The labor standard., 1919-10-01
Kindergarten Helps for Parents Articles Issued by the Deporf,nenf Of fi1e Interior. Bureau Of Educofi0n and the
A HOMEMADE DOLLS HOUSE.
By HILDA BUSICk.

year-old son in a kindergarten. She took him there every day, and once in while stayed with her three-year-old daughter to visit. Noticing that the children were happy because they were busy with work which appealed to them, and that the dolls house was frequently the center of attraction, she decided to allow her little ones to make house at home. So for 20 cents two wooden egg boxes were secured from the grocer. amid much excite ment on the part of the children.
 The boxes were taken straight to the children's corner, and 1t was de cided that work should be done on them on rainy days only, and that the children wereNto do all the work If possible.
 At their dictation, mother made list of the things they intended to do: Paint the outside of the boxes white; kitchen, dining room, sitting room and bedroom; paper the rooms; make rugs for the floors, and make furniture for the different rooms. The next thing to do was to prepare list of the va rious materials needed: Paint, paper, scissors, thumb tacks, cardboard boxes, spools, glue, scalloped-edged tissue paper napkins for window curtains, white oifcloth, jap-a-lac, and so on. These lists were not completed at once, but added to as the children thought of things, or as new things were made for the kindergarten doll house, which served as their model.
 Training in Memory.
 All this was splendid training in memory and in concentration, for it kept the attention directed toward one object and at the same time 1t was suf ficiently varied work not to become monotonous. It also developed skill in the use of the hands. Mother, who was just as enthusiastic as the chill dren, would occasionally suggest some thing of which they had not thought and sometimes, in their walks, they would stop at shop windows to play new game which this occupation had suggested, finding treasures for the doll house."
 The children were allowed to ask the shop clerks for the material, and some times they paid for it with their own money, for mother knew that, like ''grown-ups," they would prize things more if they bought them with money of their own than if the things were given to them. In this way the boy learned to count, and both realized, to a slight degree at least, the relation between value and price; also that they could buy only what they could afford.
 For example, one day they planned to buy paint brush with five pennies they had saved together. When they reached the store they noticed first large, attractive brush, but found it was ten cents. There were smaller fve-cent brushes, but 1t would take more than they had to get one for each. Little daughter wanted mother to give them the extra five cents need ed, and son wished her to lend it to them, but both these suggestions were finally ruled out, with incalculable value to both children. There was quite a long debate and a hard strug- gle in each little head before the final decision was reached-to buy one five cent brush and each take turns us- ing it.
 on top of the dolls house. The chil- dren returned everything to this box when they were ready to stop play for the day, including their aprons which mother had made large enough to cover them completely, and sheets of newspaper which were used to spread on the floor to protect the rug from stains.
 Finishing the House.
 It took a number of days to paint the outside of the house, as little chill dren cannot remain at one occupation long, and many articles were made for the rooms during this time. The wall paper was cut from 8 samplebook given by a neighboring wallpaper firm, blue and white tiled paper for the kitchen, lowered paper for the other rooms. Rugs were cut from mail-order catalogues and pasted on stiff card board. Tables, chairs and bed were made of paper boxes, with spool legs. The kitchen sink was made of small tin box fastened to the wall, with two square brass hooks, inverted, to repre- sent hot and cold water faucets.
 This house was kept for several years, but the interior was constantly changed as the children became more efficient in hand-work. There was no whining, "What shall we do?" They would play for long periods at this fla vorite occupation, while mother sat by and mended and made their clothes. She, for her part, never became frri- tahle when they interrupted for legfti-