Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Schools vary considerably on the emphasis given to leisure activities, but most make a wide range of structured activities available to the children. Usually the children are asked to choose one or two activities or clubs to pursue each term. Some of these activities are traditional seasonal events (such as conkers) others seem to come and go depending on the passing interests of the children. Sometimes they may be modern-high tech activities (computer games) others are more traditional and decidely low-tech such as marbles.
The schools have many different approaches and devote different priorities to non-academic activities. This of course is an aspect of school life that parents should assess in selecting a prep school dor their child. The success of the activities programs varies significantly from school to school. At the prep school age, children seldom have a hobby or interest which exclusively absorbs their energy and intersts. Adult support is critical to maintain interest and guide each activity. The schools variously describe their activities as activities, clubs, hobbies, and occupations, as well as other terms. Some schools regularly schedule the events during the school day or a few afternoon classes each week after games. Some schedule activities on periodically scheduled half days. Other schools use time in the evening or over the weekends. The amount of time also varies significantly from school to school, but 2-4 hours per week is common.
Several schools give particular attention to leisure activities, often attempting to integrate hobbies, classwork, and personal interests. Northaw has a particularly thoughful sustem consisting of four Guilds: Art, Arts, Science, and Crafts. Each child starts as a novice in all four and by passing various tests can progress through the levels of Apprentice and Journeyman to Master. Science tests, for example, vary from changing a tap stripping and re-assembling a petrol (gasoline) engine. Art tests range from a simple prespective drawing, demonstrating knowledge of different painting "schools," identifying 10 major paintings, and interpreting hall-marks. Considerable staff and parental involvement is required because many tests require holiday visits to museums and historic places, camping out for a day and night, and even to cooking all the family meals for a day. (For the cynics of this world, some of these meals were judged to be quite tasty.) West Hill Park also has a Guild system, but oriented strongly to the arts program. Boys are encouraged to pursue a major project of interest, often associated with some aspect of class work. Any boy completing a really worth-while projected is awarded a Mastership which is comparable to earning his colors (Americans might say "letter") at a sport.
