Indoor Recess

[Anonymous]

I was under the mistaken understanding that indoor recess was in the gym. Until I talked with the teacher. Sure enough its classroom recess under 30 degrees. DS can pick from movies or games. Great! The poor kid is miserable. I just can't understand this approach to weather and kids. The schools monitor everything the kids eat for fear of obesity and yet one way they could make a huge change is ensuring the kids get more physical activity. There has to be some way that during the winter months they can find get the kids outside or at least more active indoors. I'm sorry but the excuse the kids don't have the proper attire is lame. We have friends in Norway where the preschool classes are taught year round OUTSIDE! They have a hut they can gather in for meals but it does not have heat. They even nap outdoors. The kids and parents there have no problems finding the right attire for weather. I realize I'm venting but with a very active boy who doesn't mind the winter weather I would be much happier seeing him running around than spending every recess watching movies.

[Anonymous]

I have no problem with this policy. Happy that principals (who know their student-populations best) are able to exercise their best judgement. Just let your kids run around after school if you want them out in the cold. Of all the important issues the principals and teachers must deal with each day, let's not add this to the pile. After all, in the grand scheme, this just doesn't amount to much.

[Anonymous]

14:56: The point of the petition is that the school principals shouldn't be dealing with this decision on a day in/day out basis, with different decisions made school by school. And indoor recess that's watching movies or cramming 50 kids into one classroom doesn't help any of those kids -- behavior-wise, health-wise, etc. It certainly can't help the teachers who have to teach them either.

I even say that as a parent of an asthmatic. And I know that some asthmatics could have health issues by going outside.

13:38: Please consider signing the petition if you haven't already. We as parents need to stand together as one voice to effect change. Hopefully, the BOE will see the common sense in what we're saying as parents. Tx!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was under the mistaken understanding that indoor recess was in the gym. Until I talked with the teacher. Sure enough its classroom recess under 30 degrees. DS can pick from movies or games. Great! The poor kid is miserable. I just can't understand this approach to weather and kids. The schools monitor everything the kids eat for fear of obesity and yet one way they could make a huge change is ensuring the kids get more physical activity. There has to be some way that during the winter months they can find get the kids outside or at least more active indoors. I'm sorry but the excuse the kids don't have the proper attire is lame. We have friends in Norway where the preschool classes are taught year round OUTSIDE! They have a hut they can gather in for meals but it does not have heat. They even nap outdoors. The kids and parents there have no problems finding the right attire for weather. I realize I'm venting but with a very active boy who doesn't mind the winter weather I would be much happier seeing him running around than spending every recess watching movies.

In what way do they do this? Kids can bring whatever they want to eat from home and the school lunches are crap. I'm a teacher and we have to abide by the school's policy. Don't blame us! My primary students especially the boys need to get outside everyday even if it is for 10 minutes but we have to abide by the school policy.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were at Westbrook Elementary, the PTA brought this issue up. The principal then changed the policy from 36 degrees to about 28 degrees, and measured it mid-morning, not first thing in the morning. I think (hope) most principals would be willing to change, but need to know that the parents at their school support the change.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of the PPs and a petition signer,and 28 degrees measured mid-morning seems reasonable to me. And 14:56PP, principals already have to deal with this - they're just too often using a standard that is simply ridiculous for this area. Yes, we can let our kids run around outside afterschool, but that doesn't help them get through six hours of academics and sitting still. Are there really parents who object if their kids go outside when it's 35 degree outside? Get a grip, or move to Florida.

[Anonymous]

Another teacher joining in here. At my school, the policy is 32 degrees or lower and the kids stay in (and that includes wind chill, so it if *feels* like 32 they're in). We haven't had an outdoor recess in 3 weeks.

And to the Norway poster- this has absolutely everything to do with attire at my school. I teach at a title one school, where if I remind my students to come to school in a puffy jacket, they come in with sweatshirts because that IS their winter coat. Does it suck that we end up with so much indoor recess? Yes, I think the teachers hate it more then the kids. It's less planning time in your room, there's not always coverage for the students so you end up doing it, ect. But in a school with 750 kids, 2 PE teachers, one gym, and children who don't dress appropriately, there's not much choice but movies or board games. If you feel that the games are not interesting/age appropriate, I am sure that you're school would love to receive some new donations!

