No recess in some schools
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The drive is on to save recess
Up to 8,500 schools nationwide, including Woodland Hills, have no play break in some grades
Monday, April 30, 2007
By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It's all work and no play for kindergartners in the Woodland Hills School District.
Their school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and continues to 3:10 p.m., with no designated break for recess.
"Kindergartners do not have [unstructured] free play," said Maria McCool, public information officer for Woodland Hills, which has three elementary schools. None of the schools offers recess for kindergartners. First-, second- and third-graders get recess at the discretion of the teacher, Ms. McCool said.
With so much emphasis nationwide on passing math and reading tests, some fear recess may become a thing of the past. Currently, up to 8,500 schools nationwide do not have recess.
Several state and national organizations have kicked off campaigns to help save recess in light of several studies that suggest free and unstructured playtime is a necessary part of child development, physical fitness and stress management.
But even though schools are free to set their own policies, the lack of recess in Woodland Hills is an exception among local schools.
More commonly, schools in this area allow elementary students to have at least 15 minutes a day for good, old-fashioned playtime.
Christine Munchak, state president of the Pennsylvania PTA based in Scranton, said, "I'm not sure how prevalent it is that recess is being cut back, but it is a concern of many parents that it could become an issue and many PTAs are taking a proactive approach."
A group called Pennsylvania Recess launched its "Rescuing Recess In Pennsylvania" campaign in December urging state legislators to mandate at least two recesses in Pennsylvania schools consisting of at least 15 minutes each, once before lunch and once after lunch.
"We feel that recess should not be taken away as a form of punishment or any other reason unless absolutely necessary," its petition said.
Past efforts to legislate recess have failed.
A state House bill introduced two years ago would have required all school districts to make 30 minutes of recess a mandatory part of the school day, but it quickly died on the House floor.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association lobbied against the recess proposal sponsored by Rep. Jess Stairs, R-Mount Pleasant. Its members were strongly opposed to having recess regulated at the state level.
"Our concern was about cost," said Scott Shewell, spokesman for the PSBA. "If school districts were not already offering recess, it would require adding minutes to the day. It's more difficult than it seems because that would be a collective bargaining decision and it would add costs to the budget."
The school board union estimates the legislation statewide would cost about $47 million in salary alone to add 15 minutes to the school day.
From a health and physical fitness standpoint, Steve Karas, of Forest Hills, wishes his 6-year-old daughter, Ava, were able to have recess at Edgewood Primary School so that physical activity might become a lifelong habit for her and her classmates.
"She has a lot of energy when she gets home, for sure," said Mr. Karas, a physical therapist.
At least two other Woodland Hills parents have opted to send their children to private school or a different school district because they believe recess is important.
Rather than enroll their daughter, Rose Wetzel, at Edgewood Primary when she entered first grade, Amy Brizill and Nathan Wetzel moved out of the Woodland Hills district to Swisshelm Park. Rose now attends Dilworth Traditional Academy in Highland Park.
"It wasn't only because of recess, but for me the recess issue was a red flag," Ms. Brizill said. "If you are going to have kindergartners all day, they need recess. I know it's challenging. Schools are being asked to do a lot of things. But I feel recess is a basic right."
Ms. Brizill is volunteering this year as a lunch/recess coordinator at Dilworth. "It seems like the more they miss recess, the more they misbehave," she said.
Dana Bearce, of Forest Hills, became a member of the American Association For the Child's Right to Play following her clash with administrators at Edgewood Primary.
"I was working on trying to increase the amount of recess offered at Edgewood Primary in 2004," said Mrs. Bearce, whose daughter, Caroline, was attending Wilkins Primary at that time. "They were offering no recess for kindergarten and only five or 10 minutes of recess for first, second and third graders."
Her daughter attended Wilkins Primary for kindergarten because it was the only school in the district that offered a half-day kindergarten program. Caroline would have had to attend Edgewood for first grade because that is the school she was assigned to. They now pay tuition of $4,100 a year at Pittsburgh Urban Christian School.
"I was not able to increase recess," she said. "We ended up sending our child to Pittsburgh Urban Christian School. I felt it would be unfair to put my child in a situation where she would have no outlet. A school without recess was unacceptable."
Jean McAteer, the principal at Edgewood Primary, and Dr. Roslynne Wilson, the district superintendent, declined to comment.
Of about two dozen school districts contacted by the Post-Gazette in Allegheny County, Woodland Hills was the only one that did not have a designated time for recess at its elementary schools. Recess at the other schools lasts from 15 to 30 minutes a day.
Mt. Lebanon School District offers recess for kindergartners through third grade in the morning and the afternoon for 15 minutes apiece. Chartiers Valley School District K-5 students get a 30-minute lunch and then a 30-minute recess. Recess is outside unless rain or a wind chill factor below 32 degrees forces them inside.
