OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 123, 16 February 1918, Page 5

OUR BABIES

TBY Higeia.l Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zeat&nd Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put ay a fcuce at the top of a precipicu than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." HEALTH LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. FIFTH LESSON. "I should like you to tell me once again the ftvo chief needs for g.ood health." (Got the children to repeat them, marking off each oil <l finger.) A. Air.—Breathe pure, fresh, clcan, cool air by day and night. B. Bathing—Plenty of water for cleanliness. 0. Clothing—Loose, light, comfortable clothing—neither too much nor too little. D. Diet.—Proper food. Plain, simple food taken at regular intervals. Solid food must be thoroughly chewed. Water should be taken after a meal, not with it. E. Esercise and P.est— A large amount of exercise in the open air and sunshine is necessary for good health. _ Boys nnd girls. aB well as babies, need rest and' plenty of sound sleep. In the previous leßson I have told you a little about the importance of pure air. suitable clothing, regular bathing, and proper diet. We now come to E, exercise, the most neglected, though one of thn most important, of all our needs. EXERCISE. We must have plenty of regular daily exercise in the open air if wo are to keep really strong and healthy. The daily cold bath followed by active exercise, described in the Third Lesson, forms a good beginning for the day; 'but growing boys and girls should have very much more exercise than that. You have your physical exercises at school every day. They aro most important, and you should always do them heartily and vigorously. Take as much out-door exercise every day as you can. Use every minute of playtime to the beat advantage by eet< ting the most exercise for your bodies in the time. Never wasto your playtime in trying to learn lessons, or in reading books, or in aimlessly dawdling round the playground. Remember that playtime as given to voii for active romping and having a jolly time. This makes your mind more fit for its school work. Outdoor games of all kinds are Kreat sources of health and .happiness. Don t neglept Bimple games, such as tig, prisoner's base, hop-scotch, skippiur games, ring gameß, and many others. These can be started without any delay as soon as you get out of school for a short spell. It is a great mistake to give up such good old British games simply becauso you prefer tennis or cricket or football. No healthy boy or girl should ever bo at a loss to ail in a spare 5 or 10 minutes in aciivo play. . fiwimming is the best and healthiest of all recreations, for either boys or girls: but of course it needs time and special opportunities. Next to swimming comes a run or good walk. Boys and girls need rest nnd plenty of Bound sleep. Never study late into the evening. Stop all lessons fit least half* an-hour before going to bed. From six to eight years half _ the time should be spent in bed; from nine to 12, about 11 hours' sleep is enough, and from 13 to 16 about 10 hours'. Homo lessons should never be allowed to break in on the hours sacred to sleep. Lost sleep brings loss of health and loss of tnomory. ■ , Tho best way to make sure of sound sleep is to have a game or romp or skip jn«t before bedtime. i Tho less any boy or s;rl goes to the "pictures" the better. Evenings spent at home are far better than evenings spent at the "pictures," if you want to become strong, happy, capable men and women. Tho best thing for alt of us is to be helpful and unselfish, and to tako pur full sharo in the life and \yorl; of our homes. . . . „ If the simple lessons we Jiave been going over in the last five articles were thoroughly realised nnd inculcated into every boy and cirl in the Dominion, so that the practice of the simple rules became a part of their daily lives, wc should have a. much stronger. healthier, tvnu happier community, and in the future there would be few "unfits" either for military service or civil work.