Watch for Empty Spools

The children could have never imagined how empty spools can be so useful. It not only gives them fun but also develop in them a new talent of making animals out of it. Let find out what this fun is.

With the animals safely corralled, Grandmother explained the next game while Bobby built a series of bridges. For piers he used tall slender spools joined at the top with strips of cardboard. These strips can be scotch-taped to the tops of the spools to hold them in place. The piers were placed just far enough apart for one of the painted spool cars to roll through.

Then each child was given four tries to get the four spool autos, one at a time, through any space between the bridge piers. The red spool counted five points, the blue four, the green three, and the yellow two. If a car in going through knocked down part of the bridge the driver lost two points. It kept Grandmother busy keeping score through the fun and excitement of the game.

Grandmother then had a surprise ready. She brought out a bunch of larger spools, one for each child, and showed the children how to make spool wind-up cars.

In addition to the spools each child was given a button (underwear-button size), a rubber band, some match sticks and some cellulose tape. Then she instructed them to thread the rubber band through one hole in the button. It can be forced through with a pin if necessary. Then she put a match, with the head removed, through the loop so that the rubber band wouldn't slip out of the button. The other end of the rubber band was put through the spool and held there by a short piece of match stick. To keep this end from slipping Grandmother taped it to the end of the spool.

The car was all ready now to be wound up. The button served as a bearing. Soon each child discovered that if he twisted the crank or long match stick until the rubber band was tight and put the spool on the floor, the little car would run rapidly across the room. These were tops in fun, and much more exciting than the many commercial wind-up cars the children had bought.

While the youngsters were playing with their cars, Grandmother set the supper table. At each plate was a spool place-card and for a centerpiece Grandmother had transferred the spool animals, made earlier by the children, to the center of the table. To the boys and girls this was more attractive than the fanciest floral arrangement.

Supper consisted of baked potato, creamed chicken, and new peas. The dessert was the surprise. Grandmother had baked a big cake and decorated it to look like a huge spool.

At going-home time, the children gathered their animals and wind-up cars, declaring that this spool party was lots of fun. The youngsters were sure that from here on they would be on the watch for all empty spools.