Avonworth School District offers 20 minutes of recess prior to lunch so that kids won't try to wolf down their food to rush outside and play.
Recess lasts 25 to 30 minutes a day at all three elementary schools in Hampton School District.
"It gives them a chance to blow off steam," said Dr. Mike Mooney, principal of Poff Elementary in Hampton. "We work them pretty hard the rest of the day in the classroom, and we believe recess helps promote a healthy lifestyle."
Elizabeth Forward School District provides a 20-minute recess for K-5 students. However, the kids are required to either walk or run one lap around a quarter-mile track at the beginning of recess.
"After that, they are free to throw Frisbees, play hopscotch, jump rope, talk to their friends, play kick ball, or basketball outside," said Jane Milner, the public relations officer.
"The reason for the required track exercise is to encourage the students to be lifelong walkers so they'll always know walking is a good way to get exercise."
Pittsburgh Public Schools have not eliminated recess and it's unlikely they will.
The teachers' contract requires a 45-minute lunch break for elementary teachers. And within that 45-minute period, students eat lunch and principals can be creative with what they do with the remainder.
"In Pittsburgh Public Schools, every elementary school student has time for recess," said Dr. Barbara Rudiak, executive director of K-5 schools. "What recess looks like may be different from school to school. They have an opportunity to spend time with their friends and play."
Because it's been tied to the teacher's contract since 1992, there's no discussion about taking recess away.
"Children need to play," Dr. Rudiak said. "Play is children's work. We expect them to be attentive and learn in the classroom. But it's really important they have an opportunity to socialize with their friends, play kickball, jump rope and learn how to negotiate social situations. They need time to have fun."
According to a 2006 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 to 13 percent of U.S. elementary school kids never have recess.
That means there's no recess for 4,620 to 8,580 elementary schools -- serving 2.3 million to 4.3 million children in grades 1 through 5.
Recess not only allows pupils to develop social skills outside the classroom, but some of those combatting childhood obesity also are fighting for recess.
The Robert Wood Foundation, the nation's largest health philanthropy, recently announced it will commit $500 million over the next five years to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the U.S.
"We expect to impact the entire nation, including Pennsylvania," said Dr. Dwayne Proctor, senior program officer for the foundation, based in Princeton, N.J.
"With this announcement, we are letting the world know this is an urgent public crisis and our goal is to improve nutrition and physical education in schools, and we feel recess is very important to keep kids physically active."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07120/782199-114.stm
My first reaction to reading this was with all of the ADD diagnosed kids, and even with "normal" kids being hyper (as most young kids are), wouldn't you want to give them an outlet to use up energy? Wouldn't they be a little more relaxed and attentive in class if they could expend some energy running around outside?
Up to 8,500 schools nationwide, including Woodland Hills, have no play break in some grades
Monday, April 30, 2007
By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It's all work and no play for kindergartners in the Woodland Hills School District.
Their school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and continues to 3:10 p.m., with no designated break for recess.
"Kindergartners do not have [unstructured] free play," said Maria McCool, public information officer for Woodland Hills, which has three elementary schools. None of the schools offers recess for kindergartners. First-, second- and third-graders get recess at the discretion of the teacher, Ms. McCool said.
With so much emphasis nationwide on passing math and reading tests, some fear recess may become a thing of the past. Currently, up to 8,500 schools nationwide do not have recess.
Several state and national organizations have kicked off campaigns to help save recess in light of several studies that suggest free and unstructured playtime is a necessary part of child development, physical fitness and stress management.
But even though schools are free to set their own policies, the lack of recess in Woodland Hills is an exception among local schools.
More commonly, schools in this area allow elementary students to have at least 15 minutes a day for good, old-fashioned playtime.
Christine Munchak, state president of the Pennsylvania PTA based in Scranton, said, "I'm not sure how prevalent it is that recess is being cut back, but it is a concern of many parents that it could become an issue and many PTAs are taking a proactive approach."
A group called Pennsylvania Recess launched its "Rescuing Recess In Pennsylvania" campaign in December urging state legislators to mandate at least two recesses in Pennsylvania schools consisting of at least 15 minutes each, once before lunch and once after lunch.
"We feel that recess should not be taken away as a form of punishment or any other reason unless absolutely necessary," its petition said.
Past efforts to legislate recess have failed.
A state House bill introduced two years ago would have required all school districts to make 30 minutes of recess a mandatory part of the school day, but it quickly died on the House floor.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association lobbied against the recess proposal sponsored by Rep. Jess Stairs, R-Mount Pleasant. Its members were strongly opposed to having recess regulated at the state level.
