Chapter IX: Section IV: Suggestive Teaching Methods in Art Related to the Home (3)

Much more use of art should be encouraged in many of the projects which girls are choosing in all phases of home activities since it can contribute so much to the comfort and attractiveness of homes, and these are essential factors of happy family life. Lewis Mumford,[27] a distinguished critic of modern architecture and decoration, has fittingly said:

The chief forms of decoration in the modern house will be living
things--flowers, pictures, people. Here is a style of interior
decoration that perpetually renews itself. For the modern house
is built not for show but for living; and the beauty it seeks to
create is inseparable from the personalities that it harbors.

It is safe to predict, on the basis of the home projects in which desirable art applications have been made, that through conscious effort the following outcomes may be expected:

1. The ideal of creating beauty in the home will be strengthened.

2. Pupils will recognize greater possibilities for making art
applications.

3. Pupils will become more observing and discriminating.

4. Family life will be bettered by those projects in which home
improvement has been achieved.

5. Pupils will appreciate that beauty is not dependent upon cost.

6. More successful projects will be carried out.

The last point is reflected in the summary of results that one girl made of her home project, "Improving the Looks of My Room." She said:

The only cost for my project was for the two little pictures that
I hung by the mirror. I learned that it is not always the cost or
quality that determines the attractiveness of a room. Things must
be arranged correctly or much of the beauty is lost.

My mother thought that everything I did to my room was an improvement
and encouraged me to do much more. I am planning to do more for our
entire house in the future.

The home project which resulted in an improved kitchen in one home had a favorable influence upon the home life of the family. The girl, with the financial assistance of her brothers, had made an attractive and more efficient kitchen in the bare 4-room house, which was the home of the family. The living quarters were naturally limited in such a small space. In reporting on this project the teacher said:

I feel that this project has been very worthwhile to Ethel and her
whole family. Her mother was so grateful and told me how much better
it made her feel to walk into a bright, cheerful kitchen every
morning. She said that her boys were so pleased they had made a
living room out of the kitchen on cold winter nights.

=Suggestive Home Projects in Which Art is an Important Factor=

Clothing projects which include planning as well as construction offer many possibilities. This planning would necessitate such applications of art as the adapting of style, design, and color to the individual, selecting and combining textures and colors in the fabrics, and using appropriate trimmings and accessories. Such projects would also afford opportunity for exercising judgment through the evaluation of results. The same opportunities exist in the "make-over" projects as in the others in which all new materials are used. A few clothing projects involving art are suggested, as follows:

1. Planning and buying or making (_a_) school wardrobe for self;
(_b_) season's wardrobe for small sister or brother.

2. Making the most of clothing on hand. This will involve cleaning,
pressing, and mending, as well as some remodeling.

3. Remodeling clothing on hand and choosing additional garments
needed for an attractive and suitable wardrobe.

4. Selecting the accessories to complete a costume for self or
for mother.

Home-improvement projects which involve the exterior of the home as well as the interior should have a place in the home-economics program. In this group of projects there is not only great opportunity for the application of art as the basis for planning and selecting, but also for the making of more pleasing arrangements of things already in the home. In view of the fact that in most home-improvement projects the girl needs to make the best use of furnishings and equipment already possessed by the family, and usually has a limited amount of money to spend, her problems are greatly increased. Except in the few cases in which she has the privilege of newly furnishing a room or a part of the home, the starting point is with the present possessions in the home and a careful evaluation of them to determine the good in each. _She should appreciate the fact that the home and its possessions belong to the entire family and that any changes she may desire to make should meet their approval or at least be undertaken with their consent._ In most cases the proposed changes will be more welcomed by the family if little outlay of money is necessitated and if the largest and best use is made of cherished household treasures.

Joint home improvement projects have been carried out in some States with considerable success. In these projects the girls in home economics have worked cooperatively with brothers who were in agricultural classes. This usually meant greater interest on the part of parents and other members of the family. More ambitious programs for improvement were thus possible, not only through greater family support and encouragement but through the boy's ability to make certain alterations in structure or finishing that a girl could not do alone. Through these projects the boy and girl have learned much from each other. Perhaps the most conspicuous evidence of success has been the spread of interest beyond the homes into community improvement.

Some suggestive home-improvement projects are as follows:

1. Making the home kitchen a more convenient and attractive place
in which to work.

2. Arranging home furnishings and accessories so that harmony,
balance, and desirable centers of emphasis contribute to the
attractiveness and comfort of each room.

3. Assisting in the selection and arrangement of furniture, wall
coverings, floor coverings, or accessories for the girl's own
room or other rooms in the house.

4. Preparing the sun porch for summer use.

5. Planning and caring for window boxes.

6. Planning and planting a flower garden or border that will
contribute to the appearance of the home and also be a source
of pleasure.

