Gifts of games
Games are fun-time gifts for everyone. Although some games are
strictly for children and others are better for adults, both adults and
children will enjoy playing these games. When you give a game as a gift,
remember to include the rules.
Puzzle blocks will keep people of all ages amused for hours. These
blocks are made from wooden blocks covered with magazine and
greetingcard pictures. You will need six pictures —one for each side
of the blocks. Buy a set of wooden building blocks. Fill in all the low
parts around the raised letters with white glue. Let the glue dry.
Arrange the blocks in a square or rectangle. Tie a string around the
blocks to hold them in place. Glue a picture to the top of the blocks.
When the glue is dry, ask a grown-up to help you cut the blocks apart
with a sharp knife. To trim off the picture’s rough edges, cut around
each block with a scissors. Glue a picture on each side of the blocks.
Nine Men’s Morris has been played for about four hundred years! This
game can be as difficult to play as an adult wishes to make it, yet it
is simple enough for children to play. Playing instructions are on page
293.
You can make a board for playing Nine Men’s Morris from a piece of
j-inch plywood or from a piece of scrap wood that is 1 inch (2.5 cm)
thick. Read the Helpful hints on pages 198-203 before you start.
Cut the wood so it is about 9 or 10 inches (25 cm) square. Then sand the
wood. Drill twenty-four holes in the board. Paint lines connecting the
holes. Use eighteen golf tees for the playing pieces. Saw off the
pointed tips. Sand the tees. Then paint nine pieces one color, and the
other nine pieces a different color. Varnish.
Felt game boards are easy to make, interesting to touch, and can be
rolled up and taken on a trip.
To make a game board, use one of your games as a pattern. Use a large
piece of felt for the background. Cut out the board\’s design from small
pieces of felt. Lay all the pieces on the background to make sure
they’ll fit. Then glue them to the background. Glue small pieces to
larger ones first.
Use painted golf tees for playing pieces (see Nine Men’s Morris,
above). Buy a pair of dice in a variety store. If you choose a game with
cards, paint or print them (see *potato prints,).
Paint a canister to hold the board and playing pieces (see next page).
Kitchen capers
Canister sets can be used to hold flour, sugar, coffee, tea, nails,
screws, crayons, buttons, or anything else you want to collect and keep
in one place.
These canisters are made from coffee cans with plastic lids. Wash the
cans and lids and remove any paper labels. Give the cans three coats of
enamel paint. Then paint a design and labels on the cans.
Kitchen hangers hold potholders and mitts. Decorate a wooden spoon
with tempera paint and fabric scraps. Varnish the wood that shows. Drill
holes for the hanging cord (see drilling, page 201). Then screw threaded
hooks into the handle. Tap each hook into the handle with a hammer. Turn
and tighten the hooks. Thread the hanging cord or string through the
holes and tie a knot.
Potholders and mitts will make any cook happy.
To make the potholders, cut out the potholder shape from a doubled piece
of felt or quilted cotton. Cut out the same shape from a piece of
flannel or terry cloth toweling. Cut this shape a little smaller.
To make a loop, sew a folded piece of fabric, cord, or seam binding to
the wrong side of one of the felt or cotton pieces (see backstitch,
page 156). Then make a “sandwich” with the three pieces of material. Put
the terry cloth or flannel in the middle. Pin the pieces together. If
you are using material that ravels, turn in the edges first. Use the
backstitch or the overcast stitch to sew around the potholder (see
backstitch and overcast stitch, page 156). Sew on any
decorations or fancy stitches you like.
To make the mitt, make two large mitten-shaped potholders. Then sew the
two potholders together.
