The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-07-19
Children Having Great Times These
Days at the Two Public Play
Ground.

Ground.
Taken From the State (Lansing) Journal.
Between 200 and 800 children play
each day in the East Side park where
the Lansing Playground association
has installed playground apparatus and
supervisors are stationed. Croquet
games, nets for tennis, volleyball and
newcomb, baseball paraphernalia, sand
piles. swings and see saws have been
provided for the children and they take
full advantage of them.
PLAYGROUND, KALAMAZOO GROUNDS.
A playground has also been estab-
lished on the grounds of the Kalamazoo
street school. but such large numbers
do not gather there as at the East Side
park. Apparatus the same as that at
the East Side park has been installed
there and other thipgs-such as large
wooden swings for young children,
and giant strides will be added in a day
or two to both grounds.
Also at the East Side park there is
the pond where the children go in
wading Tuesday and Friday afternoons
between 2 and 4 o'clock. There is a
supervisor at each of the grounds as
we'll as two assistants at each. The
young men supervisors play with the
boys, take charge Of the baseball ont.
fits, actually playing with the boys in
their games, while the young women
supervisors watch after the girls. The
scene presented day OF two ago at the
East Side park was memorable one.
Miss Anna Priestor, super visor, sat in
the midst of some 20 little girls as well
as two or three mothers, and they were
all sewing on bean bags with which tie
younger children later played. The
girls had played all morning, and then
when they sewed they sat grouped in a
shady spot under tree
A stranger stood by watching the
that were sewing as
we'll as those that were playing in the
sand and on the swings short dis,
tance away. Il should think busy
and tired mothers would take to this
like hungry dog to bones," he re.
marked. A few yards away was a
crowd of boys playing game of ball.
in which Edward Hacker and Frank
Esselstyn, assistant supervisors, were
umpires.
CHILDREN WADE IN WATER.
Another advantage of the presence of
the supervisors was evidenced early in
the week, on the day when the child
rem could wade in the pond. Several
children who in previous years had been
forbidden by their parents to go near
the water, were allowed to wade with
the other dildren because the super
visors were nearby.
General Ash 10 supervisor at the
Kalamazoo street grounds and his as
sistants are Miss Mabel Mcconnell and
Armoud Person.
The playground apparatus which
was installed at the various school
buildings by the school board was re-
moved at the close of school because it
was deemed unwise to allow children
TO gather in large numbers without a
grown person. This difficulty is over
comein the public play yground establish
ed by the Pia, ground association by
the presence of the three supervisors on
eacn ground. The school children who
have felt keenly the absence of the
swings and see SAWS ut the school
buildings, have gone rejoicing to the
Fairgrounds.
LIKE TO PLAY WITH GROWN FOLKS.
One little girl was asked what she
usually did in the summtr time. Jaw,
don't know. generily/ just hang
around or play with the boys in the
street" Another smaller girl, playing
at the East Side park, asked the same
question, said: "Oh, used to come
over here to the park lots of times, but
it wasn't much fun cause there were so
many rough old boys that used to say
mean things It's lots more fun with
some grown folks to play with. :"
Especially are the young women super
visors in demand every moment Of
the day some little girl is coming to
them with, please come over and
swing me-" or Jimmie took my swing
away from me-" or such. 1t takes no
small amount Of diplomacy to settle
the disputes which arise.
The two head supervisors, Miss
Priestor at the East Side park. and Mr..
Ash Mt the Kalamazoo street grounds,
have taken courses which fit them
amply for the work of playing with
and caring for children during recrea-
tion hours. Important among the in.
structions they have been given is
First aid to the injured Also the
students in training schools are taught
physiology and anatomy, psychology,
sociology and other studies which tend
to give them understanding Of the