WAR TIME OCCUPATIONS FLORENCE O. BEAN 1918 Fig. 1 WAR TIME OCCUPATIONS A MANUAL OF SIMPLE CONSTRUCTIVE WORK SUITABLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL BY FLORENCE O. BEAN MANUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AUTHOR OF BOOKBINDING FOR BEGINNERS DRAWINGS MADE BY GEORGE M. MORRIS PRICE TWENTY-FIVE CENTS Copyright, 1918 By Florence O. Bean ^Pfi 1 1 m ©CI,A496095 CONTENTS 1. Aims —Pedagogical OR P RODUCTIVr 3 2. Standards .... 5 3. Materials .... 6 4. Tools 8 5. Cutting, Pressing and Pasting 10 6. Construction of a Rectangle 12 7. Scrap Card 13 8. Scrap Book 14 9. Pigture Puzzles 16 10. Envelopes . 18 11. Tangram . 22 12. T Puzzle . 22 13. Bags 24 14. Dominoes 26 15. Domino Cases . 29 16. Slip Box . 32 17. Checker Board 33 18. Checkers 37 19. Knitting Needles 39 20. Trench Candles 40 FOREWORD "Teacher, teacher, what shall I do? I'm all through, I'm all through; I've finished all I've begun; What shall I do now I've got that done? " So paraphrased a clever teacher the insistent de- mands of her pupils for something further to do. Many have been asked, but fewer have answered to wholly mutual satisfaction. Now comes the great war which touches more or less the lives of every one of us, and with one voice we cry, ''What shall I do to help?" Whatever may be said on the other side, it is certain that as a nation we shall reap many benefits, and some of them are al- ready apparent in the increased industry of the peo- ple, their plainer mode of living, and their greater seri- ousness of thought. This little volume presents an educational oppor- tunity arising out of the situation, and incMentally for- mulates an answer to the eager questioning of youth. It shows how the handwork of children may meet a real demand, and thereby re-act on the interest and enthusiasm of children to be a part of real life. There has been no attempt to include such products as re- quire technical skill or advanced knowledge. Every- thing here described is of simple character and was originally intended as part of an .elementary manual training course. The possibility of producing these articles by classes of young children was fully demonstrated in the Bos- ton Public Schools when thousands of them were sent +0 tne Metropolitan Chapter of the Red Cross for usp in the Christmas bags. Experience has also proved the feasibility of such production at home, in a church parlor, or a club-room, with workers of all ages. When completed they may be sent to individual soldiers or turned over to the local Red Cross chapter whose of- ficials should of course first be consulted concerning the expediency of sending the gifts. Occupations for convalescent soldiers are already attracting attention and here are suggestions for one line of activity, which has already been tried out with success. The writer lays no claim to having originated all the suggestions herein contained for there have been many with willing hearts and resourceful minds who have assisted greatly in developing the projects and sug- gesting means for carrying them out. Miss Maude G. Leadbetter, Director Junior Depart- ment of New England Division, took the initiative in requesting the production of the work. Her unfail- ing appreciation and that of her associates has been a constant source of inspiration and a full reward for the effort occasioned. The Boston teachers of the fourth and fifth grades deserve great credit for their many and helpful sug- gestions for modifications and processes. As always Mr. John C. Brodhead of the Department of Manual Arts, Boston Public Schools, was of con- stant help and inspiration, and Mr. Edward C. Em.er- son of the same department gave much practical as- sistance. The drawings of Mr. George M. Morris vspeak for themselves. Grateful acknov/ledgment is also due Miss Harriet F. Smith, who designed the chessmen and the arrange- ment of the title page and cover. That the simple problems here offered may serve the two-fold purpose of assisting manual training to be in touch with the vitsl interests of the time, and of utilizing the products of manual training to give com- fort and cheer to our scldiers and sailors is the earnest hope of THE AUTHOR. AIMS— PEDAGOGICAL OR PRODUCTIVE. In producing the articles here described it is possi- ble to kill the proverbial two birds or to aim straight at the one leaving the other to go undisturbed. But before taking aim one should decide what he intends to hit. If the aim is production alone, as would be true in clubs, some points that are of educational value may be omitted. The work may be portioned out so that some individuals always do one thing and some an- other, the object being to turn out as many finished products as possible. On the opposite side, if the production of these ar- ticles is subordinate to hand training and used as a means to an end quite different methods should be fol- lowed. The finished article should be shown to the class and its construction carefully discussed. Work- ing drawings should be worked out at least on the black- board and may be made by individuals on paper at their desks. It is not necessary nor always advisable that the drawings should be made to scale, in fact freehand sketches which record the thought and plan of the worker are all that are necessary