Indoor recess and movies

[cyclemama]

How does your child's school handle indoor recess?

We live in the upper midwest (US), where outdoor recess is sometimes cancelled due to weather. I think the policy is that the kids go outside for recess unless it is raining/snowing during recess time, or the temperature is below a certain degrees. So far this year, outdoor recess has been cancelled a few times due to rain, but I expect it will be cancelled more frequently this winter, since it can be really cold here and we get a fair amount of snow.

It appears so far that many of the cancelled recesses were filled with movies. I'm wondering if this is common in other schools. I limit our screen time, and I just don't like my children watching movies so often, especially in school. I realize the kids need a break, but I'm wondering if other schools have a better way to handle indoor recess. For example, could they gather in the gym and play rowdy games, or perhaps let the kids play board games or draw? Or is that just too much trouble to organize and supervise? What does your child's school do about indoor recess?

Cyclemama

[mommy2maya]

I think they watch videos, but have the option to color/draw.

Each of our grade levels eat together, which is as many as 100-120 kids, sometimes more. It's pretty unrealistic to bring them into the gym and expect anything less than total chaos. I think the down time of video/coloring is fine for the rare time of not being able to have outdoor recess.

Oh, and if they are not having outdoor time, the whole lunch schedule is changed. We have 45m lunch periods, I think 15-20m for eating, the rest for outside play. With five grades to get thru lunch period, they can't all stay in the cafeteria for 45 min, so they will normally go to lunch later and have some extra classroom time, which is usually children's choice.

[CarrieMF]

We haven't had recess cancelled for weather yet.

If they're having indoor recess they stay in their classrooms & play with toys, colour, read, do homework, OR they can go to the library to watch a movie. During the winter each day there are 2 grades in the gym at noon recess for noon games, if their noon games is on an indoor recess day then they still go to noon games. There are other clubs sometimes & they go to their club if they're in it. Out of 250 kids in the school, maybe 30 go watch a movie in the library.

[octobermom]

We really don't have to worry about that here but I remember indoor recess when I was in school. THey just opened the gym and provided balls, jump ropes, bad miten use of the basket ball courts ect. I remember really enjoying it.

Deanna

[mommy2maya]

oh yeah, our school is fairly big- around 6-700 students

[Oriole]

We've had a couple of indoor recesses already, and my kids play board games

[frontierpsych]

Heads up, 7 up.

[TEAK's Mom]

First, I must admit to being a homeschooler, but I do live very near two elementary schools. Unless it is 40 below or the wind is more than 50 mph, they are always outside for recess. If kids around here were kept inside for rain or snow, they'd never see the light of day.

[straighthaircurly]

I think there have been 3 indoor recesses so far this year due to rain. I was there volunteering one of the days. No movies are shown. Instead the teacher has a special indoor recess box that has various board games or toys that aren't normally available. Or they can read books or play with some of the regular games and activities in the room. The normal outdoor recess staff comes and watches the kids during that time (teacher takes lunch then). I wish they could use the gym during that time to run around but at least they aren't watching a movie.

[blue butterfly]

it's only happened 2 or 3 times so far but they stay inside and play games.

[mammastar2]

Morning and afternoon recess, if it is raining hard or really cold (I think -20 Celsius??) they stay in their classrooms but get free activity time. There are lots of boxes of legos and other building materials, art supplies, board games, and so on (she's in second grade).

Lunch recess is less ideal - in bad weather they stay in the lunch room at their tables and look at books, which apparently are always the same ones. Dd says it gets loud and it's rather miserable. Last year I used to tuck a notebook and pen in her lunch kit so she could draw or write if there was indoor lunch recess, and I think I'll start doing it again as we get into bad weather season.

[marieangela]

I know that they have board games for indoor recess at my son's school. I think that they will occassionally show a movie, though. I don't think they've cancelled recess yet, but I'll have to check and see because the weather will be getting worse soon.

[zinemama]

Our local public school would never in a million years show movies during recess. They have the kids run around in the gym.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

It doesn't happen often here, but for morning recess they add a library period, where they can read, visit, or play board games. For lunch they stay in their classrooms (they usually eat outside) and play games or have free choice activities. If sports are cancelled they go into the library (no gym) and do indoor relay races.

About the only times that the school does "fun" movies (as opposed to films as part of lesson plans) are for extended periods of bad weather (like on day 5 of rain storms). Last year they did more movies during the firestorms because the air qaulity was so bad that kids weren't supposed to run for a couple of weeks and everyone was tired of board games! For little kids who aren't good readers yet (K, 1) they use movies during things like downtimes for shows (e.g. the K class watches a movie after they do their part of the christmas show while waiting for the second act to start when they go sing again), or when there is an early dismissal but some kids need to wait for caregivers who can't come until regular dismissal time. But for kids who can read independently they are expected to read during these times.

[mommy68]

Does the school not offer a separate PE class for the children each week? If not, then I'd also have a problem with it. If they have PE then recess is different. There is probably nowhere else for the teacher to take the class during their usual outdoor time if other classes are doing their PE classes in the gym. So it may be a scheduling type of thing that they can't avoid.

However, indoor recess should not always mean t.v. I'd definitely bring up the issue at PTA or with the teacher directly.

[langyork]

I hate movies at school. My son has a lot of screen time at home, but they watch tv on fridays on a regular basis. I just pick him up early that day.

[~*max*~]

My kids go to a small charter school. When there is indoor recess each classroom has a theme of play that the kids can chose to go to - arts & crafts, story telling, recycling projects, jump roping in the hall, and yes, sometimes an educational movie (like Magic School Bus). I too really dislike movies/tv in school. But since I know the school is well rounded, the movie is at least somewhat educational, and it is a rare treat I go w/it. My kids usually choose to do something other than the movie, but if they feel the need for some down time they might go in.

[jazzharmony]

Our school has recess twice per day (1 long and 1 less long) and they go out in all but really extreme weather conditions. We live in a cold climate and unless there is a blizzard or downpour, the kids are out playing.

When they are stuck in, they either play in the gym, the library or the classroom. There is plenty to do inside.

What's that saying? There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing??

[emmasmommy]

When it happens at dd's school, they have had the option to go to the library to watch a movie, or they can go play games in gym. But kids are mostly outside unless it is extremely cold or pouring rain. DD has told me that she has had some lunch recesses in the gym this year, and told me it was because of the wind, but since she said it was only for grade ones, it was probably their turn for noon games since all the games were organized by the gym teacher!

[Heavenly]

No tv during our kid's indoor recess. They do activities in the hall and in the gym. I would be really upset if they were showing movies during every indoor recess.