Indoor And Outdoor Recreations For Girls - free ebook by Adelia B. (Adelia Belle) Beard

RECREATIONS FOR GIRLS

The publishers hereby give warning that the unauthorized printing of any portion of the text of this book, and the reproduction of any of the illustrations or diagrams, are expressly forbidden....

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EXPLANATORY NOTE TO NEW EDITION

Since the publication of this volume two years ago as "Handicraft and Recreation for Girls," it has occurred to us that "Recreations" alone much more accurately defines the contents, for the handicrafts represented are only those that in effect are recreations. Therefore we have thought it best to drop the word Handicraft and issue the new edition under the more appropriate title, "Recreations for Girls." September, 1906....

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PREFACE

This book, like a girl's life, is divided into two parts: occupation and amusement, or handicraft and recreation. It is not equally divided, for handicraft is so much more like play than work, and is so entertaining in itself, we find difficulty in drawing a distinct line between that and recreation. The one insists upon blending with the other and the book, after all, is a book of entertainment. With the old handicrafts coming back into favor and new ones constantly being brought forward, a gir

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CHAPTER I

All the old handicrafts are coming back again, and ere long we shall be as proud as the maids in Revolutionary times of our hand-spun and hand-woven fabrics. To be able to spin and weave is to be accomplished in the newest as well as the oldest of household arts. Is the old spinning-wheel in the attic, neglected and covered with dust, or in the parlor, decked in all its bravery of blue ribbons and snowy flax? Bring it out, wherever it may be, and for the first time in many years it shall buzz an

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CHAPTER II

If it is natural to weave, it should also be natural to make one's own loom, and Make the frame for the loom of a smooth piece of soft pine-board, fifteen inches long by nine inches wide ( Fig. 12 ). Make the heddles of two flat sticks, nine inches long, half an inch wide, and one-eighth of an inch thick (Figs. 13 and 14). From another flat stick of the same thickness, nine inches long by one inch wide, make the shuttle ( Fig. 15 ). With a pencil and ruler draw two straight lines across the boar

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CHAPTER III

Drive twelve large tacks in a straight line across the top edge of the board; place the tacks one inch and a half apart ( Fig. 25 ), and with a pencil draw lightly a line across the board from side to side, one inch and a half below the tacks. This will guide you in keeping the knots even. Be sure that the line is perfectly straight; then draw another line one inch and a half below the first and continue making lines until the board is covered with them, at equal distances apart and running acro

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CHAPTER IV

It is great fun, yet there is still more entertainment to be found in these pretty shavings. Gather an armful, then, choosing the most perfect ones, not too thin, with firm, smooth edges, and you shall weave them into Pine-shavings are the best to use, as they are less brittle than those of harder woods. Select a number and put them to soak in cold water to make them soft and pliable. Then, lifting out those of an even width, place them before you on a lap-board or table, and after passing them

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CHAPTER V

An old bamboo fishing-rod, a length of handle from a long-handled dusting or window brush, or any kind of a long, slender, smooth, round stick will do for the top curtain-pole from which to hang the reeds. Lay the pole across a table in front of and parallel to you; then tie the centres of four pieces of cord of even lengths on it at equal distances from each other ( Fig. 49 ). Detail of the work is given in Fig. 50 . Place a cat-tail reed up against the four ties, allowing one string from each

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CHAPTER VI

"Go 'long, chile, I done got 'nough to do 'thout makin' no hoppergrass-houses." "Please, mammy, only one, and then I can make them for myself. I'll watch you just as close. Won't you, mammy?" "Pick me some grasses, then; I 'low I has to, but don't yo' come pesterin' me no more after this time. "Seed-top grasses, honey, seed-top grasses; don't git me none of them blade kind. Ketch hol' near the top and pull 'em up slow like, then they'll come out nice and smooth, an' leave they ole rough skins be

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CHAPTER VII

Hemp rope and cotton, large rope and small, down to the ordinary heavy twine, all lend themselves to this work. It requires a rather heavy clothes-line, one considerably lighter, called by some rope-cord, and a piece of strong twine for the Make the bottom of a board two feet long and sixteen inches wide, and on each end of the board nail securely one-half of a barrel-hoop ( Fig. 78 ). From an old broom-stick cut four rounds one inch thick for the feet ( Fig. 79 ), and fasten one round to each c

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CHAPTER VIII

A basket measuring about six inches in diameter and three inches in height is a convenient size on which to learn. Wipe the dripping water from the splint, and cut off six pieces nineteen inches long; then cut these into sixteen strips one-half inch wide, for the spokes of the basket. Do not attempt to tear the splint, for it will not tear evenly. From the other piece of splint cut four strips for weavers, making the first one-half of an inch wide, the next one-fourth of an inch wide, another on

