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How to Make Colonial Toys Such As a Spinning Top

Get a taste of childhood in colonial times with these easy to do toy making projects. There are many types of toys you could make but for this project we̵7;ll be looking at the toy drum and the cup and ball. In colonial times children had to make do with toys that they or their parents made. Toys had a teaching function as well as being fun. Toys and games taught children throwing and aiming skills and reinforced good ethics and fair play.

Things You'll Need

Wooden condiment cups
Cotton twine
Ping pong balls
Drill with screwdriver bit
1 short wood screw
1/4 inch cloth circle
Hot glue gun
Wooden dowel 3/4 inch diameter, 12 inches long
Large coffee can
Sheet of felt material
2 extra wide rubber bands
2 dowel pieces, 1/4 inch, 12 inches long
2 small styrofoam balls
2 pieces of black felt, 4 inch by 4 inch
30 inches of wide ribbon
2 pieces of yarn, 8 inches long

Instructions

Cup and ball
- 1
  Use the power drill to drill the wood screw down through the inside bottom of the cup into the hardwood dowel.
- 2
  Use scissors to cut a piece of twine 18 inches long.
- 3
  Use the hot glue gun to attach one end of the string to the bottom of the dowel.
- 4
  Use the glue gun to put a dot of glue on a ping pong ball.
- 5
  Put the other end of the twine into the blob of glue and cover with the small cloth circle.
Make a Toy Drum
- 6
  Take the lid off the coffee can and set it aside.
- 7
  Place the felt down on the table and place the coffee can lid in the center. Draw a circle around the lid with a marker. Cut around the circle two inches outside the marker line.
- 8
  Put a line of hot glue all around the top edge of the can and stretch the felt over it snugly to make the drum head. Put the two wide rubber bands around the can over the place you glued the felt.
- 9
  Wrap the ribbon around the top of the drum once and tie a knot to secure it to the can, leaving the ends free. Tie a knot in the ends to make a strap to hang the drum over the child̵7;s shoulder.
- 10
  Poke each of the 1/4 inch dowels into a styrofoam ball. Put a circle of glue just under the ball and wrap a piece of the black felt over the ball. Wrap yarn around the felt just behind the balls and tie it off to finish the drum sticks.

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