as guides. With small children a straight edge may be used to insure straight lines and nullify a tendency to drop into slipshod meth- ods and to be satisfied with slovenly results. Dimen- sioning should be done according to accepted methods and the teacher should have knowledge of the correct use of dimension and extension lines, arrow heads, etc. However simply ''mechanical drawing" is taught there should be nothing for the pupil to unlearn in later ad- vanced work. The laying out of the parts on the various materials should be done accurately and carefully whether the Jf'AA' TIME OCCl'PATIOXS drawings were made accurately or simply sketched as above suggested, and here the teacher shows her in- sight by determining which method is best adapted to her class. This is not the occasion for a pedagogical treatise and so the good teacher is advised to pursue her usual methods of presentation when adapting the contents of this book to her use. To those who are inexperienced in ways pedagogi- cal, but who have some skill of hand, a little practice combined with a judicious amount of common sense will make the way plain. IVAA' TIME OCCUPATIONS STANDARDS. It is quite essential that high standards be main- tained especially in accepting articles for distribution. To be sure, there is in the act of constructing a defi- nite educational value to the child who puts forth an effort. The opportunity to contribute in any way to a worthy cause is most inspiring, and often productive of results far above the ordinary. All these facts should be considered in judging the work from a peda- gogical standpoint. But when the final judgment is pronounced, nothing should be accepted which has not a commercial value, which would not be a marketable product. The recipient to be is probably not more in- terested in the producer than are you when you pur- chase a game at the toy store. The fact that only the best is to be used often has a most salutary effect upon the worker whether child or adult. In any case it is well to have a "censor" as it were who shall accept or discard all articles before they are forwarded to any distributing agency. ({ .7 A' TIME OC C 7 /> 7 JIOXS MATERIALS. For the most part the materials here specified are inexpensive and may be purchased of a school supply house. Those that are in general use like newspapers^ cloth, paints, crayons, etc, are not listed. When pur- chasing a supply it is well to see at least samples of all goods. Vellum and lining paper should harmonize in color An analogous harmony is preferable to a con- trast. Newsbcard. A heavy cardboard used for the foundation of book- covers, and articles of similar construction, etc., The commercial size of each sheet is 26"x38" which comes in various weights specified by a number indicating how many sheets there are in each 100-lb. bundle. For convenience in handling, the sheets should be cut by the dealer into quarters, that is 13x19 and for the pur- poses here specified No.- 50 is recommended. Vellum. A cloth in common use by bookbinders for covering. It comes in many colors but the darker tones are more serviceable. A middle green, brown, and deep red are very satisfactory, and are more easily matched with lining paper, cord, or other accessories. Vellum is bought by the yard and approximates one yard in width. Lining Paper. There are so many varieties of paper under this des- ignation that no attempt can be made to describe them. It is sold by the sheet, quire, or ream, and can irAA' rii\rE occrj'ATioxs be obtained from a bookbinder or a school supply house. Some of the cheapest qualities are too thin to be handled by inexperienced workers and in choos- ing, one should select a paper that is tough enough to be handled when wet with paste. Eyelets. In purchasing choose the same make as the eyelet punch and specify the 3/16 inch size. If punch and eyelets are of different makes they do not always fit. M\-l/^ TIME OCCrPATIOXS TOOLS. Only simple tools are needed for construction, most of which may be purchased at a school supply house or a hardware store. Pencils. Hard or medium for construction work. Soft for darkening squares of checkerboard. Foot Rule. Divided into eighths or sixteenths. Scissors. Six or seven inches long. Triangle. Of wood, with open frame, each of the small angles 45 degrees. This is used in constructing right angles. Eyelet Punch. This is necessary if eyelets are to be inserted. A simple style operated by hand is recommended for general use. The same punch is useful for making holes in the dominoes. Conductor's Punch. A lighter and cheaper variety than the eyelet punch but can be used only for punching holes not inserting eyelets. If additional punches are needed for making the dominoes this kind answers the purpose just as IV A /e 77ME OCCL'PAT/OXS '9 well. These punches are made to cut a great variety of shapes, therefore one should be careful to select a punch with a round hole of approximately 1/8 inch diameter. Cardboard Cutter. This as its name implies is used for cutting card- board either heavy or light and may also be used for cutting paper or vellum. It consists of a board marked off into half-inch squares, with knife attached at the side. The fifteen-inch size is best for general use although the lighter and cheaper twelve-inch size will do. Any other tools referred to are either to be found in household use or may be purchased as suggested above. 