More Active Indoor Recess Time!
Written by Nancy Bachana Sunday, 02 October 2011 13:41
Last spring, the Wellness Committee focused on improving the activity levels and quality of time our kids spend indoors during rainy-day recess. Whenever there is wet or below-freezing weather, the kids remain indoors, divided between the auditorium and the Well during their 25-minute recess period.
The administration has explained that due to space and staffing constraints, a movie is shown in the auditorium during indoor recess. This draws a majority of the kids and keeps them seated. Alternatively, many kids choose to remain in the Well or on the stage, with a selection of games and play equipment that recess aides pull from the “Games Closet.”
Wellness has been working with the administration toward eliminating movies during this brief free time, and a trial run on the first rainy day last week went so well that the Administration has agreed to discontinue movies for Kindergarten and first graders.
Movie Closet Overhaul
However, until lack of space and staff can be addressed, the movies will continue for 2nd through 5th grades. Wellness has worked hard to improve the quality of what the kids watch, getting Admin approval to revamp the movie selections to meet the following criteria:
- Running time of 20 to 25 minutes so kids can see a complete feature from beginning to end, rather than disjointed 25-minute segments of full-length Disney movies.
- Age-appropriate by grade, and labeled as such. Too many parents of younger children report that kids have been frightened by movies shown at recess.
- High quality. New DVD’s will introduce the kids to new, fun material. Frankly, kids probably get enough Disney at home, and if they don’t, we’re guessing it’s because parents don’t want them to. Among the material now available in the movie closet: Shaun the Sheep, Schoolhouse Rock, Peep and Quack, Liberty’s Kids, Looney Tunes, Word Girl, Sid the Science Kid, Penguins of Madagascar, Wallace and Grommet, Pixar short films, and many more.
Maintaining Games and Play Equipment.
Many of our kids actively play the games from the Games Closet. Chess, Checkers, Connect Four, Clue, Jenga, building blocks.... There is a surprisingly good selection in the closet already. But it’s a job just keeping it all organized and the pieces intact, as any parent knows. We have already swept the closet of broken and incomplete games, and thoroughly organized what remains. There are now Scrabble games with all the correct letter tiles!
It’s a fun job, especially for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. If anyone is interested in helping to maintain the closet going forward, please email Nancy Bachana at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Not too burdensome since rainy-day recess can occur more often than we’d like. Inclement weeks will require clean up and inventory while other weeks require none at all.
Thanks to our wonderful administrators including Ms. Kate, who worked with the Wellness Committee to improve our kids’ play time!