Equipment for teaching domestic science

Preface

The purpose of this book is to discuss the problems that are met in planning a domestic science equipment, to suggest practical solutions that have been worked out through experience, and to give a description of what is done in some of the schools and colleges of this country. As this is not a statistical report, space allows only a few schools and colleges to be mentioned.

Thanks are due to the teachers, superintendents, and supervisors who have kindly given information and whose institutions are mentioned in these pages; to the members of the domestic science staff of Teachers College; and to those students in the Department of Domestic Science at Teachers College who have collected data from year to year. It has not been possible to publish all the information that has been so kindly furnished.

May, 1910 Teachers College

September, igii

Some of the developments that bring about changes in equipment have been briefly discussed in an added chapter.

Contents

Chapter Page

I Introduction i

II The Rooms 5

Chapter I Introduction

To the question, what should be the cost of domestic science equipment for school work, the answers are as varied as the conditions where needs are to be met. In the United States and Canada there are in existence equipments of all grades, ranging from those used in the country district or city settlement school to laboratories and appointments not to be surpassed by those in the best equipped university laboratories for work in the natural sciences.

Work in domestic science has been developing for a quarter of a century and many well-equipped laboratories are to be found. While economic conditions in the public schools have tended to make the average equipment inexpensive, yet natural pride in a city system or school, in connection with gifts from private donors, has made it possible to equip the workrooms with elaborate and beautiful fittings. Yet such equipment may be no more useful to the school and community than something much plainer. It is difficult, of course, if not impossible, to set a definite standard. The subject, to have dignity, should be well housed; the kitchen and other rooms should be as attractive as possible, and yet no funds should be wasted for mere show or the non-essentials. Work in domestic science is developing now with great rapidity and would be installed in many small towns if the school superintendents could know that an equipment may be serviceable and still comparatively inexpensive. The future growth of this work and its usefulness to the community depend very largely upon the knowledge of what such equipment may be. What shall be our guiding principles in planning an equipment ?

It may be said first that an equipment is adequate which enables the pupils to do their school work with convenience and without loss of time. This means in the cooking room that the room should be sufficiently large for the class, that the sinks, stoves, and tables should be so placed that steps are saved and crowding avoided ; that there should be enough utensils, and these selected in relation to the kind of work given. It is unfair to overcrowd a class, and to demand good work where tools are lacking. It is as unjust to both teacher and pupils as it would be to expect a class to learn to write without paper, pen, and ink. On the other hand, too many utensils, especially the smaller, confuse the work and consume unnecessary time in cleansing and keeping in order. Then, too, in this case, pupils miss the opportunity for training in the economic use of their tools, and do not develop ingenuity. A small equipment, well selected, may be much more useful than a large and ill-assorted collection of implements.

In the second place, the equipment should have some practical effect on the community where the school is placed. All articles and utensils should be such as can be used by the children in their own homes, and at the same time offer an incentive to the bettering of home conditions. This latter is true even in the well-to-do community, for, even where funds are not wanting for domestic furnishing, there is often a lack of knowledge as to the best way to adapt means to ends.

A domestic science teacher should be, therefore, a faithful student of mechanical improvements, since the manufacturers in all lines of kitchen furnishings are making changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes otherwise. If, for instance, a wood stove is to be installed, if that is the available fuel in the neighborhood, what is the latest and best pattern? This also holds good with small implements, for new wares and new forms are put on the market almost daily. In the school settlements of the Tennessee mountains may be found striking illustrations of the influence of the school furnishing upon the neighborhood.

Introduction 3

The house in which the teachers Uve, and even the school buildings, are Hke the mountain cabins, but mare convenient and better built. All the changes are of such a nature that they can be copied by those who are building new cabins, or the old can be remodeled by the occupants with little trouble. The same plan is followed in the simple furnishings, where the textiles are made by the mountain women, but with more artistic design and colors than before. The result of this is that many people have taken the hint and have done likewise. In some such way as this, domestic science rooms should be true models, desirable and possible to copy.

In the advanced work of our college departments there is yet another way in which the community may be served. Here is the place for experimenting with new materials and devices, and the passing on to the housekeeper and the lower schools information about better materials and machines.

Then, too, both the school and the college may have an influence in showing that the kitchen and other rooms for the practical work of the house may be made as esthetically pleasing in their own way as the living room. This is sometimes forgotten in domestic science work. One of the best instances of a beautiful kitchen is that in the public school system of Evanston, Illinois. The room in itself is spacious and well lighted, but in addition it has a harmonious color scheme of soft brown, buff, blue, and white. This is carried out in all the details of the room with pleasing effect. Attention to the colors used in walls, floors, and dishes need not of necessity add to the expense.

A knowledge of the needs of the community, therefore, and a well-organized scheme of work are foundational in planning a truly serviceable equipment. The teacher who plans it should be practical, discriminating, and adaptable, not patterning her work entirely on what is done elsewhere, except in so far as that is appropriate to the new locality. In England these matters are under government control; in the board schools the course of lessons and equipment are determined by the government. This would not be possible, nor desirable in this country, since conditions are so varying. Everything depends, then, on the efficiency and common sense of the teacher and the committee in charge.

