Toy `Tracz`

It was natural for children in the Polish countryside in the first half of the 20th century, like all children, to play. Every toy should have been age-appropriate.

A few months old child was interested in everything that moves: a leaf of a tree swaying in the wind, a reflection of light wandering on the wall of a cottage, a bird fluttering its wings over a meadow. He listened to the sounds with curiosity. Therefore, one of the first toys a child received in his hands was a rattle (see E/187/ML, E/190/ML). Next in adolescence were reception toys, those that can be passively watched as they spin, sway or move. Over time, the child became more active and turned to functional toys, such as horse-drawn carts, horse-drawn carriages and wheelbarrows, aeroplanes and cars, animals pulled on a string, wooden birds with flapping wings, spinning carousels and swinging sawyers imitating the movement of cutting wood with a saw. These objects were usually made of wood and modestly decorated, but they were not boring as they developed creativity and helped people to learn about the world around them. Various games with carved figures (see E/217/ML, E/220/ML) taught boys dexterity and basic mathematics, while dolls prepared girls for their later social roles (E/544/ML).

Rural children did not play with toys very often. Their parents, busy with hard work, needed their help. Then the grandfather, no longer able to work on the farm, was invaluable. Not only did he tell stories with the grandmother, but he also occasionally made a new toy or a whistle or a pipe. Under his guidance, the children also learnt various techniques for working materials, which they used when playtime came to an end and life became full of adult responsibilities.