10 U'AJ^ TIME OCCC'PATIOXS CUTTING, PASTING, AND PRESSING. The methods by which these three processes are car- ried on make all the difference possible in the results, and one should be certain that the best methods are first known and then followed. Cutting. 1. Cardboard Cutter. This should be used for all heavy cardboard, and may be used for other materials. 2. Scissors. All light weight materials may be cut with scissors. If the work is given for educational purposes, much cutting should be done with scissors as this affords excellent hand training. To cut well, the materials should be held in the left hand, and the cutting should be done on the line at the left. The ma- terial should be turned so that one side after another occupies this position. The scissors should be opened as W'de as possible, and all cutting begun near the joint. Always cut past the corners except when cutting an interior angle. Vellum may be torn lengthwise but not crosswise. A torn edge may be used when it is to be covered, but not otherwise. Pasting. Paste is more satisfactory for use when placed in a shallow open-mouthed receptacle. It should be ap- plied with a brush and the hands kept as free from paste as possible. Plenty of clean newspapers should Oe at hand so that fresh surfaces are always available. Lay the material to be pasted upon a sheet of news- paper, and apply the paste evenly. If any lumps from the paste or hairs from the brush have adhered to the sui'face, be sure that they are carefully removed, as otherwise they will show through. Be prepared to use U\IA' TIME OCCrPATlOXS the pasted surface immediately, for if it is allowed to stand, it either becomes too dry, or soaks into the ma- terial distorting its shape. When newsboard and vellum are to be pasted to- gether, apply the paste to the surface of the latter, having previously marked with pencil the position the newsboard is to occupy. When the paste has been evenly spread, press the newsboard upon the vellum; then turn them over and rub the vellum vigorously upon the right side. Cut the corners after the newsboard has been pasted to the vellum. (See Plates 7 and ) for correct cutting.) Care should be exercised in making these cuts as the appearance of the corner is of great importance. Before turning over the laps it will be necessary to apply more paste. When this has been done turn over that on the iartnest side pulling it over on to the news- beard with considerable force. Turn the work around so that the lap opposite to that first pasted will be farthest away; fold and paste that. Do not fold the edge of the vellum under but paste the raw edge flat. All laps should cling closely to the news- board and be thoroughly rubbed down. Warping is likely to appear when only one side of the newsboard has been covered, but this is removed when the opposite side is covered and pressed. Pressing. Best results cannot be obtained without pressing. All pasted articles should be put under weight when drying, whether they are completed articles or not. A hand press, while convenient, is by no means essential. A pile of heavy books, a box of brick or stone, in fact any article of sufficient weight to press may Jbe sub- stituted. If several articles are to be pressed at once so that they need to be arranged in layers, these lay- ers should be separated by several sheets of new^spaper or newsboard to expedite the drying out of moisture. 12 ir.-JA' TIME OCCr PATIO xs CONSTRUCTION OF A RECTANGLE. A fair degree of accurac}^ is desirable in all articles here described, and in some of them it is quite essen- tial. All corners should be right angles to bring the work to proper standard. When a rectangle is to be laid out either on paper or any of the bookbinding materials to be used, follow the mode of procedure o;iven below. Near the lower edge of the surface to be used draw a line, all the way across. On this lay off the length of one long side of the rectangle placing two points to. mark it. At these points place the triangle as shown in Figure 2 and erect the parpsndiculars. Notice that the inside of the triangle is placed against the base line while the perpendicular is drawn against the out- side. On these perpendiculars lay off the width of the rectangle. Before drawing the fourth side by con- IV A J^ TIME OCCVPATfOSS 13 necting the points thus placed the distance between them should be measured to see if it exactly corres- ponds with the distance first laid off. If there is any discrepancy this shows that the angles are not abso- lutely correct and should be adjusted before the fourth side is drawn. If a triangle is not available the square corner of a card may be substituted. SCRAP-CARD. Materials: Cardboard, clippings, paste. Cut a piece of cardboard 5"xl2". On both sides, mount jokes, interesting short stories, pictures or poetry. About half an inch down from the center of the top, punch a hole and insert a piece of twine 10" long. When this twine is of the right length, double it, put the loop through the hole, and pull the ends through the loop. (See Fig. 3.) These cards are hung on beds in hospitals. , 14 ir.lA' TIME OCCrPATRWS SCRAP-BOOK. Materials: Pages from