Making your own toys

Transcription

1 Making your own toys For most children in South Africa, toy shops are very inaccessible. This chapter encourages adults and children to work together to create their own special, loved and expressive toys. In a chapter on making toys in the Hesperian book Disabled Village Children, the writers encourage us to give tools not toys ; to set up work spaces where children can invent and experiment and make their own constructions with adult assistance and coaching. In this way, double value is created: making and owning. Consult the book, which is available at www. hesperian.org, for more toy construction ideas. Balls Natural material balls and paper balls Cut the leg section of pantyhose. Push dried grass into the pantyhose until the desired ball size and tie a knot to secure the ball. Fold stocking back to make the ball stronger and tie again. Rubber band balls Connect rubber bands by looping together into a long string. Wind the string into a ball until it reaches the desired size. Plastic balls Mould pieces of any plastic wrapping into the shape of a ball. Secure the ball with tape. Continue wrapping plastic around the ball and taping down until the desired size is achieved. Soft stitched ball Cut 12 pentagon shapes of paper (get the pentagon shape off the autoshapes on a computer and enlarge to size needed). Be careful not to distort the shape and cut it out accurately. Cut 12 pentagon shapes of fabric 1cm larger than the paper. Tack the material tightly and accurately around the paper pentagon shapes. Top stitch the edges together until it forms a ball shape. Stuff with pantyhose or fibre filling. You could add a bell or shaker or different fillings to create different weights. Part 2: Play activities 115

2 Moving Hearts Dollies: from my heart to yours The Moving Hearts Dollies project began as a result of discussions with learners about the right to health. Serious healthcare issues affecting teenagers, such as drug addiction, HIV and teenage pregnancy, were also discussed as these are issues that learners deal with on a daily basis in their communities. The learners concluded that having a healthy body was a privilege that came with the personal responsibility of caring for and not abusing one's own body. To remind them of their health and the needs of children who suffer ill-health, Grade 9 learners from Cedar High School, Oaklands High School and South Peninsular High School were each tasked to make a doll to give away to a child who was ill or had a disability. The doll had to be small enough to be held in the child's hand. Using waste fabric, the learners created what became known as their Moving Hearts Dollies. During the creative process learners were asked to focus on what they would want to say to the child receiving the doll. These personal messages of support and encouragement were attached to the dolls. For more information about the Moving Hearts Dollies project, contact Liesl Hartman at the Frank Joubert Art Centre, Cape Town ( (Above): A doll maker explains the project to visitors at the Iziko Art Gallery where the dolls were displayed. (Below): A few of the Moving Hearts Dollies. 116 A Chance To Play

3 HOW TO MAKE A MOVING HEARTS DOLL 1. Start with a square piece of fabric, some stuffing and a piece of wool or string. 2. Pinch the centre of the fabric and stuff it to make a head. Tie with wool or string. 3. Cut into the fabric from the sides to form the arms. 4. Use thin strips of fabric to start binding the arms. 5. Use small pieces of fabric to end off the arms neatly. These form the doll s hands. 6. Tie the hands with wool or string. Bind across the belly to strengthen the joints. 7. Bind the body and legs with thin strips of fabric. Cover the feet in the same way you did the hands. Sew the loose bits of string and fabric away so that there are no bits hanging. 8. Sew hair and a face on the doll. If the fabric used is colourful, clothes may not be necessary, but they do add a more personal touch! 9. Make a heart and sew it somewhere on the clothes or body of the doll. Write a message to the child who will receive the doll. Attach it with a tag to the doll s arm or leg. Part 2: Play activities 117

4 Play tent Imagine a whole playground full of colourful tents and a great game of camping or house. What you need Sticks find five, 2m-long sticks. Clean them up for tent poles. Fabric visit your waste fabric centre and find material to fit five triangles and five rectangles. Take the pattern below with you to measure exactly what you need. How to make it Cut out five triangles (for the tent sides) and five rectangles (for the tent pole pockets). Hem top and bottom edges. Cut three quarters of the way up the middle of one triangle piece to create an opening for a door. Bind the opening with bias binding or fabric. Fold the rectangle pieces in half lengthways. Sew each folded rectangle between two triangles to form a pocket for a tent pole. Sew all pieces together in this way. Slip the tent poles into the pockets, secure top and bottom with drawing pins or tacks. Pitch the play tent by balancing poles over each other at the top, or secure poles with an extra piece of rope. Spread the sticks out at the bottom. The front opening might need a piece of tape to keep the sticks apart at the right distance. 20cm 150cm 20cm shorter than your sticks 15 0 cm Cut for door on one piece Cut 5 Cut 5 110cm 118 A Chance To Play

5 Cardboard box constructions Cardboard boxes can be cut up to form many different shapes. Try making a house, a hut, a car, a boat, a garage. Cut pieces of cardboard with a craft knife to fit the shape of your design. Bend and shape to make your project. Tape the pieces together with masking tape. The construction can be made very strong if you cover it with newspaper strips dipped in glue (wallpaper glue, wood glue slightly diluted, office glue or even flour and water glue). Smooth the edges and if necessary do a second layer. Allow to dry well and then paint and decorate. Modge podge glaze finishes it off very nicely. Learners from Elsie Mtshali Combined School in Greytown constructed houses out of cardboard boxes. Every home was unique and reflected the homes and environments they knew. Imagine other objects that could be made to go with the homes, and a game that could centre around a town, people, community... Soccer box Use packing crates to create a table soccer game; you could also try using a reinforced cardboard box. Make holes in the sides and insert thick dowelling sticks. Nail on soccer players made from wood off-cuts. Teams can be simply coloured by soaking in food colouring. This table soccer game was made by children participating in the Active Schools Initiate (see page 146). Celebrating local toy makers Consider how wire, tins, boxes, found wheels, tubing, bottles and so on can be inventively used to make toys. Support local toy making initiatives with tools, ideas and technical assistance. Support local toy makers. Visit the African Toy Shop website at Part 2: Play activities 119