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117
One of the Councillors has taken great interest in the hockey,
and presented a number of sticks to one of the poorer schools
for the use of the scholars. Teams are selected from the picked
players in each school, and matches are arranged with the schools
of the surrounding districts.
On Saturday morning the scholars in one school are sometimes
taken by the Teachers to the park for special coaching to
work up for a match; in another part of the district a pitch laid
out in the Recreation Ground, a short distance from the school,
is eagerly desired by both teachers and scholars.
In some of the newer schools the playground is marked
out for tennis, but this is not so popular, as only four can play
at a time. Moreover, for drainage purposes the asphalte cannot
be entirely level, and this is a great drawback in tennis.
Other games include bean bags, twos and threes, circular
jumping, leapfrog in columns, fox and geese, &c.
The value of these games lies in the free muscular movements
which they encourage and the precision of hand and eye which is
developed. Those who have watched these games can easily
understand how a few minutes' recreation on a cold morning would
improve the children's circulation and render them in a better
condition for subsequent lessons. Certain games, such as bean
bags, could be employed even within the limits of a class-room,
but all recreative exercises should be performed with open windows,
to get the air of the room thoroughly changed.
In the Infants Department, the children have an interesting
combination of work and games. Geography is taught in the
happiest manner by dances and songs. For instance, a Japanese
song and dance is represented by the children carrying Jap.
umbrellas and copying the postures adopted by the people of the
country. We have also seen delightful dances of elves and fairies,
where the children wore beautiful but inexpensive paper caps
which had been made by the teachers.