Mid-week Morsel: Free Downloadable American Boys & Girls Handybooks

If your kids are anything like mine, they have a toybox full of perfectly good toys, but would rather play with the empty toilet paper roll, an empty cereal box, and some tape.  This week's mid-week morsel offers two great books full of ideas to keep boys and girls busy for the whole year.  I originally discovered these books two years ago when Homeschool Freebie of the Day posted them on their website.  I was reminded of them this past week when the books were re-posted.  They were written around the turn of the 20th century, but still offer ideas and games for children today.

In the preface of The American Girls Handybook the authors state, "One of our objects is to impress upon the minds of the girls the fact that they all possess talent and ability to achieve more than they suppose possible..."  The books cover topics ranging from pressing flowers to homemade Christmas gifts.  The Girls' book 1 contains spring and summer activities, while the girls' book 2 contains autumn and winter activities.

In the preface of The American Boys Handybook the author states, "The sports, amusements, and games embraced in this book are intended to reach the average American boy of any age, not too young to fly a kite or too old to enjoy a good day's fishing."  The books contain every interest from choosing and caring for dogs to snowball warfare.  The boys' book 1 contains spring and summer activities, and the boys' book 2 contains autumn and winter activities.

Karissa