"Our concern was about cost," said Scott Shewell, spokesman for the PSBA. "If school districts were not already offering recess, it would require adding minutes to the day. It's more difficult than it seems because that would be a collective bargaining decision and it would add costs to the budget."
The school board union estimates the legislation statewide would cost about $47 million in salary alone to add 15 minutes to the school day.
From a health and physical fitness standpoint, Steve Karas, of Forest Hills, wishes his 6-year-old daughter, Ava, were able to have recess at Edgewood Primary School so that physical activity might become a lifelong habit for her and her classmates.
"She has a lot of energy when she gets home, for sure," said Mr. Karas, a physical therapist.
At least two other Woodland Hills parents have opted to send their children to private school or a different school district because they believe recess is important.
Rather than enroll their daughter, Rose Wetzel, at Edgewood Primary when she entered first grade, Amy Brizill and Nathan Wetzel moved out of the Woodland Hills district to Swisshelm Park. Rose now attends Dilworth Traditional Academy in Highland Park.
"It wasn't only because of recess, but for me the recess issue was a red flag," Ms. Brizill said. "If you are going to have kindergartners all day, they need recess. I know it's challenging. Schools are being asked to do a lot of things. But I feel recess is a basic right."
Ms. Brizill is volunteering this year as a lunch/recess coordinator at Dilworth. "It seems like the more they miss recess, the more they misbehave," she said.
Dana Bearce, of Forest Hills, became a member of the American Association For the Child's Right to Play following her clash with administrators at Edgewood Primary.
"I was working on trying to increase the amount of recess offered at Edgewood Primary in 2004," said Mrs. Bearce, whose daughter, Caroline, was attending Wilkins Primary at that time. "They were offering no recess for kindergarten and only five or 10 minutes of recess for first, second and third graders."
Her daughter attended Wilkins Primary for kindergarten because it was the only school in the district that offered a half-day kindergarten program. Caroline would have had to attend Edgewood for first grade because that is the school she was assigned to. They now pay tuition of $4,100 a year at Pittsburgh Urban Christian School.
"I was not able to increase recess," she said. "We ended up sending our child to Pittsburgh Urban Christian School. I felt it would be unfair to put my child in a situation where she would have no outlet. A school without recess was unacceptable."
Jean McAteer, the principal at Edgewood Primary, and Dr. Roslynne Wilson, the district superintendent, declined to comment.
Of about two dozen school districts contacted by the Post-Gazette in Allegheny County, Woodland Hills was the only one that did not have a designated time for recess at its elementary schools. Recess at the other schools lasts from 15 to 30 minutes a day.
Mt. Lebanon School District offers recess for kindergartners through third grade in the morning and the afternoon for 15 minutes apiece. Chartiers Valley School District K-5 students get a 30-minute lunch and then a 30-minute recess. Recess is outside unless rain or a wind chill factor below 32 degrees forces them inside.
Avonworth School District offers 20 minutes of recess prior to lunch so that kids won't try to wolf down their food to rush outside and play.
Recess lasts 25 to 30 minutes a day at all three elementary schools in Hampton School District.
"It gives them a chance to blow off steam," said Dr. Mike Mooney, principal of Poff Elementary in Hampton. "We work them pretty hard the rest of the day in the classroom, and we believe recess helps promote a healthy lifestyle."
Elizabeth Forward School District provides a 20-minute recess for K-5 students. However, the kids are required to either walk or run one lap around a quarter-mile track at the beginning of recess.
"After that, they are free to throw Frisbees, play hopscotch, jump rope, talk to their friends, play kick ball, or basketball outside," said Jane Milner, the public relations officer.
"The reason for the required track exercise is to encourage the students to be lifelong walkers so they'll always know walking is a good way to get exercise."
Pittsburgh Public Schools have not eliminated recess and it's unlikely they will.
The teachers' contract requires a 45-minute lunch break for elementary teachers. And within that 45-minute period, students eat lunch and principals can be creative with what they do with the remainder.
"In Pittsburgh Public Schools, every elementary school student has time for recess," said Dr. Barbara Rudiak, executive director of K-5 schools. "What recess looks like may be different from school to school. They have an opportunity to spend time with their friends and play."
Because it's been tied to the teacher's contract since 1992, there's no discussion about taking recess away.
"Children need to play," Dr. Rudiak said. "Play is children's work. We expect them to be attentive and learn in the classroom. But it's really important they have an opportunity to socialize with their friends, play kickball, jump rope and learn how to negotiate social situations. They need time to have fun."
According to a 2006 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 to 13 percent of U.S. elementary school kids never have recess.
That means there's no recess for 4,620 to 8,580 elementary schools -- serving 2.3 million to 4.3 million children in grades 1 through 5.
Recess not only allows pupils to develop social skills outside the classroom, but some of those combatting childhood obesity also are fighting for recess.
