Evening star., 1939-10-03
Play Teachers
Told 10 Think
With Children
So-CuIIed Problems
Not New to Life,
Reed Tells Institute

Children live in land Of imagery,
make-believe and unreality and
those charged with directing their
work and play must enter this land
of fantasy with them to gain best
results.
go back over your own lives
to the time when you were child
and in the light of your own expert
ence you will be able to meet the
problems of so-called problem chill
dren," Edward Reed, principal Of
Chamberlain Vocational School,
said today in addressing the white
section of a recreation institute cur
rently in session at the Force School.
The institute is sponsored by the
Council Of Social Agencies and the
District Recreation Committee and
is being held now because summer
activities are over and recreation re-
organization is largely consolidated.
1t is designed to improve the tech
niques of play leaders in both the
Recreation Department and in pri-
vate recreation agencies. Sessions
of the colored section are being held
at Lincoln Congregational Church,
Eleventh and r streets NV. Joint
meetings were held yesterday and
last Monday at the Y. w. C. A.
Cardinal Rules Suggested.
In enlarging on his subject, Prob
lem Children and Discipline for
Girls" Mr.. Reed today told as
sembled recreation workers that
three cardinal rules should be OBJ
served In handling young persons.
First, understand them; second, like
them, and third, give them some
thing they want to do.
The way to do this is to get into
their own special world, he said,
adding that girls live in more emo
tional world than boys.
Thus play leaders throughout
Washington are being initiated into
the concepts on which the best
modern principles of play direction
are based.
The institute ends this Friday but
recreation officials have been care
full to see that Gin training" educa-
ton goes on throughout the winter.
To Illustrate Methods.
In the District Recreation De-
partment, starting Immediately after
the institute, experts in various
fields will train leaders in their
own quarters and on their own
grounds as to how the knowledge
they have gained can be applied to
specific problems.
The Council of Social Agencies
and the District of Columbia Recre-
alton Committee, in organizing the
institute, have obtained speakers,
many of them from local univer-
stiles and schools. versed in their
respective lines, to educate" recre-
alton personnel.
Tomorrow the white section will
hear Miss Sibyl Baker. new di-
rector of community centers, on
Planning a Program of Play
ground Activities" Thursday they
will hear Robert Duncan of the
District Red Cross on application
of First Aid' and Friday they will
hear Harry English, assistant di-
rector of recreation in charge of
white recreation sections, on De-
veloping a Boys Club" and anoth-
er speaker, yet to be designated, on
the possibility of developing girls
clubs.
The joint session of both colored
and white sections yesterday heard
Mrs. Lii E. Peller, child specialist
from Vienna, on "The Mental, Emo
tional, Physical and Social Develop
ment of Children from / to 12."
Others Heard on Program.
During the institute the white
section has heard Ruth Atwell of
George Washington University on
Training for Leadership in Recrea-
tion," Thomas Gearty of the Mer-
rick Boys Club on individual
Counseling as a Phase of Recrea-
tion," DR.. Andrew j. Kress Of
Georgetown University on 1.-THE
Place Of Recreation in the Social
Reconstruction of the District of
Columbia" and Herbert Price of
the Recreation Department on Art
craft as Recreation for Adults"
Today colored workers were to
hear Frederick Watts, instructor in
psychology at Howard University,
on the Psychology of Adolescents."
Tomorrow they are to hear DR.. L.
z. Johnson, professor emeritus of
Howard University, on Growing
Old Gracefully" Thursday they
are to hear William Wallace, direc-
tor of the National Craft Training
Center, on "Artcraft in the Recre-
alton Program" and Friday they
will be given demonstrations of ap-
probation lessons in music, dra-
matics and dancing"
Colored workers already have
heard DR.. E. B. Henderson, director
Of physical education for the colored
division of the public school system,
on "The Place of Recreation in
the Social Reconstruction of the
District; Mrs. Sue Bailey Thur
man, on Recreation and Culture;
Mrs. Sadie Mays, on Individual
Counseling as q Phase of Recrea-
tion," and have been given demon
strations of various techniques in
recreation.
Speeches at sessions of the Insti-
tute, have been followed by dis
cussion Of the subject matter in
hand.