagination endows the creatures of his handiwork with life, individuality and cunning. The toy problem is in harmony with the child’s resourcefulness, his powers and his interests.
The problems contained in this book have been selected from those worked out in the Normal Model School. They have been tested under ordinary class-room conditions. To survive the weeding-out process, a toy has had to meet the following requirements:
- It must be within the child’s power.
- It must excite and sustain interest.
- It must possess educational value.
- It must be adaptable to light-wood construction.
- It must conform in size and complexity to the limited space and equipment of class-room conditions.
This heavily illustrated guide is wonderful for any parent wanting to encourage their children to use their imagination and learn how to use simple tools. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
This ebook is available in kindle and EPUB formats, and is also viewable online.
Click here to go to the page, then choose the format you wish to view/download.