Vintage Dial Telephone

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In the days before cell phones and cordless phones, homes had dial telephones. To make this vintage toy dial telephone, you will need a small box, some dark paper, a few reinforcements (the kind used around holes in notebooks), and a two-legged paper fastener.

Cover the top and sides of the box with dark paper (or paint the box a dark color), then cut a slit about an inch long in the box cover.

Now make the telephone instrument itself. First fold a piece of paper in half and draw a diagram as shown in the small sketch. When this piece is unfolded, you have a telephone with a tab in the center. Insert the tab in the slit in the box cover.

To make the dial on the phone, cut a paper circle and paste ten reinforcement rings around the edge (or draw double circles, if you have no notebook reinforcements). On the circles, write numbers and letters that you can dial when you use the phone. Fasten the dial in place with a two-legged paper fastener.