Playground a big deal?

[Anonymous]

What's up with a playground being a deciding factor in the choice of schools? Children go to school for education and to learn, not to play. Parents can keep their children active with extra curricula activities, after schools or on weekends... or am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

[Anonymous]

Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's up with a playground being a deciding factor in the choice of schools? Children go to school for education and to learn, not to play. Parents can keep their children active with extra curricula activities, after schools or on weekends... or am I missing something?

I think play time is an integral part of chilhood. Not only socially but physically.
I would think by 4th or 5th grade this becomes less of an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

Please tell me this was posted by a teenager. It's a forum about DCPS and Charter schools. If you don't understand why someone would care then there's nothing anyone can say or do to help you. Other than encourage you to continue to attend classes so one day your brain can understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

OP here. I have children, 4, 6 and 8... I am not suggesting that they sit all day. Outside time or time to move around is fine. Why is a playground necessary for that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

Obviously, my point was to determine why it would be important. Clearly according to DCUM either I am missing something or a Tiger mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

OP here. I have children, 4, 6 and 8... I am not suggesting that they sit all day. Outside time or time to move around is fine. Why is a playground necessary for that

Well, most schools that don't have playgrounds also don't have outdoor space... Are you imagining French gardens attached to these schools or something? Also, playgrounds allow kids a variety of ways to play and use all their muscle groups in a way a blacktop -- if they had one -- doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

Please tell me this was posted by a teenager. It's a forum about DCPS and Charter schools. If you don't understand why someone would care then there's nothing anyone can say or do to help you. Other than encourage you to continue to attend classes so one day your brain can understand.

Are doctorate courses enough for you or should I do more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

OP here. I have children, 4, 6 and 8... I am not suggesting that they sit all day. Outside time or time to move around is fine. Why is a playground necessary for that

Well, most schools that don't have playgrounds also don't have outdoor space... Are you imagining French gardens attached to these schools or something? Also, playgrounds allow kids a variety of ways to play and use all their muscle groups in a way a blacktop -- if they had one -- doesn't.

You have a point about no playground = no outside space. however, one of the schools on my list for next year has outside space with no playground (MV) and that seems to be a big deal...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's up with a playground being a deciding factor in the choice of schools? Children go to school for education and to learn, not to play. Parents can keep their children active with extra curricula activities, after schools or on weekends... or am I missing something?

Are you not aware that children, particularly young children, learn better via play than they do via worksheets or memorization? Do you not want your children to have any kind of play in their schools? Are you opposed to recess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

Please tell me this was posted by a teenager. It's a forum about DCPS and Charter schools. If you don't understand why someone would care then there's nothing anyone can say or do to help you. Other than encourage you to continue to attend classes so one day your brain can understand.

I don't understand why someone would care what another parent prioritizes. The attitude is "I don't prioritize that, so everyone shouldn't." Personally, I don't care about a playground, but if other people do, that's their prerogative. I know someone who put the quality of the food as a major factor in deciding the order of her lottery picks; I would never do that, but I don't care that she did. Don't feel a need to start a thread with "What's up with . . . ?" to judge other parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

OP here. I have children, 4, 6 and 8... I am not suggesting that they sit all day. Outside time or time to move around is fine. Why is a playground necessary for that

Well, most schools that don't have playgrounds also don't have outdoor space... Are you imagining French gardens attached to these schools or something? Also, playgrounds allow kids a variety of ways to play and use all their muscle groups in a way a blacktop -- if they had one -- doesn't.

You have a point about no playground = no outside space. however, one of the schools on my list for next year has outside space with no playground (MV) and that seems to be a big deal...

I just think you should ask yourself if its a big deal to you and your family
I visited MV and found the grounds sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you a parent op? Kids need to run around and move during the day. It's not good for anyone to sit still all day long, especially kids.

OP here. I have children, 4, 6 and 8... I am not suggesting that they sit all day. Outside time or time to move around is fine. Why is a playground necessary for that

Well, most schools that don't have playgrounds also don't have outdoor space... Are you imagining French gardens attached to these schools or something? Also, playgrounds allow kids a variety of ways to play and use all their muscle groups in a way a blacktop -- if they had one -- doesn't.

You have a point about no playground = no outside space. however, one of the schools on my list for next year has outside space with no playground (MV) and that seems to be a big deal...

If the school I were considering had a big park but no play structure, that wouldn't bother me. But if its has blacktops - hot and not great for stimulating exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care? If that's not important to you, then don't prioritize it when looking for a school. If it's important to another family, it can prioritize it.

Please tell me this was posted by a teenager. It's a forum about DCPS and Charter schools. If you don't understand why someone would care then there's nothing anyone can say or do to help you. Other than encourage you to continue to attend classes so one day your brain can understand.

I don't understand why someone would care what another parent prioritizes. The attitude is "I don't prioritize that, so everyone shouldn't." Personally, I don't care about a playground, but if other people do, that's their prerogative. I know someone who put the quality of the food as a major factor in deciding the order of her lottery picks; I would never do that, but I don't care that she did. Don't feel a need to start a thread with "What's up with . . . ?" to judge other parents.

Was the intent to judge, or was the intent to find out from other parents why playgrounds are important to them in case the OP was, in his/her own words, "missing something"? Perhaps a commenter will say something that will OP to reconsider how heavily to weigh playgrounds (or lack thereof).