While busy with thread and needle, the mother may find it necessary to suggest some happy employment for the little one who asks for something to do. What do the contents of the sewing-basket hint?

BUTTONS

Spinning Button (Button, thread)

Show the child a button strung upon a strong thread about 12 inches long. Then hold the thread firmly between thumb and finger of each hand and twirl it rapidly, drawing it suddenly taut. The button whirls round, making a pretty spinning figure.

Stringing Buttons (Buttons, waxed thread)

If baby is so old that he is not tempted to swallow a pretty button, give him a strong thread waxed at the end to make it stiff, and let him make a chain of buttons. They may be strung according to size or color or shape, giving practice in counting, in arrangement, and in choice.

Buttons as Counters (Buttons)

Save disused buttons of the same kind and let the child classify into two or more sets to be used as counters in games like checkers or go-bang. See page 62.

Button-Mold Wheels (Molds, brush, water-color paints)

Give the child four wooden button-molds of the same size and let him paint spokes upon them so that they will be ready any time to use as wheels for a toy wagon. Call him a little wheelwright.

Button-Mold Tops (Molds, match or toothpick, gilding or paint)

Paint or gild a button-mold and then stick through the hole a toothpick or burnt match whittled to right size and show the child how to spin it.

Button-Mold Counters (See page 62)

SPOOLS

Toy Furniture (See page 15)

Toy Tree Boxes (Spools, green paint, matches, green paper, scissors, paste)

Let the child paint an empty spool green, to be used as a tree box. Insert a burnt match to which has been pasted some green paper, previously fringed, to represent foliage. The child can make a row of such trees as a little boulevard up which he can draw an empty match box for a carriage.

Spool Tower Target (A number of spools, ball)

Pile a number of spools one on top of another and let the child try to knock them down with his ball.

Toy Road Roller (Spool, cord, toy horse)

Tie a cord through a spool and hitch it as a road roller to the Noah's Ark horse.

Pulley Elevator (Narrow cardboard box, such as a corset box or shorter one, spool, cord, another small box, either saved or made, narrow enough to fit inside the larger one, skewer)

Stand the large box on its narrow end and near the top punch a hole on each side so that the holes are opposite to each other. Take a spool and run through it an axle made of a slender piece of wood like a skewer. Then put the ends of the axle in the holes in the box. This makes the pulley. Use the smaller box as an elevator. Tie a string to this little box in such a way that you can hold it up evenly. To do this you must punch a hole in each of the opposite sides. Then tie one end of a longer string to the middle of the first named, and put the other end over the pulley. Revolve the spool by pulling one end of the string and the box will be raised.

Matching Colors (Spools of silk or cotton of various colors, silk and cotton fabrics of different colors)

Have a color game, asking the child to try to match the colors on the spools with those in the fabrics.

NEEDLES

Breastpins (Broken needles, sealing wax, candle)

Take a large broken needle, such that it is intact except for the eye. Show the child how to make a pretty pin for dolly by melting the wax a little in the candle flame, inserting the head of the needle, and molding into shape the bit of wax that adheres.

Threading Needles (Needles, thread)

If eager to do something, give the child a number of needles with thread of white and black, and let him thread them and put them into a cushion so that they will be all ready for your use some morning when you are in a hurry to sew on a button or take a stitch in Tommy's little shirt.

MISCELLANEOUS

Thimble Biscuits (See page 104)

Drawing Scissors (Scissors, paper, pencil)

Give the child scissors and paper and let him place the scissors on the paper and draw the outline around them. Then tell him to cut out this outline. Make several such and play at keeping cutlery store. Draw scissors open at different angles and tell names of angles; right, acute, obtuse.

Guessing Distances (Ruler or tape measure)

Let the children guess the height and length of various objects in the room. Verify by measuring with the tape-measure. Tell them of Oliver Wendell Holmes, the great poet, who, whenever he drove into the country, carried a tape-measure with which to determine the girth of any large tree he saw.

Let children measure the size of the panes of glass, window-frames, etc.; have them tell how many feet it would take to carpet the floor.

Tell them to put father's hat on the floor, near the wall, and guess its height.

Such little exercises develop the powers of accurate observation in a way that may prove very helpful in an emergency.