School: Castlecary

Location:
Ballyrattan, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Mary S.J. Donaghy
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1117, Page 36

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1117, Page 36

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  3. XML “Homemade Toys”

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  1. Every boy and girl find great amusements in spare time in making their own toys. The girls, and indeed, boys too, gather a bundle of daisies while herding the cows in the warm summer mornings, and make long necklaces by joining them together.
    The boys make spinning ginnies from a spool and put a piece of stick in the centre for a spike, and we can make two of them from a spool by cutting it in two.
    We can make guns from a boortree stick by cutting the soft white pulp out of the centre of it and it makes a good gun. Another home made toy represents a monkey up a stick, and when you squeeze the frame the wee man jumps about. It is made from a piece of flat wood. Then, again, we make toy whips from rushes by pleating the rushes together by one rush which is rolled round them. Then for a last we pleat the rushes and put a piece of whip cord for a crack and it can crack quite loudly.
    Kitemaking is still carried on as a home made toy by making a frame and covering it with a bag or a sheet of paper. A long
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
        1. entertainments and recreational activities (~5,933)
          1. toys (~1,598)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Arthur Peoples
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Castlecary, Co. Donegal