The New York herald., 1921-08-07
SHOPPING TAUGHT
CHILDREN OF POOR
Instruction Is Given in
Making Toys, Not in Max
ing Purchases.
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Many Classes Conducted by
Summer Play Schools
in City.
$50 NOW TAKE LESSONS
Activities Centre in Ethical
Culture Institution-Daily
Lunch q Feature.
$50 NOW TAKE LESSONS

You never could guess what the girls
and boys attending the summer play
schools, one OF which Is held at the
Ethical Culture Schools, 33 Central Park
West, mean when they say they are
learning all about Shopping" In the
first place they are children of poor
parents who are not able to pay some
one to look after their youngsters while
the father or mother, or both, work. nor
are they able to send their children to
the country for a vacation when the
children Of the wealthy are enjoying
swimming and boating and climbing
trees.
So IL they haven't money they can't
really shop, and besides they are too
busy to shop. and the explanation Of
fered by Miss Mabel T. Burnham, as
sistant director Of the school, clears up
everything when she says that by shop
ping" the girls and boys mean working
in the carpenter shop. where they are
being taught to make boats and aero
planes and lot of other toys that chill
dren adore.
In the basement of the Central Park
West School are numerous shops for
have found that girls like this sort Of
shopping quite as much as they will
some day intuitively take to the Fifth
avenue kind. Ever SO many other
classes are held on other floors of the
httt1 n dtV,rr xYttaa g. - Y..t-
and August, $50 children from that
neighborhood are taught and cared for
after the most approved methods.
There are $50 children altogether at
tending summer play schools which are
held under the direction of the Fedora
tion for Child Study, which organized
the schools. and which has its principal
school at the Ethical Culture educational
centre. The other schools are scattered
over the East Side. The Bronx, the West
Side and Harlem. They form a sort of
family of schools for the poor family.
Work with these children, who are
from to IA years old. is important but
so is the daily luncheon. for which they
pay 10 cents and which is prepared
under the supervision of dietician Sc
lected by the nutrition committee. OF
which Mrs. Walter l.. Erich is chair
man. Mrs. Fred NJ Stein Is chairman
of the summer school committee and of
the Federation for Child Study. which
is financing the venture. Simon Hrs
dansl<y Is the director and Jessie w.
Erich is vice-chairman.
This school is the first to give chill
dren who are cardiac patients the reg
ular work or other children. The only
difference is that the cardiac children
have an hour at noon. when they must
lie down and rest. The other children
have the same period for rest. but they
do not lie down.
The session lasts all day, and the pro-
gramme includes an intensive training
In health care. Every child Is made to
wash himself before lunch. and the kin
dergarten kiddies are not only given a
bath in their own little bathtubs but
they are taught how to wash out their
own towels nicely and hang them up to
dry
And to continue the health work and
the balanced diet, mothers are told how
to watch the children and see that they
brush their teeth regularly scrub them
solves and eat properly. The school
even sends out suggestions for menus
at home and helpful hints on how to
set the table.
DR.. Mary Swartz Rose OF Teachers
College has two of these classes In the
Children's Aid Building. DR.. May VIII
son of the Cornell Medical School Is In
charge of the cardiac pupils.
The children have quantities of fresh
milk to drink, and friends send In truck
loads Of fresh vegetables, and even but
ter. from their country places.
Among the subjects taught are sew
Ing, carpentry, printing, cobbling. wood
work, dramatic work, choral work and
story telling.
Once week the pupils are taken on
picnic to Bronx Park Pelham Bay,
Fort Lee, or some other accessible place
that is like the country.