No Recess For Some

There was an article on MSNBC this weekend about how some school districts are cutting down or even cutting out recess for kids in school. You can read the full article here. It is so sad to think that schools are under so much pressure to perform that they are forgetting their main focus....the kids! I for one am a huge believer in recess for children in elementary school. My son who just started kindergarten would not be a happy camper if he was in class all day with no outdoor play. Since we live in Colorado, the kids play outside most days. In fact at his school, the temp has to be below 20 degrees before they play inside. I love this policy! My son is a kid that really needs to get outside each day and run off some energy. I can't imagine our drive home, even when he was in preschool and at the babysitter's house, and not asking him what games he played outside that day. This is a huge place for him to play out his imagination. He comes home with so many stories about what he and his friends played that day, along with what he did in class too. 

I have to say that this year Ethan is blessed to be in a school that values play time outside. Each day he gets a morning recess, some recess time after lunch and an afternoon recess. He does go to after school care at his school but the first thing they do when the begin that time is have some free play time, most of the time in the gym since there are still other kids milling around the playground. I am sure this is helpful for not only the kids to get the wiggles out but for the teachers running the classes and programs to help focus the kids on the tasks they need to accomplish. Ethan's school also makes sure that all the classes get to go to P.E. twice a week and I am so grateful for that as well. With the fact that my hubby and I both have to work full time and Ethan has care after school, there are some days with very little time to play outside when we get home. I can only hope that this policy at his school remains in effect through his tenure because I would be so sad to see the schools cut things like this since they have already had to cut other programs. One great website you can also go to and get great ideas on how to make sure your kids grow up healthy is Michele Obama's Let's Move that can be found here.