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The Cold Weather Crisis


 

Now the first of December was covered with snow…

So says the song by James Taylor. But he was on the highway from Stockbridge to Boston, and not in Howard County. There was a bit of sleet yesterday morning and some rumblings for Tuesday. But today? Nope. My weather app says it “feels like” 25 right now and it’s only going to reach about 42 degrees. 

I wonder it there will be outdoor recess. I always hated recess in cold weather and that’s probably because 1) I was not a run-around sort of kid and 2) girls were compelled to wear dresses to school in those days. (!!!) If we had indoor recess it was rare and probably due to rain. My memories of that involved a game called 7 Up or possibly multiple rounds of Hangman at the chalkboard.

Here in HoCo we can expect outdoor recess to be derailed by cold temperatures, snow - - and possibly ice - - all through the winter months. 

My years as a teacher of young children taught me how deeply that kids need to move and to have self-directed, unstructured time each day. I’m glad that the current incarnation of indoor recess does allow for more variety. Students can choose from board games, and arts and crafts, and so on.  But the lack of free movement - - loud, unpredictable, exhuberant - - has a negative impact on the kids we are hoping to educate.

Fun YouTube videos that “get the kids up and moving” are not a substitute for self directed play. Just saying. They are the equivalent of the desperate parent handing over a ‘snack product’ from their bag to keep a child from exploding during a long wait in a restaurant.

Without a self-directed outlet for movement and play kids may feel anxious, sluggish, distracted, overwhelmed, even angry. All of these compromise healthy self-regulation and are obstacles to learning.They make “good” kids feel bad and “bad” kids feel out of control. 

I have never worked at a school where this was adequately addressed. I suspect this is because most schools struggle to make the funds they have go as far as possible and recess is seen as kind of an extra. I have never been to an educational workshop that touted the importance of a high quality recess program in supporting quantifiable “outcomes”. Have you?

A wise friend crafted this beautiful sentence which I wish I had written:

Learning CONTINUES on the playground, is ENHANCED by play, and REQUIRES playfulness to be effective!

What do you think? Does Howard County handle indoor vs. outdoor recess in a way that is healthy and supportive for students? 

Let me know.


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  1. Julia A. McCreadyDecember 1, 2025 at 4:48 AM

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