The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-03-12
PRIZE ESSAY
Written by Miss Marjorie Peckhsn'
in Recreation Contest.

nington high school in the recreation
contest and which was awarded tn
| first prize:
yielding place TO new.
yielding place to new
According to Froebel. when a chile
has ceased to play, he has lost no
only his normal occupation, but thu
one through which he first perceivei
moral relations. BY watching ant
studying the ways Of children. Froe
bel reached the principles underlying
his system OF teaching known as The
Kindergarten. need scarcely
speak of what the kindergarten asser
ton. that play is an important fac
tor In the education of the child, has
done for the release of children from
the prisosn-like discipline of the old
time school-room.
The relaxation of guessing games
and gesture games relieve the men
tai strain upon child who is just
entering school. and the plays OF the
kindergarten are aids to self possess
ion, to freedom OF body. to the use
OF good language and the formation
of ideals. The all important thing
through out life is that our work
shall be done to the best of our abil-
ity A child must have his interest
awakened and be led TO put himself
into" whatever he undertakes. This
he does most easily in play, and that
is why it is claimed that play is the
most spiritual activity of the little
child. In the little community OF
equals the selfish learns to Share with
others, the timid learns courage. the
too self assertive learns self control,
and the unthoughtful learns accuracy.
In our large cities the problem Of
the unemployed children is as urgent
as unemployed men. More. perhaps,
for as the child is bent the mans in
clined. There came an awakening to
the nature and needs of children. re-
sulting in the establishment of play
grounds and recreation schools. Rer
lin claims the parentage of the play
ground idea. The play grounds,
which almoe. every large city in our
land now provides for its children,
first came into existence through the
order of the Empress Frederick. the
mother of the present Emperor of
Germany. One of the first things she
did when iIer husband ascended the
throne, was to have special part or
the beautiful Thier-Garten Of Berlin
furnished with sand piles and swings,
and set apart for the use OF the chill
dren.
Boston took up the Berlin idea
nearly thirty years ago. but as early
as 1890 the Out Door Recreation
League of New York opened what
was probably the first real chill
dren's play ground in the country, or
elsewhere. From that time the lea
que fathered the movement in the
metropolis, and one by one other
large American cities and towns came
into line. 1t is a curious fact that
In our cities there were thousands If
children that did not know how to
play This condition led TO the es'
tablishment of organized play" I'M
der competent leaders After the
need of public play grounds became
a recognized fact new questions
arose
Is It right to allow the good effects
of school work to be dissipated for
lack of regular education?
Is it right that property worth nil
lions of dollars should stand idle two
hundred days in the year?
These questions we're asked in all
our great centers of population and
answered by the movement to insti-
tute recreation work in connection
with the school system. New York
having the greatest need has gone to
the greatest length to meet the neces-
sity in establishing vacation schools.
If vacation schools meant study chill
dren would not come. But in the va
cation schools the idea is to make
the schools SO attractive that children
will come of their own accord. Man
ual training is the magnet that draws
thousands of children daily TO the va
cation schools. OF the arts and
crafts taught. many learn enough 10
shorten their apprenticeship attheir
different trades, but the main OBJ
ject is to instil the idea that the
work of ones hands, that all work
that contributes to the comfort and
pleasure of life, is both dignified and
honorable. An effort Is made TO in
terest the girls in domestic science,
millinery, knitting, crocheting aud
what is more important the rudi-
ments of house keeping and nursing.
The daily experience Of child that
mingles with other children ana
takes part in the rough and re'Iy
games of children. viii result not on
ly In physical robustness but in les
sons in self control A prominent
educator of New York says: These
public play grounds are teaching the
children, who 90 there, what Is OF
more value to them than all they
learn in the public schools. They are
learning TO respect the rights OF
others and to have a sense OF fair