This book will treat of what is usually known as domestic science equipment for cookery, table setting and service, house work, laundering, and home nursing. It should be noted that some of the rooms for these purposes may be utilized for work in textiles and in home decoration.

Chapter II The Rooms

Two situations will be considered: (i) The planning for rooms in a new building, and (2) the refitting of rooms used for other purposes.

I. The Number. In elementary-school work it is often possible to devote only one room to domestic science, and this is usually the kitchen. This kitchen, however, can be used for other purposes than cooking. Housework, to an extent, is of course taught in the kitchen. A dining table may also be placed in this room, if no other space is available, and the table setting and service taught here. With a small portable equipment some of the simpler laundering processes may also be conducted. This involves, however, some space where the laundry equipment may be stored when not in use. Where no other room is available, housework may be taught in other parts of the building; sweeping and dusting, for instance, in the classroom, or in the teacher's rooms, if such exist. Lessons in home nursing may be given in the classroom.

In high schools and colleges more than one room is usually allowed. One of the first to provide for is a storeroom for materials and utensils, as a sufficient space for storing provisions makes for greater economy in buying. This room is, if anything, more important than the dining room. Next a dining room may be added; after this a laundry, and then some room, or rooms, where housekeeping may be taught, the conditions being made as much like the home as possible. The need of something of this kind has been felt so strongly that in a number of new buildings, both in Canada and in the United States, a suite of rooms, like a small apartment, has been provided ; in other cases a small house has been made available, as at the University of Illinois.

2. Shape and Size. For cookery a room that is somewhat longer than it is wide is easy to arrange to advantage and is also of agreeable shape. A long, narrow room is difficult to furnish conveniently and to light well, unless the long side is exposed to the light. A room 24 x 17 feet is of good proportion and is large enough for twenty pupils without extreme crowding. Such a room will allow for two gas stoves, two sinks, but does not leave space for cupboards to extend into the room. Two feet more in each direction is a better size. A room 26 x 38 feet allows for from twenty to twenty-four pupils, with a larger amount of equipment at the sides and better aisle space. There is no room for a dining table in the first room. A dining table could be placed in the last in the center of a rectangular table. A storeroom need not be large, but should be amply provided with cupboards. A room 13 x 14 feet will afford good storage space for classes of twenty working continuously.

A dining room 13 x 16 feet will give space for a table seating six or eight guests, leaving room for a small sideboard and space for the waitress to pass. It is indeed economy of space and time to have a dining room that is not too large.

The laundry should afford space for the tubs, dryer, and ironing apparatus unless the washing and ironing are done in separate rooms. A room 40 x 28 feet allows space for steam machinery in addition to other equipment.

When a suite of living room.s is planned, of course the rooms cannot be large. A small apartment in the new School of Household Arts, Teachers College, Columbia University, measures 18 feet 7 inches x 52 feet 6 inches. An apartment at Macdonald College, Quebec, Canada, is larger.

A number of our colleges and universities are now devoting a whole building to Household Economics. These include Domestic Art and Domestic Science and laboratory work in science. Such a building is found at the University of Illinois and one has just been added to the University of Nebraska. The Household Arts Building, Teachers College, is of this type.

In selecting old rooms there is often little choice. The size of the class should be determined upon, and that room, or those

The Rooms 7

rooms, assigned that fulfill as many of the necessary requirements as possible. This plan was followed in 1908 at the Public School, Tenafly, New Jersey, where a classroom with small adjoining rooms was turned into a cooking room. (See Fig. 46.)

3. The Location and Exposure, The top floor of the building is the most desirable if there is an elevator to take up supplies. In the case of the cooking room it is not so much a question of light as of the possibility of better ventilation, if the room is on this story. Odors from the cooking are less liable to penetrate into other rooms of the building. This seems to be equally true whether there is a ventilating system or not. If the basement is well lighted, the cooking room can sometimes be better cut off from the rest of the building for ventilating purposes than if it is in any of the intermediate stories. This question of lighting is, however, a most important one. North light is good for all laboratory work. If the windows are well placed the light is more evenly distributed than where the exposure is southern. Of course, the sunlight adds to the cheerfulness of the room, but window shades should be well adjusted in this case. The question of light is not so important in any of the domestic science work as in the work of the textile and sewing classes ; so if there is a choice, the sewing room should have the better light.

4. Ventilation, If there is a ventilating system in the building, extra exhaust, with its own special connection, should be provided. Even where the rooms are large and high, the ordinary ventilating system is not equal to removing the products of combustion and the odors, and to keeping down the temperature. If there is no ventilating system some simple device should be used, in order to utilize the windows for ventilation. Of course, windows must be opened wide for airing, but it often happens that currents of air affect oven temperatures and the flames of gas stoves. Boards may be placed under the lower sash of the window, or screens (covered with cheesecloth) may be used, filling the lower sash space. Where there is a flue in the room, the chimney can sometimes be utilized for ventilation by having openings into the flue. If any number of gas stoves are used, there should be hoods above the stoves.

An electric fan gives relief in a crowded and ill- ventilated cooking room. Such a fan may be bought for about $15.

