The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-19


need is particularly great because so
few children can go home for a hot
dinner, should be able to accomplish
much. provided the teacher has en-
thusiasm and perseverance. Many of
these schools have Parent-Teacher as
sociations or School Improvement as.
sociatons, and some counties have a
home demonstration or county nurse,
or both. II there is no community
organization to supply the small equip
ment needed, the individual parents
and pupils must be educated to the
point OF being determined to carry the
plan through.
The teacher can easily enthuse the
pupils, and leaflets on health and nu.
| triton prepared by the state board of
! health should be sent to parents. The
county nurse should visit the homes
where there are undernourished child.
rem, and emphasize the value of the
school lunch.
| The medical inspector, or county
health officer should endeavor to se,.
cure the interest of the local Ladies'
Aid society, or other church organiza.
ton, and the influence of the minister
should always be sought. If the child
rem wish to have some part in the pur-
chase OF equipment, they might join
with the teacher in holding a fair"
| or social so popular in country dis
tricts. If only enough money is Sc
cured to buy the necessary cooking
utensils, soap. oil stove Gf necessary,
dish towels, and other materials,
each child can bring from home his
own table utensils, to be left at school
during the term. Only such staple
foods as soups, rice, hominy, vege-
tables, cocoa, milk, tapioca with fruit,
and the like, should be attempted
unless special time can be given to
the work of preparation. In this con-
nection, the domestic science instruc.
tor or the home demonstration will be
invaluable in instructing the pupils in
the value of certain foods and their
preparation
Plan Carefully.
To be success everything must be
planned ahead. Assignments of pupils
to certain duties should be made a
week ahead, and the privilege of hav.
ing share in the preparation or serv
ing of the lunch will be eagerly COW
eted No better opportunity could De
found for teaching habits of neatness,
cleanliness, courtesy, good manners,
thorough mastication, and care of the
teeth, and food values. The danger Of
flies are easy to teach in this con-
nection. The Importance of washin 2
the hands before preparing, serving or
eating food, can be emphasized, and
a tooth brush drill might be given
after eating.
The children should be required to
pay for their lunches when they can
afford to, and those who do not pay
should not be known to the others.
The staple supplies like sugar and
cocoa might be purchased with a fund
made up by few pennies brought by
each child. The fresh foods, like veg
etables, milk, meat and fruit, might
be supplied by the various families IN
turn, each family being notified a
week ahead Of its turn to furnish the
supplies. An accurate account should
be kept of all supplies furnished and
bought so that each family may bear
its share in proportion to the number
| of its children in school. This keep
ing of accounts will furnish good ma
teriAl for teaching arithmetic to the
children.
The gain in weight of undernourish-
ed children, the training in refined So
cial habits, hygienic living, co-opera-
will we'll repay all efforts expended.
Questions relating TO Child Health
and to related problems will be an
| swered by experts of the United States
Public Health Service. Address,: Child