Prefabricated, small fold-up structures are not difficult to cut and assemble from wallboard of appropriate thickness. Although hardboard automatically recommends itself on the score of durability, it is fairly heavy to handle and usually comes in dark shades which do not satisfy young tenants unless they are painted over, thereby increasing the weight. If used, the rough underside can serve as the outside, for stuccoed effects.

Grocery Store

Both boys and girls from four to ten years of age enjoy trading at improvised play stores, either in the role of the busy proprietor or as exacting patrons. Because one of their earliest shopping experiences is tied to repeated trips to the corner grocery or the centrally located Super Market, small fry unanimously vote for Grocery Store when someone says, "Let's play store." Which is just as well, since a grocery store is perhaps the easiest to stock from available household supplies.

Figure 4.2 shows a take-down store which can be cut and assembled from three pieces of reasonably strong wallboard of standard (4-ft.) width in minimum lengths (usually 6 ft.). For the sake of economy, the sides are cut 2 ft. wide from one piece of wallboard. In the layout diagramed by the side elevation, a 2-ft. side will allow the small storekeeper 11 in. of working space between the 41/2-in. shelves and the 10-in. counter, when the latter extends 1 1/2 in. beyond the fronts of the sides. Wider sides will of course permit a larger working space; however, since the sides are intended to fold back on cloth hinges against the rear of the back piece, the latter will have to be lengthened by an amount equal to the sum of the sides' extra widths. If preferred, the counter can be narrowed and from 1/2 to 3/4 in. lopped off the width of the shelves to accommodate more rotund grocerymen.

The hinges which attach the sides to the back, and the front valance to the roof, are pieces of linen cloth attached to both edges with strong glue. For this purpose buckram will stand up under considerable abuse. The strips of cloth are cut so as to allow a minimum overlap of 11/2 in. on both sides of the joint, the more the stronger. Fish glue, or any strong liquid glue which will penetrate between the cloth fibers, is applied along the two hinged surface and on one side of the cloth. The latter is then pressed evenly onto both surfaces with an old rolling pin, photographer's roller, or a bottle, until a good bond is assured. It should then be allowed to dry under weights overnight, and for several more hours after the weights are removed.

Playstore

Fig. 4.2. Playstore.

The 41/2-in. shelves, cut from wallboard waste, are glued so that they fold upward, with the hinge inside. In this case one-half of the cloth hinged must be glued, pressed, weighted, and dried to the rear edge of each shelf before it can be attached to the back piece. The same is true of the five triangular supports, which also fold flat with their hinges inside. Small scraps of wall-board can be glued to the undersides of the shelves as shown, to steady the supports. The ends of the shelves rest on 3/4- by 1-in. cleats, fastened with large-headed wire nails which are long enough to be clinched on the inside.

In like manner two 3/4-in. by 1-in. strips are fastened lengthwise to the underside of the counter, straddling the front piece. The latter is notched at its upper ends to allow for the cleats on which the counter ends rest. It is suggested that if a spare piece of Masonite or other hardboard is available, it will provide a more durable counter. The same is true of the shelves and their triangular braces.

The slits cut in the front, sides, and roof are only slightly wider than the thickness of the wallboard. Window openings and the rear "Emergency Exit" can be cut with a sharp knife along a straightedge, or sawed out with a compass saw. Cellophane can be pasted over the inside of the window openings to simulate glass. If the store can be set up in front of, or near a door in the room, its proprietor can duck out of the rear exit when necessary to replenish his shelves.

When tinted wallboard is used, no finishing will be necessary, other than a few lines to indicate window casings and brickwork for the chimneys. The young storekeeper will be pleased with a number of slogans for his walls, lettered with crayon or paint on white shelf paper, which can be changed from time to time to stimulate trade. For example: junior's jumbo sales are making history; you save money at junior's; watch for our weekly specials; it's thrifty to trade at junior's, Or stretch your budget here.

If Mother will open her canned goods from the bottom, the cleaned out empties can be placed on the shelves with their labels right side up to form an impressive stock. Sample miniature packages of cereals are just the right size for a playstore, and small paper bags can be filled with sawdust, shavings, excelsior, or other light materials and labeled Sugar, Flour, Rice, Beans, and so forth.

Coins or "hard" money may consist of metal washers of various sizes, or an electrician will be glad to be rid of the flat metal placques or "knockouts" from outlet boxes of different sizes, both black and white, with or without slots in their centers; checkers or cardboard disks will do as well. "Folding" money can be cut from green paper and $1, $5, and $10 denominations printed on with black ink. A cash drawer can be made from a cigar box with 1/4- or 3/8-in. square cleats bradded along the upper edges of the short sides to run in slides nailed to the underside of the counter, as in detail B.

Further realistic details which will gladden the hearts of young proprietors are imitation French phones whittled from balsa or other soft wood, painted black, and equipped with ink-dyed "electric" cords. The "country store" type of old-fashioned beam scale for weighing out packaged stock can be easily constructed by pivoting a stick in the center between two short uprights nailed to a wood base, with salted peanut can tops tacked to each end. Large iron washers or nuts can be used to counterbalance the lightly filled bags of "bin stock."

Playhouses

A small, four-sided house can be constructed from wallboard in much the same fashion as was the store, except that the sides are hinged to the back section so that one folds inward, flat against the inner surface, and the other one out and around, against the rear. For rigidity, the front should have two tabs at each end, passing through slots in the sides, like the store, with the upper tabs cut like the chimneys and roof of the store, thus permitting the front section to slide upward and lock into position. The sides are cut with triangular peaks with two chimneys. The roof is made like that of the store, except that the valance is widened to form the front half of the peaked roof.

If it is desired to eliminate the protruding locking tabs, one side can be hinged to fold inward against the rear section, and the other against the inner surface of the front section. The opposite, unhinged corners have long strips of wood 1/2 in. thick and from 11/2 to 2 in. wide nailed vertically along the inside edges, so that they will butt together when the corners are closed and square. Small hooks and eyes can be adjusted on the inside to fit tightly and draw the corner joint tightly together. This method will permit all of the windows, as well as the door, to have casings cut from wall-board waste glued to the outside around the openings. A wallboard front door can be hung on metal hinges riveted over washers through both casing and wall. A continuous reinforcing strip of thin wood about 2 in. wide can be fastened along the outside bottom edges of all walls and painted to resemble brickwork.