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116
Organised Games are now part of the curriculum of the
public elementary school, and the following remarks are intended
to show the purpose of these games as carried out in the Acton
Schools. Organised games may be considered under the heading
of physical exercises, because it has been shown that the exercises
which have a beneficial effect upon both respiration and circulation,
and contribute to the better nutrition of the body, are to be found
in the natural play movements of the children—running, jumping,
skipping, dancing, or games of all kinds.
If these movements can be executed under conditions where
a good supply of fresh air and suitable food are obtained, it will
be seen that the structure of the body is built up wisely during
the growing period.
Children are therefore encouraged to take part in all kinds
of running games, in which a considerable number can take share
at the same time, as this develops the spirit of fair play and
comradeship. For girls, the exercise of skipping is particularly
useful.
Naturally, this new form of physical development along
pleasant paths is more popular with the children than the
mechanical precision of the formal " drill" lessons, though both
serve a useful purpose. It has been said that, " as a test of true
discipline, good play is as real as good work," and some of the
organised games are not only interesting and exciting, but also in
many cases instructive.
Throughout the schools the games are well adjusted to the
size and age of the children, though some schools are more fortunate
in playground accommodation than others. In the senior departments,
the principal games for the boys are football and cricket,
while the girls have basket-ball, net-ball and hockey. Of course,
on the asphalte the play in hockey is very fast, and somewhat
unfits the girls for field play, but the value of the games cannot
be over-estimated, and the girls thoroughly enjoy them.