5. Windows and Doors. The windows and doors should be so placed that the wall space is not too much broken. Plain stretches of wall should be planned for cupboards and for blackboards. Good light is obtained if the windows are all on one side of the room, provided they are large, and the room is not too deep. The doors should, of course, open outward.

6. Chimney and Flues, The chimney and flues are planned by the architect in relation to other parts of the building. It is

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Fig. I. School kitchen planned for 16 pupils, 15 x 28 feet

necessary, if possible, to see that the chimney is well placed in relation to the other furnishings of the room.

7. Gas, Water, and Waste Pipes, Steam and Electric Fittings have also to be planned by the architect in connection w4th the whole system. The same caution is necessary here as with the chimney and flues.

8. Wall Finish, In the cooking room and laundry it is necessary to have the wall finish washable. While this is desirable in the other rooms, it is essential here. The ideal finish is tiling extending from the floor six or seven feet upward. The wall above this tiling may be painted. If the tiling is too costly, the whole wall may be painted, using heavy enamel paint below and cheaper above. While the cost of paint does not difl^er in diflferent sections of the country, the cost of labor does, and any esti-

The Rooms mates given here can be approximate only. A still cheaper finish is paint for the first six or seven feet, with a durable wall wash, like Alabastine, above. Alabastine is a good grade of calcimine to be bought at furnishing stores and can be easily applied. It does not wash, but can be dusted with a wool wall duster or soft cloth. If an old wall is to be done over, it may be filled and painted, or, if the lower wall is in too bad condition, it may be covered with table oilcloth fastened at the top with a narrow strip of wood. The wall above the strip may be painted or

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Fig. 2. School kitchen planned for 12 pupils, 20 x S7 feet

washed with Alabastine. In the dining room it is possible to have the wall finish somewhat less expensive. Good colors can be obtained in a wash. The ceilings may be washed with Alabastine or ordinary calcimine. The attractiveness of a room depends largely upon the cleanliness and freshness of its walls, and here it is that the choice of color is important.

9. Floor, The question of the laboratory floor is one that is much discussed. For cleanliness, durability, and attractiveness, tiling is the best. It is costly, but of course wears well and may be kept absolutely clean. It is the general opinion in this country, however, that too much fatigue results from the use of the tiled floor for laboratory work. A good hard wood is conlO sidered the most desirable. Maple is one of the best, though yellow Georgia pine is also excellent. A combination of tiling and wood works well, the tiling being placed under the sinks and under the stoves, in the former case for cleanliness, in the second for cleanliness and also for proof against fire. It is difficult to have the tiles run into the woodwork without a crack, if the wood chart.

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Fig. 3. School kitchen planned for 15 pupils, 24 x 24 feet

shrinks ; but if a crack occurs this can be filled in. Terraza and cement floors always crack and are not desirable. The objection always to the wood floor is the labor involved in keeping it in order from day to day. A good method is to rub the floor occasionally with oil, washing the floor between the oilings, or using some mixture of oil and wax. At Drexel Institute, Pennsylvania, the floors are stained, waxed and rubbed, brushed with a soft brush and dust cloth; they are never oiled or washed. Such a floor is, of course, somewhat slippery, which might be objectionable in a laboratory for children. Where the floor is

The Rooms

II not new, it may be scraped, planed, and stained, and then treated with oil or wax. In such a case linoleum is an excellent floor covering. The best cloth should be selected, of the inlaid variety, not painted on the surface as in the cheaper grades. This covering is pleasant to the foot and is kept clean with no great difficulty. If the floor underneath is at all rough or uneven, this should be remedied before the linoleum is laid. Pains must be taken to fasten the linoleum well down at the edges. It is best

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Fig. 4. School kitchen planned for 24 pupils, 24 x 41 feet.

to allow it to stretch for a time before this is done. Cement is sometimes used to fill the space between the linoleum and the wall. This is not an inexpensive covering, since a good linoleum costs $1.50 a square yard, and it is not worth while to have the cheaper grade. It is, however, durable, lasting for many years. 10. Woodwork should be as plain as possible and without cracks or seams or elaborate mouldings. Plain wood finish can be easily cared for. Well-painted wood also gives a surface that is easily kept clean, and if made to harmonize with the color of the wall, gives a pleasing effect.

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Fig. 5. School kitchen planned for 16 pupils, 27 x 34 feet

Cost of Wall Finish and Labor

(New York City, January^ 1909)

Calcimine, per sq. yd., i to 3 coats about $0.40

Paint, per sq. yd., i coat .30

Table oilcloth, per yd., i^ yd. wide .30

Tiling, glazed, per sq. f t .60-.75

Cost of Flooring with Labor

Scraping and staining old floor, i coat varnish per sq. yd. $1.00

Paint, as above " " " i.oo

Linoleum " " " 1.50

Vitrified tiling per sq. ft. .40-.60

Maple flooring " " '' .32

Yellow pine flooring " " " .35

Figures i to 7, inclusive, show kitchens of varying shapes. Figure 8 is the floor plan of the small apartment, School of Household Arts, Teachers College.

Figure 9 is the plan of a whole department.