The Coolidge examiner., 1931-12-11

blocks. a rag doll, or even something which he
made himself out of spools or tin cans. The real
pleasure afforded by this type of toy persists
in spite of mechanical wonders and layettes In
which everything from nursing bottle to safety-
pins is provided. Psychologists, however, nave
brought it up to date, and present us with
the term activity toys" and point out anew
the eternal value Of the plaything which makes
the child the actor rather than the spectator,
which demands youthful ingenuity, calls forth
infant imagination, exercises childish brains and
muscle
Thus we find always in style all outdoor
games and paythngs, from the good old bat
and ball to a mechanical see-saw so constructed
that it takes only child to operate it and
teeter delicously up and down without the peril
of a sudden bump when the partner at the other
end dsembarks. Thus also the permanent appeal
of tool boxes, paints and blocks OF clean paper
pencil boxes modelling clay, building blocks or
any of the elaborate construction outfits by
which the youthful engineer may build bridges
and skyscrapers to his hearts content. And thus
the demand predicted this Christmas for cowboy
boots. or toy revolvers in a holster on a wide
belt by which the small boy is suddenly meta
morphosed from the terror of the fifth grade to
a hero of the western plains
Modern child psychologists have also added
impetus this year to the sale Of toys classed as
educational" instruction cloaked as amuse-
ment like a sugar coated pill, may now be pleas
antly administered in any number Of playthings
When the instruction Is for the very young, the
educator moreover prescribed toys that are
durable under normal handling, and above all,
absolutely hygenic No more fragile dolls which
the lusty infant will more than likely crush with
it's first ecstatic hug. No more blocks from
which the bright coors may be sucked by any
aggressive baby, or metal toys with sharp corners
or cutting edges. There is, OF course, some
educational advantage in giving delicate piece
of mechanism to an older child, especially If
care be taken to impress upon him its proper
care and use.
For the child whose tastes are already sufi-
centy developed to be evident, the Christmas
shopper may choose from cutout puzzles COM
posed of hundreds of fascinating colored blocks
cut out with jig-saw, which one labors to fit
together and 10, is rewarded by lovely map, or
a famous masterpiece of painting! There are
sets Of chemicals done up in small Walls and
boxes with directions for combining them to
produce some of our commonest chemical
phenomena and construction sets by which the
boy is taught the principles of the cantilever
bridge or of modern step-back architecture; and
electric transformers which urge their possessor
to make his own electric toys.
Games whether they profess, many of the
newer games do, to be Of educational value
merely claim to amuse, all nevertheless have
a certain tendency to quicken the mind and eye
to train the muscles in automatic response
Moreover games have this year attained GER
tain definite style appeal through the present
popularity of "adult games" The fact that
grown-ups are playing them has this year lent
new attraction to many of the simplest of chill
dren's games, and made game-playing in itself
a SODhSticated and Interesting thing tO do
Just when and why the current rage for adult
games commenced nobody seems to know. Some
says it is the result of the vast interest people
as a whole take today in outdoor sports when
the baseball and football season is over and it
is impossible to take the weekly workout at
golf or tennis what more natural than that peo-
pie should resort to their own indoor games, in
their own homes? Perhaps officials of the large
steamship companies, who have popularized their
cruises by filling in the long days of water,
water everywhere" with deck tennis shuttle
board and table games in the smoking rooms are
responsible. At any rate, last winter people in
search of amusement broke away from standard
auction bridge through contract, backgammon
became a dangerous rival, and, first thing we
knew, pool tables appeared in the basement,
tennis tables in the attic guests were given
their chOice between bridge and club parchesi
and the larger department and sporting goods
stores installed hOuriShing adult game sections.
This consequently will be a Christmas of
many games. Children and elders alike will
drag out such old-time favorites Finch and
Authors or amuse themselves with the familiar
electric questoner. They will famiarize them
selves with famous events in history by a new
game based on the History of Mankind Of Van
Loon, and go into convulsions, excellent to offset
a heavy Christmas dinner, over an imported
game called Sorry.
(9 by Western Newspaper Unon)