I got an email from a fella mentioning his joy at having a granddaughter around. I thought back to the days when I was a terror to some and delight to others and fondly recalled some of the toys my father and grandfather made. I'll try to recall some an many were quite ingenious and a delight to fathom as a child... My grandfather enjoyed the mystery of things and passed this trait on to his sons, I was lucky enough to be around to see some of the things they built as magic boxes and games.
I though perhaps some folks had this sort of family experience and we could share some of them, maybe build a few memories for other folks.
1)
I recall one most clearly as my uncle in Norfolk still has a working version hanging in his house.
It's a simple wooden box (I'm sure there must be commercial versions) that hangs on a single string. It appears to be positioned mid-way on the string as about an equal length of the string also hangs below the box. The string hangs far enough for a little fella to reach the ring (or other attraction) attached to the dangling end (a kid trap). When the string is pulled the box rises on the string and continues to do so until it reaches the top of the string (so long as the lower string is pulled further). When the string is released the box settles back down the string to is resting place in the ~ middle of the string.
Once we were old enough the questions would start and eventually we were shown the inside of the box(es) and how it worked. I'm sure the elders enjoyed these sessions as much as some of the kids as I'd bet there were some pretty good speculations as to what was in the box to make it work!
I though perhaps some folks had this sort of family experience and we could share some of them, maybe build a few memories for other folks.
1)
I recall one most clearly as my uncle in Norfolk still has a working version hanging in his house.
It's a simple wooden box (I'm sure there must be commercial versions) that hangs on a single string. It appears to be positioned mid-way on the string as about an equal length of the string also hangs below the box. The string hangs far enough for a little fella to reach the ring (or other attraction) attached to the dangling end (a kid trap). When the string is pulled the box rises on the string and continues to do so until it reaches the top of the string (so long as the lower string is pulled further). When the string is released the box settles back down the string to is resting place in the ~ middle of the string.
Once we were old enough the questions would start and eventually we were shown the inside of the box(es) and how it worked. I'm sure the elders enjoyed these sessions as much as some of the kids as I'd bet there were some pretty good speculations as to what was in the box to make it work!
