The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-04
PUBLIC PLAYGROUNDs.

The playground movement in Amer
lea by which it is sought to place the
natural activities of children of both
sexes under the direct supervision of
competent instructors that they may
attain high standards of physical and
moral development is discussed in an
illustrated article by Grant NJ. Hyde
in the October Popular Mechanics Mag
azine. A great many interesting ex-
periments have been made in connec-
ton with the Fairgrounds, and location
and equipment vary widely. Mr.. Hyde
states:
"One playground in New York City
occupies a site that is valued at 81 $780,
900, but this is unusual. Vacant lots in
congested districts, areas useless for
commercial purposes, and bits of land
in out-of-the-way places are rapidly
being made into Fairgrounds. Phila-
delphia has laid out tiny Fairgrounds
under railroad viaducts; Reading, Pa,
has a playground on the concrete roof
of a water reservoir; Springfield, O., is
utilizing the grounds around a city
standpipe. Amusement piers have been
built in some cities, and Boston has
floating lighthouses for the small boys.
Certain standard forms of play and
apparatus are pretty generally present
in all Fairgrounds. Swings, seesaws
slides, giant strides and gymnastic ap-
paratus are always the first things that
are provided. Swimming pools are
quite as common. For the smaller chill
dren most Fairgrounds have sand piles
and wading pools. The love of conpet-
tive play has brought facilities for
group games-basebal, tennis, basket
ball. volley bali, and, in some places,
football and lacrosse. These are for
the older children, but war games
hikes hare and hounds, folk dances,
and other games, invented sometimes
by the attendants and sometimes by
the children themselves, are being de-
veloped for the little tots. In some cit
les the competitive games of the larger
boys have grown into organized ath-
letics with playground teams and in
terplaygrourd games and track meets.
All furnish play under direction.
Directed play naturally leads to in
struction through play. In many cities
such as st. John, N. B., there is regular
kindergarten work for little children
In others, sewing, embroidery, basket
and raffia work are provided for the
older girls, along with manual training
and gardening for the older boys.
Springfield O., has this. New Orleans
has regular gardens laid out in the
Fairgrounds and prizes are given for
the best crops raised by the children.
In Glen Ridge, n. J., and other cities,
manual training and cooking are
moved from the schoolhouse to the
summer playground. Columbus, O.,
and Holyoke. Mass, do the same thing
by teaching the older boys to clean the
playground and erect and repair the
apparatus. At Youngstown, Pa, the
boys dug their own swimming pool on
the playground and made water wheels
Many novelties in methods and ap-
paratus have been brought out in vari-
Gus parts of the country. East Liver
pool, o., has found that if hammocks
are provided, the smaller children can
be persuaded to sleep in them during
the afternoon, benefiting both them
selves and the Fairgrounds peace. Gro |
quet and quoits have appeared among |
the other games at Springfield. o. Kite |
day is a regular feature at Akron. o. |
The boys on one of the Fairgrounds at
Buffalo revived the old pastime of stilt !