A children's toy named after the
Biblical vision of
Jacob; of a
ladder reaching from heaven to earth along which there were
angels ascending and descending. In short, the toy can be described as a series of thin wooden blocks connected by three rows of ribbons, two on one side and one on the other, which can be arranged in such a manner as to produce the illusion of one block's
flopping and flipping down the chain. The following amended instructions cannibalized from FamilyFun Magazine tell you all you need to construct a Jacob's Ladder of your very own for endless hours of
en'tainment:
Needed: a 1 1/2-foot length of 1-by-3-inch pine board (actual dimensions: 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inches), a handsaw, sandpaper, craft paint, 3/8-inch-wide ribbon (1 1/2 feet of colour a and three feet of colour b), 18 thumbtacks and a pair of scissors.
1. Cut the board into six 2 1/2-inch blocks. Use the sandpaper to smooth the edges. Then paint the blocks on all sides and let them dry.
2. Tack ribbon a to the first block. Center the end of the ribbon on the left edge. Then pull the ribbon toward the right side so that it lies across the top of the block.
Cut ribbon b into two pieces of equal length. Then tack the b ribbons to the opposite edge of the same block, spacing them 1/4 inch from the corners. Lay the b ribbons across the block, in the opposite direction from the a ribbon.
3. Place a second block on top of the first one. Pull the b ribbons up over the top block and tack them to its left edge. Tack ribbon a to the right edge, then lay it across the top of the block.
4. One at a time, stack on the remaining blocks and attach them using the same method. When the last block has been attached, trim off the excess ribbon.
To set your Jacob's Ladder in motion, pick up the top two blocks and hold them together along the long edges, using your index finger and thumb. The bottom four blocks should hang freely. Then let go of the block that is second from the top. As it falls, it will appear to tumble down the chain of blocks.