Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-09-06
HOW TO AMUSE THE CHILDREN
DURING THE HOT WEATHER.

i have been surprised q great many
times to see how energetic a small boy
or girl can he on hot day. While the
"grown-ups" sit in the shade and fan
and watch the rising thermometer, the
children are busy playing. Perhaps
their little faces are red and moist with
the heat, their necks and backs broken
out with prickly heat, yet they are
more interested in running a train oil
cars than in the state of the weather.
If allowed to play in the sun they
are liable to be sick, and at least GER
tain of being very fretful when nap
time or bed times comes. Ii q mother
wishes to keep her children from
bowel troubles so common in summer,
she must be careful not only about
their diet but about .heir being exposed
TO the hot sun and getting overheated.
1t is very hard to keep the children
happily busy on a hot day, in some
cool, quiet kind of play A shady
porch is of the utmost value in this
kind Of weather, and there are a great
many ways OF amusing children out on
the porch.
A sand box is ii great treasure, and
one can do so many things with it that
The children never tire of it. The best
way to have one made is in shape like
she tray Of buffers table. 1t can be
put upon a standard, a low table, or
made to fasten on the porch wall with
a leg which folds under when the table
is not in use. 1t Is very convenient to
have one of the sides on hinges 30 that
t can be let down and the sand cleaned
out once in q while. Fill the box with
AXE sand.
Children will play at a sand table,
! sometimes for hours at a time, simply
piling the sand up, letting it through
their fingers, building forts and max
ing wells.
With the sand let them build an i'm
| aginary country, with its hills, noun
tains, rivers, valleys and lakes. If
they are old enough to have knowl
edge of geography, let them make some
state in outline, with its cham of
mountains and its principal rivers.
Make some little squares of wood and
have them placed where the towns
should be, with which the children are
familiar. Let them print the names of
the towns and cities on slips of paper
and paste these on the wooden squares
Of the places they are meant to repre-
sent.
1t Is great fun to make a journey to
grandpa's, especially If he lives In tic
country. on the sand table. Smooth
ing out some of the sand the children
can make Mr.. Jones great pasture.
Of course the pasture must have cows
and horses in it. Now Is the time when
the old Noah's Ark can be- brought
into play, as the animals may be safely
driven into Mr.. Jones pasture lot.
Then there is the little creek which
you cross Just before you get to
grandpa's, and over this O little plank
must be placed.
A little boy with whom like to play
because everything is so "rear" to him,
likes to make the way to school, with
its many houses and pretty dooryards
and flower beds. Glover heads and
sprigs of timothy often represent
many q fine lawn
Blue clay costs 90 little that / von-
der people do not buy it oftener for
their children. Out OF clay may be
modelled all sorts of easy things. But
DO not let them simply play with it.
Have them make something. 1t is as
bad for children to dabble as for grown
people.
With very little trouble they can be
taught to make cubes with the clay,
and very nice smooth, round marbles.
II there is q grown person to play with
them, let the children build q clay
birds nest and fill it with eggs. The
older person, who has more skillful
fingers, can construct the mother bird
who is to sit on the eggs. While
the modelling Is going on you can talk
about the ways and manner OF building
of the bird you are making. Remem-
Der that children are sharp little crit
les, and you must not call your bird
an oriole If the children are modelling
the nest of robin, for some day the
children Will learn what d very odd nest
the oriole builds. I wish all mothers
knew how interesting natural history
may be made to little children. But
in telling them natural history stories,
you should be very truthful and honest
in your storytelling il you wish to be
forever believed.
The little fellow of whom l have told
you before, loves to get up "cdterpiller
parties" He goes all about the porch
dlA bSdA VIC "OObbIAC iChfCs
till he gathers a goodly number of
woody friends together and thon he
treats them to nasturtium leaves. 1
am glad to say that he treats them so
respectfully that they all crawl away
home, unhurt.
DO not say after you have spent
long, hot afternoon amusing the chill
dren that your time has been thrown
away. You will learn more about your
children in playing with them In one
afternoon than you will in aR entire
week while attending to their bodily
wants. You may discover that Johnny
is selfish and wants the best corner
of the sand-box, that Katie is untidy
and unsystematIc by the way she works
in the clay, and that little Rob has a
most startling Imagination.
The child who has q summer home
with blessed, babbling brook to play
by will not need all this care through
the hot days; but wherever you are,
whatever your circumstances, spend
some of the play hours with the chill
dren. Some Of the fathers, am sure,
would not grow old 80 fast If they
would play more with the children.
1t is not enough to give them good care
only while they are sleeping and being
dressed and fed. They are we'll worth
studying carefully.