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How to Build Your Own Wooden Toy

You can find plastic in practically any children's toy on the market. Before plastic, toys were commonly made of wood. Wooden toys don't require molds or dyes, so they're simpler to make at home. They also have a classic look. Regardless of your woodworking skills, you can make a simple one with a few common items.

Things You'll Need

Nontoxic paint
3 wooden spheres
Newspaper
2 wooden cubes
4 wooden cylinders
2 wooden rectangular prisms
Yarn
Scissors
Wood glue

Instructions

- 1
  Paint a wooden sphere to resemble human skin. This will be the toy's head. Set it aside on a piece of newspaper to dry. After painting each piece, set it on newspaper to dry. Paint two wooden cubes, slightly wider than the sphere, to resemble a clothed torso and hips.
- 2
  Paint four wooden cylinders of equal size and each no more than half the width of the cubes to resemble arms and legs. You can paint them flesh-colored to make it appear that the toy is wearing shorts, a skirt or a short-sleeve shirt.
- 3
  Paint two wooden spheres of equal size and smaller than the head to resemble hands. Paint two wooden rectangular prisms to resemble feet.
- 4
  Allow the painted pieces to dry for three hours. Paint eyes, nose and lips on the toy's head, then allow three hours for the paint to dry.
- 5
  Gather enough yarn to cover the top, sides and back of the toy's head. Cut it the length you want the toy's hair to be. Apply wood glue to the head in small sections and attach the yarn a few pieces at a time. Set it aside on newspaper and allow one hour for the glue to dry. Do this after each glue application.
- 6
  Apply wood glue to the bottom of the toy's torso and press it to the top of the hips. Glue the bottom of the toy's head into the center of the top side of the torso. Apply wood glue to the bottom of each of the toy's legs. Press the leg into the top side of one of the toy's shoes, nearer to one of the shorter ends of the shoe.
- 7
  Apply wood glue to the bottom of each of the toy's arms. Press a toy hand onto each arm. Put the toy's legs side-by-side and hold the upper body on top of the legs to determine where to glue the legs to make them look natural. Apply wood glue to the top of each leg, then press them in place under the upper body.
- 8
  Apply wood glue to one side of each of the toy's arms, on the opposite end from where you glued the hand. Press each arm into the center of the toy's torso, near the top.

Wooden Toys