7. Re-covering or making slip covers for furniture.

8. Assisting in the selection of linen, china, silver, and glassware
for the table.

9. Planning the table decorations for special occasions.

10. Keeping appropriate centerpieces of flowers, plants, or fruit on
the home table.

Two home-improvement project reports on Beautifying Our Yard and Improving Our Home are given as suggestive of types of projects in which art plays an important part in successful achievement. Only the plans for the first one are given, since they show the significant art applications.

_Name of project: Beautifying Our Yard_

(Reported by a girl in a vocational high school in Nebraska.)

I. Reasons for choosing this project--

1. The flowers will improve the looks of the yard.

2. It will be an experience in the arrangement of flowers for me
and will not only add to the attractiveness of the yard but
to the house and surrounding buildings.

II. Aims--

1. To make the yard and house more attractive.

2. To keep flowers watered and weeded and give other care they need.

3. To plant the flowers in the most suitable place and position.

III. Plans--

1. Get all the information I can from experienced gardeners and
from books and magazines that tell which are the best flowers
to raise, easiest to grow and take care of, and when and where
they should be planted.

2. Names of flowers to be planted--

Cock's Comb. Zinnias.
Phlox. Larkspur.
Nasturtiums. Petunia.
Sweet William. Cannas.
Snap Dragons. Sweet Peas.
Poppies. Heliotrope.
Asters. Sweet Alyssum.
Cosmos. Marigolds.

3. Location of flowers--

_a._ Along the walk (both sides).
_b._ Along sides of the house.
_c._ Along side of vacant lot.
_d._ Around garage.
_e._ Along the driveway.

4. How to plant the flowers--

_a._ The tallest ones in the back.
_b._ The shortest in front.

5. When to plant them--

_a._ Sweet peas, March 1 to 10, or before.
_b._ Others in the middle of April to May.
_c._ The flowers may be started in the house and transplanted
to the outside when the weather permits.

6. Care of flowers--

_a._ Water the flowers at least once a day (if dry weather).
It is best to water them in the evening.
_b._ Weed them at least twice a week and loosen the soil
around them.
_c._ If some insect starts destroying any of the flowers,
spray them with a solution which will kill the destroyer.

IV. Approval of guardian--

This project, Beautifying Our Yard, selected by Alta, is a very profitable project, especially at this time of the year when our thoughts are directed toward the planting of flowers, shrubs, etc. A beautiful yard adds so much to the home and makes everyone more happy and contented. This project should create a desire in Alta to take more interest in the yard and in planting it. Also watching the plants grow will make her feel some responsibility in caring for them, while at the same time every member of the family will enjoy the realization of the project. I wish her all success in making this project come true.

NOTE.--An excellent planting plan worked out on squared paper accompanied this project.

_Name of Project: Improving Our Home_

(Reported by an Alabama high school girl.)

In the spring I took as my project home beautification. I thought
when I started there was very little I could do to improve the old
barnlike house and unsightly grounds, but the more I did the more
there was to be done. I began by removing the old overgrown hedge
from the side and front of the yard. After grading the ground we
sodded the whole yard in Bermuda grass. The house was next underpinned
with rough strips of lumber which were painted. A lattice fence was
also built from the house to the garage (about 40 feet).

Between the fence and the lawn a space about 30 feet square was left
for a flower garden. Just in front of the fence several rambling rose
bushes, jonquills, and chrysanthemums were planted. All around the
garden I had flower beds about 4 feet wide filled with marigolds,
zenias, bachelor buttons, asters, and phlox.

In the summer we decided that we could afford a concrete walk and
steps. This was a little expensive but it has helped the looks of the
place so much that we have never regretted the time and money spent.

The interior next received attention, beginning with my own room.
The furniture consisted of an iron bedstead, an oak dresser, table,
and chairs. There was a faded rug on the floor. I moved the dresser
to another room, then from an old washstand I made a little dressing
table. With rough lumber I made a window seat which I covered with
bright cretonne. The furniture was very attractive after a coat of
paint and two of enamel were put on. I have very light curtains at
the windows. The old rug was turned over and looks almost like new.

The walls in the living room and hall were painted in buff, the
dining room and kitchen are to be the same.

One of the greatest improvements of the interior is the built-in
cabinets. A very convenient one was made between the dining room and
kitchen, where an old chimney used to be. The bricks were used to
build a basement. The part of the cabinet in the dining room is to
be used for dishes, and that in the kitchen for the cooking utensils.
Both are to be painted cream inside and oak outside.

Next spring I am going to plant more flowers and keep working on
everything that I think can be improved, for I love home projects.
It not only has helped me, but has helped my entire family and even
our neighbors.