Denver labor bulletin., 1918-08-10

extending indefinitely thru childhood
years, there is no more valuable aid
for the mother who desires to promote
the well-being of her children than
walks and talks. 1t is usually most
difficult for the housekeeping mother
to find sufficient leisure-or rather,
uninterrupted leisure-to concentrate
on work or play with her children.
We are all only too familiar with the
interruptions of the butcher, the
baker, the telephone, the friendly
neighbor, which break in repeatedly
until one "gives up" in despair. But
when you leave your home and its dis
fractions behind you, you begin to
realize that you have found a way in
which you can say with Froebel,
"Come, let US live with our children"
These walks and talks can be use
full both to the city mother and the
country mother, tho it will be easily
seen that the country mother has the
mother will have to substitute, for the
suggestions below, the city parks, the
river or lake front, visits to the large
factories, museums and historic points
of interest. You can make the walks
as long or as short as your leisure
permits: you can plan them for every
day or every other day, morning or
afternoon; and after a months trial
you will begin to realize their value
for yourself as much as for the chill
dren. The blue sky and the great
outdoors will take you away from the
pettiness of the thousand and one
trifles that continually intrude them
selves upon your attention while you
remain within four walls, and they
will be equally uplifting in taking the
true in small towns-from the petty
small-talk that emanates from the
porches and the front stoops and
passes along the sidewalks from house
to house and from child to child.
1t is well for you to decide upon
your destination before you call the
children with Lets go to the pond
todayl"-or "This is a great day for
the woodsl" A playmate or two
taken along occasionally (and fire.
quently if you have but one child)
will lend additional zest to the walks
and will enlarge your opportunities of
getting better acquainted, not only
with the playmates, but with your
own children in relation to their play
mates.
places very near home will serve as
well as the more distant goals which
are usually more attractive to the
other children. The pond or the
stream under the bridge, or the water
front, the beach, or the rocky bould-
ers that can be scaled, or the woods
seek them out in your vicinity. Try
every road and see where it leads to.
The adjoining town, if it be within
two or three miles, makes a splendid
objective point with older children, and
a trolley ride will bring you back
should time or fatigue make it neces-
sary.
Try to forget all your grown-up
dignity on these walks Especially if
it be a country road) and have as
dren are ready for. Wear only stout
shoes and "roughing" clothes. Some
times permit the children to take
skates, or bicycle, or a velocipede,
wagon or jaunting cart, or a sled, a
hoop, or horse reins. All these will
provide additional attractions when
the children seem loath to leave their
street play.
These walks will develop your chill
dren physically fully as much as any
systematic exercises, and the variety
of stunts" that will be initiated along
the road will astound you. In some
of them you may join; others will
teach you to have control of your
nerves, while the children develop
strength and independence thereby.
So far as the physical activities are
concerned, you need suggest very lit
tie; the children will initiate as much
as there are time and energy for.
There will be walking forward and
backward, sometimes with eyes shut,
sometimes on stone walls and in
bitches; there will be running, skip
ping, hopping, jumping from different
heights, whistling and singing, games
of follow MASTER" racing, stone
throwing and stick-throwing into
ponds and trees, and tree-climbing.
That tho a~l -