Outside or inside recess not an easy call

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

Baby it’s cold outside. But how cold is too cold when it comes to sending students out to the playground for recess.

No doubt there are definite benefits to recess, which can break up the monotony of the school day with a good old-fashioned game of kickball. According to a recent study by the New York Times, outdoor recess actually helps improve a student’s academic and social behavior in the classroom. The study found that regularly scheduled recess, fitness games or nature walks could actually influence a student’s behavior, or grades.

The study, recently published in Pediatrics magazine, asserts that students who receive at least 15 minutes of recess each day do better academically than students who are cooped up all day.

Nationwide, school systems have been cutting recess programs in an effort to allow students more classroom time. Some school districts have eliminated recess all together in an effort to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind, which supports standards-based education reform.

Fortunately, recess is alive and well at local school districts, and administrators here recognize the value of allowing students playtime.

“The reality is that kids need to get outside and play, even if it’s just for a short period of time,” Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Ken Amstutz said.

Getting kids out to play, however, can become difficult during the winter months, when cold temperatures and bitter winds force children inside. Amstutz added that building principals also have to consider that not every student is dressed properly to go outside.

“Certainly, we’re not going to put anyone at risk, because some kids don’t come properly dressed for the weather. But typically, on most winter days, it’s good for kids to get outside, even if it’s just for a short walk around the building.”

Sometimes, though, it’s just not possible for students to get outside due to the cold temperatures, and wind chill factors also come into play. Van Wert City Schools policy allows each building principal to ascertain whether indoor or outdoor recess will be held. “The cold temperature in and of itself is one thing,” Amstutz said. “But when you throw in the wind, that is most definitely a determining factor. I think it’s really a judgment call for each building’s administration as to whether or not kids will have outside recess.”

Wind chill charts are also used at each building, along with a variety of other factors, including whether or not the sun is shining. Beth Runnion, Franklin Elementary School principal, said 20 degrees is the standard marker she uses in determining inside or outside recess. “Sometimes, it might depend also if the sun is shining,” Runnion said. “It’s really just using common sense. If it’s in the upper teens, but it’s a sunny day, it might feel warmer outside. If the kids have been in for a long time, we might possibly take them out for a shorter recess just to get them some fresh air.”

Runnion added that, when it’s not possible for children to go outside, however, students do enjoy indoor recess. “One of their favorite games is Twister, so whether they’re inside or outside, they’re getting some physical activity.”

The same rings true at the S.F. Goedde Building, where fifth-grade students there are getting plenty of exercise on any given school day, regardless of the temperature. When the weather is nice, students at the Goedde Building can be found walking in and around Fountain Park, a program that has shown definite academic benefits. “Studies have shown that kids who are up and moving first thing in the morning tend to do better in the educational process,” said Julie Hammond, school secretary at the Goedde Building. “We’re fortunate to have the use of Fountain Park and the kids really enjoy walking there; but if the weather is bad, we can also make use of the gym, and the students walk in there for 15 minutes every day.”

Hammond added that on days when students are forced to be inside, they can use the Goedde Building gymnasium. “We have recess equipment made for indoors, and the students have a lot of different things they can do if we’re inside.”

Hammond also said that at the Goedde Building, 20 degrees is the marker for determining whether students will be inside for the day. “We don’t let them go out if it gets too cold, but we also keep extra jackets and coats here on hand for the kids if they need them.”

Students at Lincolnview also follow similar rules for recess, and building principals make the determination to send children outside, or inside. “Obviously, we just use a little common sense there,” said Lincolnview Superintendent Doug Fries. “Safety and concern for our students is always our top priority and we won’t send kids outside if it’s just too cold.”

Lincolnview administration also use a temperature and wind chill chart in making the decision, but common sense prevails in most situations. “Each day is different, and really just depends on the wind, if the sun is shining, what the temperature is. It’s really just making a good judgment call.”

At Crestview Elementary School, Principal Kathy Mollenkopf said that, while getting students outside for good, healthy exercise is a priority, concern for student safety has forced recess inside a number of times this year because the weather just wasn’t nice enough to go outside.

“The first option, I always like to go outside if I can with the kids, since there’s more space for the kids to run and fresh air, which are both good for kids,” Mollenkopf said. “But when conditions don’t allow it – either too much snow or the temperatures don’t allow it – we move to ‘inside recess’ in the gym.”

Mollenkopf said she has no magic temperature in mind in determining whether students go out for recess or stay in. “It could be 35 degrees out, sunny and not a lot of wind and I’ll send the kids out,” she said, “but if it’s 35, overcast and lot of wind I might not.

“I have sent kids out when it was 28 degrees, but it was sunny and good weather conditions,” Mollenkopf added. “It’s a judgment call.”

Although Mollenkopf said Crestview tries to make sure students are active even when recess is inside, she admits indoor recess options are much more limited than when it’s held outside.

“There’s not nearly as much space for the kids to run and play in, and playground space and activities are more limited because we don’t have all the playground equipment and the basketball, kickball and football areas that are available on the playground,” the Crestview Elementary principal noted. “When we’re in the gym, the kids are generally limited to shooting hoops, playing basketball or tag.”

Mollenkopf said inside recess can also include more sedentary activities on the stage, such as board games, but added that the students generally prefer more activity. “They really want to run around and expend some energy.”

When it’s really, really cold, though, Mollenkopf said the younger students prefer to be inside.

Although cold can play a big part in whether students take recess inside or outside, Mollenkopf said snow has been a big problem this year, because Crestview’s playground has a rubberized surface, which can be damaged by snowplows and other snow-moving equipment.

Mollenkopf said that means snow generally tends to get moved onto the playground, rather than off it, which means the equipment is inaccessible to students under a pile of snow until the snow melts.

But all area school officials agree that it’s better to get elementary students outside for recess, rather than keeping them inside. Of course, Mother Nature has to be agreeable as well.