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Then there are times of quiet play, music, singing and dancing,
with perhaps a story afterwards, while out of the cupboards
come tea sets, dolls, puzzles, bricks, and all sorts of other jolly
things.
By this time of course everyone is really starving, but fortunately
something is being done about it.
By the time everyone has washed the sand off their hands,
put their toys away, and settled themselves tidily at the table, the
dinner wagons appear. Their arrival is joyfully proclaimed, and
some of the 2-year-olds mount their chairs, unobserved, to get a
better view of what is on the plates. Very soon these same plates
are empty.
A certain amount of dinner has now to be removed from
hands and faces, and teeth are given a last scrub. By this time
beds are down, and soon everyone is wrapt in a blanket,
"To sleep—perchance to dream,"
but only of pleasant things.
After nearly two hours of peace, everyone feels lively again,
ready for a little more play and some fruit before "Mums" and
"Dads" arrive, and the Nursery School day is over.
There are two Voluntary Day Nursery Schools in the
Borough. No statutory medical examinations have taken place
in the schools, but children under 5 years for whom operative treatment
of Tonsils and Adenoids is required are referred for treatment
by the Maternity and Child Welfare Department.
The following are the details of the Dockland Settlement
Nursery School:—
Our aim in the Nursery School during the past year has
been to give the children a deep feeling of security—a peaceful
atmosphere—and the help, opportunity and materials necessary
for their physical and mental development.
To do this we have tried to have no hurried times; to keep
the school a united family while allowing each age of child to
do things at their own rate; and also to have restful periods
besides the sleeping time.
The children's day is 8.30 a.m.—4.30 p.m. During the day
the children have a mid-morning drink of milk—a two course
dinner and a tea. They have these together—also the afternoon
sleep, indoors in winter, and in the garden in summer. They
also play together in the playroom when they first come (after
they have cleaned their teeth—combed their hair and put on their
pinafores). At this time the room has in it flowers, growing
plants in a movable box garden, fishes, newts, growing seeds
and other seasonable nature objects. It has wheeled toys, big
bricks, a slide, climbing ladder, dolls .and doll's beds. The afternoon
play, which is in the open air whenever possible, is similar
to this. In the mid-morning they play in the Settlement garden,
finding all sorts of interesting insects, birds, flowers and pants.
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