810-Lmcuter Farming, Saturday, December 14, 1996
Ephrata Cloister
Offers History Class
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
Explore the roles of women in ear
ly Pennsylvania as history comes
to life as part of the Ephrata Clois
ter Christmas Candlelight Tours,
December 26 through 29. These
special first-person tours transport
visitors back in time to the
mid-18th century with local stu
dents portraying members of the
Ephrata Cloister, one of Ameri
ca’s earliest communal societies.
Within the original structures,
guests will discover the stories of
several colonial Pennsylvania
women, each with choices and
struggles which contributed to the
development of the nation’s heri
tage. Tours begin at 6:30 p.m. and
continue every half-hour until 9
p.m. Space is limited and reserva
tions are required.
Ephrata Cloister was founded in
1732 by the German religious
leader Conrad Beissel. Gathered
in unique medieval style build
ings, the community consisted of
celibate Brothers and Sisters, and
a married congregation of fami
lies. The life of the celibate mem
bers was characterized by severe
discipline and self-denial of com
fort At the zenith of the com
munity in the 1740 s and 17505,
about 300 members worked and
worshiped at the Goister. Follow
ing the death of the last celibate
member in 1813 the married con
gregation formed the German Se
Kj.ds iKprne^
venth Day Baptist Church. Mem
bers continued to live and worship
at the Cloister until 1934.
In 1941, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania acquired the historic
site and began a program of
restoration and interpretation. To
day, nine original buildings are
part of a 25-acre complex open for
visitors daily.
Tickets for the Christmas
Candlelight Tours are $6 for
adults, $5 for Senior Citizens age
60 and over and $4 for children
age 6 through 12. Limited space is
available on each tour and re
servations are required. By special
arrangement with The Restaurant
at Doneckers a dinner and tour
package is available by calling
(717) 738-9502. Ephrata Cloister
is located in Ephrata Borough,
Lancaster County on Route 322 at
the intersection with Route 272.
The historic site is open Monday
through Saturday, 9 a.m. to S p.m.
and Sunday from noon to S p.m.
Individuals wishing more in
formation, reservations, or indivi
duals with disabilities whtr need
special assistance should call
(717) 733-6600.
HONESDALE (Wayne Co.)
Walk into any toy store or toy
department and you will find hun
dreds of toys. With such a selec
tion to choose from, most of us
ask ourselves, “Where on earth do
I begin?” The following ideas for
toys, grouped according to age,
are suggestions you might want to
consider. It is important to take
into account not only the child’s
age, but also his interests and abil
ities as he grows older.
Babies Under IB Months:
Toys should attract the baby’s
attention. Select toys that baby can
look at, feel, chew, hold, and, of
course, drop. These toys should be
washable and definitely nonbreak
able, with no sharp edges or small
parts that can come off or be
detached such as some wheels on
toy trucks or eyes on stuffed ani
mals. As the baby begins to move
about, select toys that will move
with him, either pulled or pushed.
Other suggestions are toys that
attach securely to the crib, large
cloth blocks or plastic beads, pic
ture books, chime or squeak toys,
slacking or pounding toys, and
cloth dolls.
18 Months to 3 Years: Select
movable toys that the child can
manipulate. Again, avoid toys
with small parts, since the child
will still place objects in his
mouth. Sturdy toys are a must at
this age, but shy away from overly
large or heavy toys. Sound
producing toys and toys that allow
the older 2-year-old to play Mom
or Dad are in order. Introduce
simple puzzles. For active play,
try a low-built, wide-based three
or four wheeled riding toy, as well
as a wagon-type toy that the child
can push or pull and load down
with other toys. Old-fashioned
dolls and child-powered cars and
trucks will delight the 2-year-old.
3 to 4 Years: Play for this age
child has become vigorous and he/
Toy Suggestions
she is beginning to be interested in
creative activites. “Make believe”
is a big part of play. Select toy
telephones, puppets, doll buggies,
toy dishes, more advanced puz
zles, large crayons and big sheets
of paper, blunt scissors and finger
paints, farm or village or other
play sets, pull-string or friction
powered-toys.
4 to 6 Years: This is the drama
tic or creative age. Interest in read
ing and writing will begin and
grow. The child will be moving
rapidly at this age and his/her
attention span is lengthening.
Toys with moving parts and toys
that are designed to be taken apart
by the child will provide hours of
play. Some suggestions are doll
houses, construction toys, paints,
jump ropes, larger-wheeled toys,
simple games, easy to read books
with large print and pleasing pic
tures. pretend money, story
records, leam-to-tell toys, sleds
and dress-up costumes.
It is impossible to make a list of
toys that will fit each child.
Because children have different
abilities and interests and skills,
you must decide which toy is best
for your child. Observe the child
at play. You will notice that your
child, like most every other child,
will play in different ways. Some
play will be very active, some
quiet, some imaginative and crea
live. At times your child will
engage in social play with other
children, while at other times he or
she will be involved in construc
tion or building or even scientific
play.
In choosing the toy that is best
for your developing child, try to
consider each of these different
types of play. If you are selecting
more than one toy, think of the
way in which the child will play
with each toy. One father noticed
that his son was fascinated with a
toy car. That year the child
received no less than six cars and
trucks! He was obviously over
loaded with any one kind of toy
and his “fleet” went unused for the
most part, much to the father’s
disappointment
One final note: Children can be
overloaded with toys in another
way. This too frequently happens
during the approaching holiday
time. Many parents and other
adults spend too much money on
toys and frequently buy too many.
It is far better, from the child’s
standpoint, to give him/her a cou
ple of well-selected toys at the
holiday time. Then, in a few
months, the child will have
matured a bit more and be ready
for another well-selected toy. And
in another few months, another
toy. he or she will enjoy them
more that way, and will learn
more as well.