Some toys are very elaborate, costing several hundred dollars. These are readily purchased, however, by people of means.
In the author's opinion the best kind of toys are those which suggest rather than fulfill, and those with which the child can really do something. Mechanical toys, which supply their own energy, should not be allowed to take the place of those into which the child must infuse part of his own life and energy. It follows naturally, then, that the toys made by the children themselves are the ideal ones.
[EQUIPMENT.]
The following drawings vary in difficulty from those within the ability of a nine or ten-year-old child to those which should not be attempted by a child under junior high school age. Of course there are younger boys, who possess especial ability in this line of work and who can successfully carry through projects which the ordinary child of a like age would fail to satisfactorily complete. Such boys are, however, the exception.
For the younger workman the following outfit is ample:
One coping saw frame.
One dozen saw blades.
A sloyd knife or a pocket knife with a small stone to keep it sharp.
Some No. 1 sandpaper, a small can of glue and some one inch brads.