OPEN-AIR SCHOOL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4443, 21 July 1922, Page 2

OPEN-AIR SCHOOL.

A WANGANUI EXPERIMENT. TREATMENT OF SUBNORMAL CHILDREN. For the special treatment of cases of malnutrition among school children health camps were instituted by the Wanganui Education Board four years ago, under the sueprintendence of, Dr, Elizabeth Gunn. Wonderful results have been achieved in the three weeks’ open-air sc.hool, where each pupil is placed under the microscope. as it were, and carefully watched, washed, fed, find exercised, from sunrise to -sunset. A moving picture was taken ofi the last canin, he'd on Mr. B. P. Lethbridge’s farm, at Turakina.

The pictures showed the camp in pleasant rural surroundings. In the morning the hundred boys and girls were roused put. of their airy couches in big marquee tents, and the duties of the day were inaugurated by a “stripped to the waist” wash. Then, after breakfast, came physical jerks, with as little clothing on as possible, sunbathing, school in the open air, etc. Ail this seemed good and healthy for those subnormal children. Then was shown each child being weighed and r.ensured, the results being indicated on a series of graphs. A medical authority who was present injected ‘famine cases” when dcseiup pictures were shown of the boys as they were when they went into camp. He argued that if they were not. even norma] after three weeks they were almost sure to go back a bit when they left camp. He considered that the minimum term of such a camp sihouM be six weeks.

This form of health school, has not been assisted monetarily by the Education Department. All the expense has been borne by those within the district who are concerned in the improvement of the race.