# Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys/Chapter 20

Layout 2
CHAPTER XX A HOME-MADE TOY MAIL-BOX
The mail-box shown in Figs. 325 and 326 is easily made, and with
​Figure 327 shows the diagrams for
Making the Sides, Ends, and Bottom of the mail-box, with the dimensions of every portion marked upon them.
Fig. 327.—Diagram for Making Sides, Ends, and Bottom of Mail-Box. Fig. 328.—Diagram for Making Top. Fig. 329.—Diagram for Making End Pieces of Letter-Drop. Fig. 330.—Diagram for Making Front Piece of Letter-Drop.
Fig. 325.—The Home-Made Mail-Box Strapped to the Face of a Door.
Fig. 326.—The Home-Made Mail-Box Strapped to a Chair Back.
Fig. 331.—The Sides, Ends, and Bottom, folded ready to be put Together.
The dotted lines upon the diagram indicate where the cardboard should be folded. Figure 331 shows the sides, ends, and bottom folded ready to be put together. Turn the flaps inside, and glue them to the end pieces, and glue the two bottom pieces together; also sew the cardboard with a double thread to make the joining doubly secure.
The Top of the Box—the diagram for the cutting of which is shown in Fig.—328 has a piece 3 by 7 inches cut out on all but one long side, and bent up to form the top of
Fig. 332.—Top, showing how Portion is Bent up for Back of Letter-Drop. Fig. 333.—Ends of Letter-Drop. Fig. 334.—Front of Letter-Drop. Fig. 335.—Top, with Letter-Drop Completed.
The Letter-Drop (Fig. 332). The diagram for the ends of the letter-drop is shown in Fig. 329, and for the front in Fig. 330; Fig. 333 shows how cloth flaps are glued to the end piece; and Fig. ​335 shows how the end pieces are fastened to the top of the box by means of these flaps. Glue a strip of cloth to each side of the lower edge of the letter-drop front piece for hinges (Fig. 334), and glue one to the inside and the other to the outside of the top of the box (Fig. 335). Attach rubber-bands to the front and ends of the drop to make it spring shut. Glue and sew the top of the box to the flaps provided on the front and back for the purpose.
Figure 336 shows the diagram for
Fig. 336.—Diagram for Making Collection-Drop. Fig. 337.—How the Collection-Drop is Folded. Fig. 338.—The Collection-Drop Hinged in Place.
The Collection-Drop, and Fig. 337 how it looks folded. Hinge the drop to the box with a cloth strip (Fig. 338).
​Covering the Box. Silver paper makes the nicest finish for the mail-box, and can be bought of a stationer: but you may paint the cardboard with aluminum radiator paint instead if you prefer. If you use silver paper, stick it on with flour paste.
After the paper or paint has dried, paste
A Collection Schedule Card upon the front of the box. You will need, also, to
Letter the words, "Pull Down," "Letters," etc., where they are shown in the illustrations.
Hang up the Mail-Box by means of its tape strap, within easy reach, upon the face of a door (Fig. 325), or to the back of a chair (Fig. 326).
For a Mail-Bag use a school-book bag, or make one just like a real postman's out of brown denim or cambric. Letter "U. S. Mail" upon the bag with black paint, or cut the letters from black or white muslin and glue them in place. Provide a long strap to reach over the postman's shoulder.
The Way to Play Post-Office is for several children to attend to the writing of letters and wrapping of parcels, another to play mail clerk, who puts the post-marks on the mail and sorts it out into "routes" and another to play postman.
Canceled stamps from old letters may be re-used on the play letters, and a rubber-stamp dater such as they sell at the stationer's for 10 cents may be used for printing the post-marks.