Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

Playing is an integral part of being a kid and growing up. Nowadays we have easy access to toys and games for our kids, but pioneer children often struggled to find different things to play with. Many kids would end up creating their own toys, leaving them entertained from not only playing with the toy but also the creation of the toy. Some of the earliest Canadian toys were made by various First Nations and Inuit groups. Eventually, pioneer children similarly used the resources around them to build their own toys: some were short-lived, such as boxes, whereas others are longer lasting, like dolls or this orange octopus. This eight-limbed friend was made by binding and braiding yarn and is currently being used as a part of the Heritage Museum’s summer camp crafts! Handmade toys became less common in the 1800s due to the increase in availability of manufactured toys, but homemade toys will never lose their charm. Did you have a homemade toy growing up?