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CHAPTER IX

You must select paper of the necessary color, and fold, roll, fold, squeeze, fold, tie, with here a little pull and there a little pat, a spreading out, a pinching in; that is all. There is no sewing, no pasting, no pinning, merely modelling and tying, using only tissue-paper and string. These animals are very substantial and unique. They are not at all thin or flat, but well rounded out and lifelike, with character and independence enough to stand alone—just the kind your little brother and sis

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CHAPTER X

There are no patterns, only circles and squares and strips of paper which you gather here, spread out there, wrap and tie some place else and, with deft fingers, model into almost exact reproductions of the natural flower before you. With its unfamiliar terms to be committed to memory and the many parts of the flower to be distinguished, botany is apt to prove dry and tiresome to the little child, but to study nature by copying the flowers in this marvellously adaptable material is only a beauti

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CHAPTER XI

To make Take one sheet of the white paper at a time and draw it lengthwise through your hands, creasing or crimping it as in Fig. 149 . Do this to all the eight sheets. Then, pulling six of them partly open, place them evenly one on top of another and fold through the middle ( Fig. 150 ). Take another sheet of the crimped paper and roll it into a ball like Fig. 151 . Open the folded paper, place the ball in the middle, bring the paper down over the ball and wrap and tie just below with coarse li

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CHAPTER XII

Take for Now that we have our camping-ground, the first thing we must do is to Cut twelve slender sticks eleven inches long and sharpen the heavy end of each into a flat point ( Fig. 168 ). The sticks must be straight, for they are wigwam-poles. Tie three poles together two inches from their tops and spread out the sharpened ends at nearly equal distances apart on the circle line; mark the spots where they rest and bore gimlet-holes in each place through the cloth into the wood. Enlarge each hol

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CHAPTER XIII

The kitchen in those days was the chief apartment and the most interesting room in the house. Who would want to go into the stiff, prim "best room" when they could be so much more comfortable in the spacious kitchen where everyone was busy and happy, and where apples could be hung by a string in front of the fire to roast and made to spin cheerily when the string was twisted, that all sides might be equally heated? Any girl or boy to-day would be only too glad of a chance to sit on a log in fron

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CHAPTER XIV

We will make our No paste is used in making the building; the design is merely cut out, bent into shape, and fastened together with projecting tongues run through slits. Cut all the heavy lines, lightly score, then bend all the dotted lines, except the two immediately across the front of the room at top and bottom. This front is five inches wide and four and a half inches high, with two openings in it and a portion extending down in front to form the little porch. Make a pinhole at each end of t

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CHAPTER XV

For centuries the great white Czars have been crowned in the To give a true conception of the wonderful interior of the sacred cathedral to one who has never seen it, is impossible, but we can gain an idea of the general appearance of the exterior by making a miniature Cathedral of the Assumption ( Fig. 299 ). Find, or make, a firm white pasteboard box seven inches long, five and one-quarter inches wide, and four and one-half inches high; this is for the body of the building. Fold a strip of pap

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CHAPTER XVI

First they wove rude baskets for holding and carrying food; then they learned that cooked food was better than uncooked and could be preserved much longer, so they made baskets of a closer weave and cooked in them by means of water heated by hot stones; finally, they tried cooking over the fire in shallow baskets lined with clay. The clay came out of the basket baked and hard, and behold, they had a new kind of vessel—fire-proof and water-proof. We may imagine with what joy they welcomed this ad

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CHAPTER XVII

It is not difficult to model a All you need for the work is a lump of soft clay, a hat-pin, your fingers, and determination to succeed. Take a piece of clay ( Fig. 330 ) and roll it between your hands until it resembles Fig. 331 . Push the two ends together, causing the roll to hump up slightly near the centre, lay it down on a board or any hard, flat surface, and with the fingers carefully pat, squeeze, and push it into the form of Fig. 332 . Gently smooth out all roughness; then nip off little

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CHAPTER XVIII

If you can find an apple with a bump on one side, you may make a porcupine in less than five minutes, for all that is necessary is to stick the apple full of wooden toothpicks, and that work will be as easy as putting pins into a cushion. Let the bump on the apple form the head of the animal. Bend four toothpicks like Fig. 361 and push them up into the apple to serve as legs and feet. Make the bent toothpicks balance the apple perfectly, so that the porcupine will stand firmly on its feet withou

