The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-10
Superintendent Starr Issues
List of Suggestions.
Fairgrounds Idea Is Proving a
Success.
SWIMMING TOURNAMENT
Polk School Children Won
HOnOrS in the Pool.
Music and Story Telling Add
ed to the Play.

The six Fairgrounds under super
vision of w. L. Driver and his as
sistants have proven a marked sue
cess. A thousand different children
have taken advantage of the move
ment inaugurated by the board of ed
! ucation.
Superintendent c. c. starr has de-
| cided to broaden the field covered By
| the instructors. Not only will the
| children be taught to play properly
but in rest periods they will be given
| lessons in English, ethics, gardening
| sewing, household affairs in general
and nature study.
Story telling, which is mentioned by
| superintendent Starr. has been g
feature of the playground work this
summer. Music is another study that
| should be encouraged, he says, ana
/ there is an opportunity to train the
children in mental arithmetic by en-
couraging them to count the scores in
the games played. He puts special
| emphasis upon swimming, which is
now a feature of the playground
work.
The first swimming tournament be-
tween school Fairgrounds was held
late Tuesday afternoon at the Central
Y. M. c. A, Polk taking first honors.
points, Central Park with IT points
and Parkdale with four points.
Charles Kouns of Polk was the star OF
the tournament, winning three f1rsts.
The 40 yard swim was won by kouns
of the Polk playground Magill of Cen
trail Park was second and Bennett of
Parkdale, third.
In the plunge for distance Culver of
Polk was first, Blakeley of Polk: sec
ond, and Bennett of Parkdale, third.
MagiII of Central Park and Blakeley
of Polk tied for first place in the long
dive. Hughes of Polk was third.
Kouns of Polk took first in the 200
yard swim, Magill of Central Park,
second, and Bennett of Parkdale,
The front jack-knife dive was taken
bv Kouns of Polk, Magil1 of Central
Park was second and Hughes OF POLK
third.
The relay swimming race was won
nv Polk. Central Park was second,
Parkdale, third, and Willow PARK
fourth.
funds to pay for the playground in
struction for but six weeks. Now an
effort is being made to raise enough
money to keep up the play under super
vision for another six weeks.
Tuesday evening at $50 o'clock an en-
tertainment of field events and folk
dances will be given at the fair grounds
under the auspices of the playground
and Boy Scout movements. The ad-
mission will be % cents.
Below is list of Suggestions for the
use of the supervisors of Fairgrounds
issued from the office of the board Of
education:
/ English. All errors of speech
should be corrected and, as far as they
can be understood, reasons given. The
playground affords one of the best OPP
portunities for fixing good every day
usage.
2. Ethics. The outline in Ethics
found in the state course of study,
copy of which has been supplied to
each teacher, will form good basis
for this work. Ethical instruction is
most effective when put in a concrete
form, but the illustrations need to come
only in part from personal experience
in play. These, it is true afford an OPP
portunity, when handled properly, to
fix correct ethical notions. The subject
of right and wrong has prominent
place in games, and many an occasion
will arise by which good ethical ex-
amples at hand may be applied to
other life situations. In this way there
is an opportunity for the question of
right and wrong to be applied to a
large number of life situations. When
it is understood that the playground is
a place where good manners and habits
of children may be improved rather
than injured, parents are more ready
to send their children to the play
grounds. Everett's Ethics for Young
People is good teachers handbook
3. The playground affords a good
opportunity to encourage the educa-
tive industries of the community,
such as gardening, sewing and house
hold affairs in general, handicraft,
and repair work where bencheSa and
variety of tools are not needed. On
the playground the teacher can have
conferences with the pupils in regard
to what they are doing at home, to
direct them to useful activities about
the home, and to stimulate them to
undertake these activities.
4. The playground is an appro-
pirate place for nature study, includ-
ing gardening. The pupils should be
taught to identify all the trees in the
community. Plants and flowers may
be named and observed, the birds
named and their habits studied, the
phenomena of nature observed and
explanations made. Trips to the
parks will be very profita bic.
5. Music and story telling will pro-
duce an interesting and profitable
variety in the program.
s. An interest should be taken in
the home reading of the pupils. An
inquiry should be made as to what
each one is reading and some encour-
agement given for the pupils to I'M
dertake reading along lines that are
best and most profitable.
Z. All the boys should be taught
swimming. For this purpose teach
ers can exchange Fairgrounds.
8. The younger pupils should be
encouraged to count the scores in
games as an arithmetic exercise.