I Can Make Toys

Do you remember the clothespin button racers we made last December?

Maybe you don't, but I on the other hand, have spent the last ten months searching for the book that inspired them. That might seem like a long time to look for a book, especially one originally found at the library. After all, how many toy making books can one library system have?

It turns out, ours has quite a few, and almost all of them are the not-searchable-at-Amazon type. I've been checking one or two out at a time, hoping to come across the right one, spurred to continue the hunt each time the post was linked or relinked by another sight, but with no success.

Finally, while going through a spiral notebook, where I had scribbled last year's ideas for fall crafts and projects, to see if we had missed any we might like to do this year, I found a small notation on the back cover..."clothespin racer - I Can Make Toys". At last!


I checked the book out, just to double check, and sure enough, it contains instructions for making a clothespin racer, among a number of other brilliantly simple toys for children to make.

I've edited the original post to credit Mary Wallace, and now plan on relaxing, and spending a rainy afternoon with my children, making "Flying Flappers", "Jet Gliders", or a team of toilet paper tube horses.

It's great to be a homeschooler.