How Cold Is Too Cold For Going Outside At Recess

[kantuckyII]

I thought this was very interesting. Northern Minnesota kids are pretty darned tough it seems!

When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outside for recess? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to.

Consider: One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside. But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside.


Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue given that much of the USA is shivering through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather.


There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U.S. Department of Education says. Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts.


Consequently, policies are all over the map:


•In International Falls, Minn., the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is a frosty 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what."


"At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds.


•In Upper Marlboro, Md., at Mattaponi Elementary School, the school website says students have outdoor recess unless the temperature drops to the 35 and 40 degree range.


•Elsewhere in Minnesota, many other schools do not send students outside for recess if the temperature is below zero. That's been the standard at Lincoln Elementary in St. Cloud, Minn., for as long as anyone can remember, Principal Chris Blauer says. Wind chill also is considered, she says.


•If it's above zero, all students at Pine Meadow Elementary in Sartell, Minn., are expected to come to school dressed properly to go outside, Principal Greg Johnson says. Spending some time outside every day makes students better learners in the classroom, he says.


"Students need that time," Johnson says. "The fresh air and exercise are really important."


•In Wicomico County, Md., principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures dip below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education

[Orange and Brown]

If I remember right we could go outside if it was above 32 degrees.....

[moose]

Twenty degrees stopped us.

But we prayed for cold weather when Miss Tibbit was our substitute teacher. UU

[biggdowgg]

:122246

[kantuckyII]

Twenty degrees stopped us.

But we prayed for cold weather when Miss Tibbit was our substitute teacher. UU

Uh..how old were you when you stopped going to recess?

[Orange and Brown]

Twenty degrees stopped us.

But we prayed for cold weather when Miss Tibbit was our substitute teacher. UU

:122246 :122246 :122246

I had a teacher or 2 like that in my day!