And, when the announcement is made about recess, more often then not, its the kids who are cheering when its announced indoors, and the teachers groaning. I know most people on this board send their kids to "better" elementary schools, and feel like they shouldn't have to worry about winter clothes. I've taught in Potomac and Bethesda schools, as well as title one, and the truth of the matter is, you never know what's going on at home for all the students in a school, and some of the things kids should have but don't, even in a upper-class school, might surprise you.

[Anonymous]

I teach at an ES in a very high income neighborhood and have plenty of kids come to school w/o appropriate outdoor clothing. So it isn't always a matter of not having the $$ to purchase these items. I HATE indoor recess and most of the boys do too but our school has a policy of 32 degrees or less is indoor recess. We do have a weather station at our school so we always have an accurate reading and we measure it right when recess occurs. We were outside all this week except for one day. We don't combine classes for indoor recess. I second the suggestion about new indoor games, puzzles and craft supplies. I buy them with my own money but last winter I ran out of craft supplies quickly due to the tons of snow we got. If you have games, etc to get rid of this Christmas, send them to school and we will find the right grade level to give them to.

[Anonymous]

Ok about the attire issue. In the summer are you finding kids wearing the appropriate attire? I have a feeling t-shirts and shorts are no problem but for some reason since I moved to this region for the north I've noticed most people (kids and adults) where inappropriate winter clothes and complain incessantly about the cold - even when its 50 degrees. Up north you wore the right clothes for the weather and you were outside in it. I think we could do a tremendous favor for our children by ensuring they have the right clothes and they learn to enjoy the weather. Honestly if given a chance my ds would of course pick watching a movie to running around outside. But once he is outside -regardless of weather its almost impossible to get him back indoors. Even shorten winter recess would be better than extended periods with classroom recess. Kids need fresh air, kids need exercise and for 3-4 months out of the year being indoors and inactive sets a terrible example for later in life. And we wonder why there is so much health related issues, overweight kids etc. They need to be MORE active not less.

[Anonymous]

I work at a private school and we send the kids out in all weather unless it is raining hard or 20 degrees. They only have to go out and run around for a bit then they can come back. We also give them a choice if the weather is severe. However, we the teachers are doing the monitoring. Some of us like to be out and some like to be in. If they don't have a jacket we find one in lost and found and they use that. It really isn't rocket science. For us it is really only about 15 minutes so it isn't a major hardship.

[Anonymous]

Money makes things possible. That is why people spend the big bucks on private schools. At my neighbor's school, a teacher used to allow students to borrow jackets/coats from Lost and Found so they could go out for recess and some of the kids got lice so they made a policy that nobody could borrow anything from Lost and Found. That's bureaucracy for you.

[Anonymous]

My 9 year old daughter frequently doesn't have an appropriate coat at school, despite the fact that she has a couple. And she almost never makes it with gloves, a hat, etc. She has ADHD and this is one of the things that's hardest for her. I almost wish she would experience the natural consequence of forgetting/losing her coat or leaving it on the bus and having to shiver through recess once or twice!

Once she came home in a gorgeous coat (white down coat with faux fur hood) that the vice principal gave her out of the donation box, figuring since she'd been to school so many times without a coat, there must be problems at home. So embarrassing -- I sent it back of course, with a note that yes, she does have several coats but even if I zip her into one myself in the morning, half the time she gets off the bus without one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school has a 32 degree policy. They have been out this week but not last week when it was super cold. Many kids (or their parents) just aren't dressed properly and a teacher can't allow any children to stay inside while she is outside with the rest of them.

Really? The teacher goes out with the students at recess. Good for you! God forbid a teacher at my school would imagine going out at recess with the kids, that is what the lunch/recess people are for!

[Anonymous]

At every school I know (and I'm a teacher who has friends at many elementary schools), the classroom teacher is responsible for recess supervision. We get 30 mins guaranteed for a duty free lunch but we are responsible for recess.

[Anonymous]

"Really? The teacher goes out with the students at recess. Good for you! God forbid a teacher at my school would imagine going out at recess with the kids, that is what the lunch/recess people are for!"


We also have the 32 degree policy both at our ES and at our daycare/preschool/pre-K. Our recess is supervised by the lunch/recess staff and volunteers. But, I certainly don't begrudge teachers that time for planning and working with kids who are having difficulty. I don't know about the PP who posted this quote, but my kids have been the beneficiaries of extra help and sometimes just lunchtime companionship from their teachers. I think that's a better use of teacher time than supervising playgrounds.