Extra-curricular activities for children in working class schools in the early 1900s

There are six pages in this section on education in the early 1900s

Page 1 of 6: The school system
Page 2 of 6: Classrooms
Page 3 of 6: The curriculum
* This is Page 4 of 6: Extra-curricular activities *
Page 5 of 6: Less pleasant things
Page 6 of 6: Education after elementary school

All based on experiences at Silver Street School, Edmonton which was built in 1900 to earlier Victorian specifications.

School support for the war effort, 1914-18, world war one

From time to time during World War I, the teacher at our school would make a collection for the prisoners of war. I think we each contributed a copper or two.[Coppers meant old pennies which were made of copper.] She always made up the parcels in front of us and she would name the items as she put them in. There was always a tin of 'caffee au lait' which intrigued me as I didn’t know what it was. The only coffee I knew came out of a bottle and was called 'Camp coffee'.

Another thing we contributed to was a large Union Jack flag, which was sent as a present to our namesake town in Canada - Edmonton in Ontario. I can’t imagine that it was particularly appreciated, even though Canada was a dominion of the British Empire.

Celebrating Empire Day at school

One of my pleasant memories from school was Empire Day. Alas that is no more. On Empire Day the girls wore red, white and blue ribbons in their hair. The Union Jack would be in much evidence on public buildings and the church. The highlight as far as we children were concerned was the parade in the playground. Each child would have a paper flag of red, white or blue and the girls had red, white and blue hair ribbons in the colours of the national flag. We children would then march past the dignitaries who assembled along with the headmistress on the steps in the playground. They included someone from the Board of Education and maybe the parson. Then we would sing stirring patriotic songs like Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory, and of course the National Anthem. Finally there were three cheers. I loved it. I love all pomp and pageantry. If I see the Household Cavalry, I'm all British and proud of it. The climax to Empire Day was a half day holiday.

Celebrating May Day at elementary school in the 1900s

Another pleasant memory of school was May Day. The may pole would be erected in the hall or the playground. It was lovely to see the boys and girls intertwine the bright ribbons. I never took part. My brother Jim did, and my mother made him a smock as worn by the old country yokels. There would sometimes be horses with nosegays in their harness. Sometimes in the summertime horses would wear little straw ear covers. I suppose to keep off the flies.

Pound day at elementary school in the 1900s

On Pound Day, children were asked to bring a pound of groceries to school which would be sent to the hospital. I expect they got lots of sugar, that being about the cheapest commodity, along with rice.

School preparations for Christmas in the early 1900s

In the week before Christmas children were allowed to make paper chains at school. We were given coloured paper which we cut into with lengths of about eight inches long and three quarters of an inch wide. We started a chain by looping a strip of paper into a ring and gluing it closed. Then we threaded another strip through and glued the ends together to make the next link in the chain and so on. Quite long chains could be made this way and any one chain could be joined to any other using another length of paper. Then we strung the chains across the room.

Celebrating the coronation of Queen Mary and George V

I can just recall the coronation of Queen Mary and George V in 1911. I recall each girl in my class finding a coronation mug and a bag of sweets on her desk. Presumably there was something similar for the other children.

We also had a half day holiday.

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This website Join me in the 1900s is also known as Join me in the 1900's and is © Pat Cryer.