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CHAPTER XIX

Take a smooth piece of white tissue-paper, lay it over the drawing of Mary given here, and with a moderately soft pencil make a careful tracing of the little figure. Turn the paper the other side up and go over the lines again with a very soft pencil; then lay the paper right side up on a piece of white cardboard, a little larger than the page of this book. See that the figure is exactly in the middle and again go over the lines with your pencil. Remove the tissue-paper and strengthen the lines

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CHAPTER XX

First you must Cut from gilt or colored paper three scalloped disks four inches in diameter ( Fig. 400 ). Through the centre of each disk pass a needle threaded with doubled black linen thread, cover the under side of the disk with paste, separate the two ends of the thread and hold them down on each side of the large end of a shell, as shown in Fig. 401 ; then draw the disk down and paste it upon the shell over the threads. If the ends of the thread extend below the disk, clip them off with sha

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CHAPTER XXI

From certain customs of these bygone days we can evolve a delightful entertainment and call it the Twentieth Century May day. The most important personage on this occasion is the May Queen, who must win her crown by skill in archery. The next in importance is the King who wins his title in the same way. Of course, Select a good position on a tree or fence. Drive in a nail at the proper height and hang the target by the staple in its rim; then with a stick or stone mark a line on the ground about

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CHAPTER XXII

Each player in turn must take the shovel and dig in the mine until one gold nugget is found. He must then open the package carefully and read aloud the fortune Fate has given him, while the other players look on and listen. The fairies can readily whittle or saw out a wooden mining shovel from a shingle or thin box-lid. Tell them to make it about four inches long and three wide, with a handle eleven inches in length. Try to think of original ideas to write on the slips of fortune paper, or, fail

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CHAPTER XXIII

With a soft lead-pencil trace the frog ( Fig. 449 ) on tracing-paper; then transfer it to a very soft, pliable piece of white cotton mull or any white cloth that will stretch readily when pulled, for stretch it must, or the frog will not jump. Turn the square of cloth so that it will resemble the ace of diamonds in a pack of playing-cards, having one point up, one down, one at the right and one at the left hand. Fasten the cloth over a piece of white paper on a smooth board or table with thumb-t

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CHAPTER XXIV

You might cut out of writing-paper two small dolls and bend them so that they will sit on the teeter. The least bit of paste on the ball of the teeter finger of your left hand and some more on the nail of the teeter finger of your right hand will fix the paper children securely on the teeter, and you can make it go as fast as you please without danger of the dolls' falling off. Fig. 462 gives the pattern for the dolls; Fig. 463 shows how to bend them, and Fig. 464 gives a little paper girl seate

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CHAPTER XXV

You may crowd a room with the rarest and most expensive flowers, but so arrange them that more than half of the effect of their beauty is lost; and you may have only one flower, but if it be the right kind of flower in the right kind of vase, and placed in just the right spot, your room will appear abundantly decorated and be filled with the beauty and sweetness of the one blossom. In a house where good taste always prevailed there stood, one day, on the uncovered top of a grand piano a tall, co

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CHAPTER XXVI

Similar playhouses may be built by children in any spot where trees grow within a short distance of each other. In place of tropical decorations the young builders can use the most ornamental bouquets within reach, selecting foliage and flowers which will keep fresh at least for a few hours. If trees are not available, make the open-air Tie a strong piece of twine securely to the end of each of the ribs and tie the loose end of each piece of twine around the notch cut in a pointed wooden peg a s

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CHAPTER XXVII

On each end of the counter nail an empty wooden box. Stand the box on one end and let the open part face backward; put your hand inside and drive a few nails through box and counter to fasten the box securely in place. Do the same with the second box and your counter will be ready for These are very necessary in weighing different articles. They can be made of the round covers of two large-sized baking-powder or cracker cans ( Fig. 514 ). Have the covers exactly the same size, and punch three ho

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CHAPTER XXVIII

Carefully detach the rose petals one by one, beginning with the outermost and largest. Be cautious not to bruise or injure the fragile little things. Cut the sail and mast all in one piece from tissue-paper ( Fig. 538 ). Fold the mast over twice, according to the dotted lines, that it may be stiff and able to stand erect. Bend the lower portion of the mast as in Fig. 539 . Paste the inner sides of the fold together, and it will form a flat piece extending out on each side of the mast ( Fig. 540

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CHAPTER XXIX

June is the ideal time for picnics; in this month there are so many perfect days, when none should work, but all should play, that one is prompted to plan for a little fun and frolic, including an informal Should the ride be more than a mile or two, the way may be beguiled with gay songs and choruses, or games in which all may join while sitting quietly in their places. Such a game is the old one The leader proceeds with "Simon says, 'Thumbs up,'" then up must go all thumbs, and when "Simon says

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