What To Do At Recess is designed for use by teachers of the primary grades. It suggests a variety of games, folk dances, and activities for students to do during recess. Several black and white period illustrations are included. The book is maroon with white lettering on the cover and is 33 pages long. The inside front cover page is stamped Fairport Public Schools, which are located in Monroe County, New York.
George Ellsworth Johnson (1881-1931) was an educator and a pioneer in the American playground movement. Johnson believed that play has an important role in the moral education of children. He argued that democratic ideals and civic virtue are better learned through play. Johnson believed in equal rights and opportunities for girls and women in sports and play. He was the first faculty member in the Play and Recreation program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. He previously served as the Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Playground Association. He also wrote Education by Plays and Games.
Edwin Ginn founded the publishing company Ginn Brothers in the City of Boston in 1867. The firm was reorganized under the name Ginn & Company in 1885 and became particularly known for its school texts. In 1895, the company built a new publishing factory, the Athenaeum Press, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ginn & Company continued to be a successful publisher of educational texts for 70 years.