magazines, clippings and wrap- ping paper. T. Many magazines and papers contain good short stories while for various reasons it may not be desir- able to send the whole publication. Such stories may well be made up into scrap-books and serve to beguile many a monotonous hour. Do not paste the stories to a foundation page, but take whole pages from a magazine, even if there is some irrelevant printing. This not only makes less work, but insures a neater page, and lessens the we:ght. Use several stories on pages of the same size. For covers, use a sheet of smooth clean wrap- ping paper folded through the center. Against the i.iside of this fold, place the pages which have been trimmed to uniform width, and with covers closed, stitch the entire length of the page, either on sewing machine or by hand with two threads. The titles of the stories or articles may be printed or written on the cover. II. Make a book with leaves of wrapping paper each the size of a postcard. To these paste small clippings and pictures. Use colored postcards for the covers and fasten together at one short edge of each. This is easily carried in the pocket and when read is quite likely to be passed on. III. Fold sheets of wrapping paper to form pages about the size of an ordinary magazine and stitch thiem through the fold. To these paste stories, poetry, pic- tures, or any clippings likely to amuse or interest. Do not use those which are sad or harrowing. 16 , //WiV TLVE OCCVPATIONS PICTURE PUZZLES. In selecting pictures for this purpose, choose those that are pleasing and of probable interest to men. Col- ored pictures are much to be preferred to those in black and white, or even in brown. So many of the magazines and advertising circulars offer excellent col- ored pictures that they are not difficult to procure. I. Post Cards. An interesting post card cut into fifteen to twenty- five pieces makes a good simple puzzle. Use sharp scissors for cutting, and make straight lines only. Put the pieces into a small envelope properly labeled. iSee J-age 17). II. Mounted on Cardboard. Select a picture (not larger than 9"xl2") ; paste it smoothly and securely to heavy cardboard, and dry it under weight. If there are any blisters or rough places, the value of the puzzle is very much lessened. Whea thoroughlv^ dry, use the cardboard cutter to cut into irregular pieces. If scissors are used, the edges are quite likely to be rough, and unless they are smooth no puzzle can be put together with any degree of sat- isfaction. All lines should be straight — no curves. Cut the puzzle first into four or five large pieces, and these into smaller ones. Good judgment as to the size of pieces should be exercised. If too large, there is very little ''puzzle", if too small, the fussiness takes awav the interest. When cut, it is advisable to ''check up" by having the puzzle put together. Fl9ce the piece in an envelope (See Plates 1 and 3) or a bag (See Page 24) and securely fasten. WAA' TIME OCCrPATIOXS 17 III. Mounted on Wood. Select a well colored interesting picture, and mount it carefully on thin wood. Larger pictures may be used for this than those mounted on cardboard if de- sired. A scroll-saw should be used for cutting these, and curved lines as well as straight may be used. Try to avoid making long narrow pieces which are likely to split off. Rub the edge of each piece with fine sand- paper to smooth off any roughness left by the saw, but do not change the shape or round the edges. When finished put the pieces in a box or bag. ENVELOPE \ 4 r / \ ' 1 \ 1 1 \ 1 ' \ ' ' \/ / /V / N ^ \'4 X \ V ^ EYELET-, (of ? / ' / / / / / / / / / ' / / / / f ^ 1 \ 1 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ -1^ \ "-^^ 6 t u^ r/Wye TIME occri'ATroxs ENVELOPES. Material: Wrapping paper. Small envelopes are easily constructed from a rec- tangle. The size may be varied but the two drawings (Plates 1 and 3) are of suitable dimensions as indi- cated. To construct small envelope: First draw outside rectangle which includes whole envelope. (See Plate 2). From the sides, top, and bottom lay off correct distances to make small rectangles at the corners. Connect these points by light lines. Cut first the out- side lines and then the four small rectangles from each corner. Fold long edges together but do not crease through the center. With the scissors round off the corners of flaps, and curve the opening. This is more pleasing than an unmodified rectangle. (For sue'2:estions see Plate 3). Make the proper folds on the lines and crease hard with edge of rule or folder. Paste first the long edges and then the bottom flap. A larger envelope may be constructed in the same manner. That shown in Plate 1 is of another style and its construction may be determined by a study of the drawing. Upon the face of the envelope in good hand lettering well placed indicate the use of the contents. If the name of the maker is to be added the flap of the enve- lope is the best place for it. When in use the flap of the envelope should be fast- ened so that the contents will not fall out. A. It may be lightly pasted down so that the en- velope can be opened without tearing. Zf/.^/e TIME OCCUPATIONS PLATE 2 20 JV.-iJ? TIME OCCUPATIONS tO 2 O 00 h- (1 1 < Q- o O li- _J Q II 1 o > 1. -z. liJ UJ > 1- Q liJ UJ O r