The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-05
Hot Weather Reduces Noise On
City Fairgrounds.
Supervisor johnson Uses '3Sit-
ting Still" Diet Now.
RIPLEY PARK COOLEST SPOT
Nothing in Topeka Can Com.
pare With This Resort.
Blue Prints of Leaves New
FavOrite Pastime There.

The children on Topeka Fairgrounds
are not playing .pom-pom pullaway."
| tennis or football these days. Neigh
bors of the Fairgrounds will testify
that the hot weather greatly has re-
duced the noise.
But Fairgrounds directors and Su-
pervisor Miss Clara johnson have
come to the rescue with n series of
fascinating hot weather games and for
once the children are enjoying them
selves quietly and sitting still.
Every Monday afternoon at Ches-
ney park the children hold a regatta
in the wading pool. Little prizes are
given by the playground directors ard
many an afternoon is spent by the
children under the big trees of Chesney
mark making new boats for next Mon
DAVIS regatta Nature study Is also
an important part of the children's
entertainment. The ncighborhood has
been carefully explored for new trees
or shrubs to furnish new pages Tor
the blue print books that the chill
dran keep. Many of the chiioren are
! taking their first lessons in basketry
from the directors Basketry ana ma
/ Younger children when the director
announces story hour late in the att
ernoon.
| Playground Baskctry.
At Polk playground basketry and
| mat making. and weaving doll caps
| among the girls, are popular.
At Westlawn croquet is the popular
| hot weather sport with paper WORK
| a close second. Washington play
ground folk are doing paper cutting,
| cardboard construction work, sewing
and crocheting.
Topeka assert the children on the
| East side playground. 1t is the largest
| of the Fairgrounds and has variety
of trees and shrubs. Making coiiec-
| tons of blue prints of the leaves OF
the different plants is the absorbing
pastime of children at Ripley. And
| not only among the children but
| among their older working brothers
| and sisters Even some of the grown
ups and the parents have been caught
by the fascination of making prints.
THE Fairgrounds have used thou
! sands of sheets of blue print paper"
Miss Clara johnson, playground SUI
| pervisor, announced today. Next
year we will have to lay in big sup
| ply, as several times We have been
caught unprepared for the demand
| Quincy playground is SO interested
| in the operation of its playground
model city Quincyville that the crdi-
| nary playground activities and pleas
| ure do not arouse much interest.
Mayor Forrest Pitt wit hthe help of
| his city officers has drafted fine city
| constitution of five sections. What
time can be spared from their civic
responsibilities the children largely
employ in giving little plays and tell
ing stories under the leadership of
Miss Lulu Mckee. whose success in
this line in Topeka kindergartens has
made her the recipient of several Of
fers to go on the chautauqua platform
this summer.
The sand pile and baseball are the
| centers of interest at City park. The
| sand pile serves as a theater for the
| dramatizatfon of the stories told by
the playground directors. By means
of pictures clipped from magazines
some very creditable settings of scenes
| in the stories told them have been
| made. The "unlimited class ball
| team of City park has not suffered a
defeat in two years.
The particular feature of play
| ground life at Potwin playground is
the weekly grown-up parties. The
family rag bags and attics are rif1ed
for discarded grown-up garments and
the children hold a much enjoyed