Essays in Co-operation—l A NURSERY SCHOOL

Grey River Argus, 7 September 1939, Page 10

Essays in Co-operation—l A NURSERY SCHOOL

“The Child is Father of the Man”

(Specially written for The Magazine Page). By PHYLLIS HOLLOW. TREASURER RANGIORA NURSERY SCHOOL.

One of the most interesting recent achievements in what may be called co-operative education is the Rangiora Nursery School, established at Rangiora, North Canterbury, last November.

The school arose out of the appointment to the district of a specialist in child education and psychology—Miss Doreen Dolton, of London. 'Miss Dolton paid her first visit to Rangiora the previous July and immediately formed a class in child study and management at the Rangiora High School. Ten senior girls from the Home Crafts course- joined this class and began their theoritical training in preparation for practical experience at the Nursery School three months later. At the same time classes and study groups were formed throughout the district for parents and others interested ’ n riie education of children, their development and problems. The Rangiora Nursery School is held on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. till 3, p.m., and was primarily intended to benefit the country mothers of small | children who come into the weekly, market, though actually more local, than country children attend. The children spend the dav at the school where they engage in both organised and free play and exercise, rest at stated times 'and have their mid-day meal. The Nursery School Committee includes parents of nursery, primary, and secondary school children, teachers from both the primary and secondary schools, a clergyman, the Plunket Nurse and the child psychologist. The preparation of a dis-used building—the farmer girls’ hostel —lent by the Rangiora High School Board of Governors, was the work of this Committee, aided by very representative sections of the community. For example, the murescoing of walls was done largely by a group of Toe H boys in the evenings; the cleaning and painting by local Girl Guides ana pupils from the High School, besides various friends and parents. The small stretcher beds, window trellises, little tables, and sets of steps in various places were made by the boys of the High School industrial course, who still maintain the light repairs to the building and mend toys and other equipment. Girls from the High School Art Classes decorated the walls of one room, while for another a Christchurch artist painted a series of eight panels depicting the four seasons in scenes familiar to the children of the district. For example, me two summer nanels show bathing ai Waikuku Beach with a background of sandhills, lupins and pine trees. Equipment:

Whenever possible the children spend the day outside in the garden, which is large, sheltered and sunny. Here there are swings made out of motor tyres, a see-saw, a sand-pit, boxes, logs and trees to climb upon, and plenty of cable-reels and petrol drums to roll about. All this equipment is designer to encourage muscular development, control and balance. Indoors, in two sunny rooms there are wall black-boards, dolls’ corners, bricks simple jig-saw puzzles, paints, clay to model with, and a piano. We have been extremely lucky in having very few Tuesdays when the children could not spend the greater part of the day out of doors. The Children:

The children who attend the nursery school must be over two and under five years of age. There are seventeen on Ihe roll at present and the average attendance has been fourteen. Most of them settle down very quickly, in fact there has been surpris’ngly little fretting or homesick-

ness considering they attend only once a week. They all rest for an hour on their beds after their mid-day meal, and most of them sleep. Open air porches are provided for sleeping, though the children frequently rest our of doors. The Girls: The High School girls who are training in this work are divided into tw o groups generally referred to as the “cooks” and the “nurses.” While those who have had their theoretical training in child-management are engaged as “nurses” in attending to and! observing the children, those who are receiving their theoretical instruction 1 , are engaged as “cooks” in planning, preparing, cooking and serving tne meals for the children and their attendants. They also prepare the fruit or vegetable juice drinks for the children at 10 a.m. and 2.45 P-m., and afternoon tea for the mothers wna 1 call for their children. The “nurses”’ have certain routine duties assigned! to them. Each is responsible for the' cleaning and care of a room, each has; . certain observations to make and re- ! cord on a chart for the group of childI ren she is in charge of. At the ena of the day they discuss their observations and difficulties with- Miss. Dolton, who spends the day at the Nursery School. - The Meals: The meals are planned by the girls in conjunction with the Rangiora High School Home Science mistiness and the Plunket Nurse. In this way their training in dietetics becomes a practical reality. One girl is put in charge of the Kitchen. She orders supplies, superintends her ‘“staff” of’four girls, and sees that everything is well-cook-ed and served on time. She also sterilises the milk and boijs the water for the fruit-drinks. The tidiness, cleanliness and general appearance of the kitchen is her responsibility, and she also checks the accounts and works out the cost of the meai per head. Vegetables and fruit have been supplied to a certain extent from the school garden, where one group of pupils grew lettuce, carrots, spinach and silver beet, and another attehdea to the pruning and spraying of fruittrees. In addition, parents and cithers have sent gifts of fruit and vegetables thus enabling us to keep down?,the cost of the meals and so have more i to spend on equipment. It is not possible in so brief an account to give all the details of the ‘ running of this nursery school', but ; enough have been given to show t.hat the benefits are three-fold; In the first place, mothers are enabled to have a free day with the knowledge 1 that their children are safe '.and happy. They also have an opportun- ’ ity to discuss their problems with .Miss 1 Dolton, who has first-hand knowledge of their children through the nursery ’ school. Secondly, the chlldrefl learn [ to be independent of their elders, to . i mix with other children, to ex- . press themselves in all kinds of group activities. Finally the adolescent . gi r i s —the mothers of the future—are ’ reaping untold benefit from the knowledge and the practical training galn- ’ ed through direct contact with these - very young children. , Although nursery schools are com- • mon in England. America and many parts of Europe, the Rangiora Nursery School is the first of its kind in New Zealand. A small one has re- - cently been started at Oxford, 20 1 miles away, and another has been ? asked for in a small town nearer I Christchurch. It is to be hoped that - before long nursery schools will be ' established throughout the length and ■ breadth of New Zealand, wherever - they are needed.