Annual report - Chicago Cop.com

WEST CHICAGO PARK COMMISSIONERS 181
Librarian lectures to the children on the cataloguing and numbering of
the books, how to find a book, and how to put it back correctly, etc. The
results have been of great practical value, enabling the pupils to find
proper references for their school work, to locate their books more quickly,
and file them away properly, thus eliminating a great deal of work
otherwise performed by the Librarian. The Librarian is an employee of
the Library Board.
The entire equipment of the room is furnished by the Park Board,
except the books.
7a.-CHILDREN'S PLA YROO:M:
3:30 P. :M.-9:30 P; :M.
The playroom is the developing feature of work in the recreation
center. It is in charge of a trained kindergarten teacher. Children's play
classes, boys' and girls' table game sessions, sewing, raffia and stitching
work, cooking classes, story hour sessions, children's parties, doll clubs,
"Little Mother" clubs, and other forms of kindergarten work relating
to play, are features of the work conducted in this room among the children
between four and ten years of age. Here the work differs from
that of the kindergarten, in that the activities relate to play only.
The playroom is given over in the evening to adults, for classes in
social dancing, table games, clubs, dramatics, etc.
:MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES.
Various other activities are promoted in the small parks from time
to time, according as the interest or need may manifest itself. Among
these, in the experimental stage, are the Boy Scouts, the Camp Fire
Girls, the Play Kindergarten, the Milk Dispensary, an office for a Visiting
Nurse. The play room instructors and the directors of the parks organ-ize
and promote children's plays and adult dramatic activities, as well as
park orchestras and choruses.
THE VALUE OF THE RECREATION CENTER TO THE
COMMUNITY.
To estimate and understand the real and lasting value of our recreation
centers to the community, the figures of attendance and uses given
on Pages 8824-5 should be interpreted in terms of community bettermelli.
Digitized by Coog I e