The Robert Wood Foundation, the nation's largest health philanthropy, recently announced it will commit $500 million over the next five years to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the U.S.
"We expect to impact the entire nation, including Pennsylvania," said Dr. Dwayne Proctor, senior program officer for the foundation, based in Princeton, N.J.
"With this announcement, we are letting the world know this is an urgent public crisis and our goal is to improve nutrition and physical education in schools, and we feel recess is very important to keep kids physically active."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07120/782199-114.stm
My first reaction to reading this was with all of the ADD diagnosed kids, and even with "normal" kids being hyper (as most young kids are), wouldn't you want to give them an outlet to use up energy? Wouldn't they be a little more relaxed and attentive in class if they could expend some energy running around outside?
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was like a picture
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From what I can tell, kindergartners in the United States do very little but playing during their school day. There is only one teacher usually and several different "stations" among which the kids rotate. I would be curious to hear these schools' definition of "recess": if it's (mostly) unstructured play, I'm pretty sure we'd find the kids have plenty.
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Kids need to burn off steam, and taking away recess does not improve their ability to learn. Breaks are needed for everyone to be able to focus on their work, and by taking away recess, they're doing just that, imo.
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Around here, that's preschool and it's usually for 2-3 hours, 2-3 times a week. Kindergarten in my district is the real-deal...a 1/2 day, every day. It's very educational and very structured, they have a 20 minute recess.
The 1st-5th graders have TWO breaks every day. One is right after lunch and longer.
WHen the temp is below freezing, the kids can't go outside so they all go the gym instead. They can't run around as much and for some kids, there really is a difference in their behavior when they don't have that outlet.
On the elementary level...Usually 45 minutes for each: math, science, social studies and reading/writing. Art, music and library for 45 minutes once a week. 20 minutes of Phys Ed daily and an hour for lunch and recess. My district's hours are 9:15-3:30.
Illinois is one of the only states to mandate phys ed k-12. I hope they keep it that way.
http://www.acalogic.com/ritalin.htm
Can Exercise Replace Ritalin as a Treatment for ADHD?
In a study designed and supervised by Dr. Michael S. Wendt at the State University of New York at Buffalo, exercise significantly improved the behavior of ADHD children between 5-12 years of age. Subjects involved in this study were subjected to 40 minutes of exercise five out of seven days per week. Respiration rates were monitored during the sessions to insure that children were exercising at a pre-designed zone of oxygen consumption for at least half of each exercise session.
Contemporary research revealed that neuro-chemical changes occur in the body when respiration rates exceed 50% of the body’s total capacity for oxygen consumption. As a result, exercising above this threshold may promote changes in brain chemistry. Wendt felt that these neuro-chemical changes could have a direct impact on the behavior of ADHD children because the disorder stems from a breakdown of neurological functions in the brain.
Based on national statistics, children in this age bracket generally live a sedentary lifestyle. Research indicates that American children have become increasingly less active over the last ten years. Children seldom become active enough to exceed 50% of their total rate of oxygen consumption. It may be no wonder that over the last ten years, the identification rate of psychosomatic disorders in children has dramatically increased.
The results of this study showed a significant improvement in behavior when pre and post test comparisons were made over the six-week duration of the study. Wendt said that changes in behavior were generally noticeable between two and four weeks into the exercise program. The greatest gains were made in the oppositional category of behaviors, which are largely responsible for conflict problems with children.
Wendt indicated that this might be an alternative for parents who do not wish to use medication as a means of modifying behavior. The side effects of a good exercise program are far less invasive than the side effects of exposing children to long-term doses of medication.
An added benefit to an exercise program for children is it may produce a chemically enriched environment that promotes brain growth. The latest research in fitness and exercise implies that an active lifestyle can have a positive effect on brain growth and development. If this is true then keeping your child involved in exercise can be beneficial, especially if it takes place over a number of years.
It is time to change our conventional practice of medication coupled with repeatedly assigning children “Time-outs.” It’s time to get America’s children back into action. Change that “Time-out” to a “Time-in.” Time to exercise!
For more information you may email Dr. Wendt at mike_wendt@juno.com.
I guess what I am getting at is that, as a 35 year old Italian woman, it seems to me that unlike my own educational experience kindergarten (and really most of the school experience at all grades) in the US today is based on the premise that kids learn better if everything is presented to them as a game. So, don't imagine these 5 year olds sitting at lined up desks listening to the teacher. They learn math by playing with little class registers, reading by being read stories, geometry by playing with blocks etc.
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Yes, younger kids learn by playing but that kind of playing is different then getting outside to let loose all that energy those little bodies possess. I think it is extremely important to have time to let kids play unstructured during the day and besides, it's exercise. I can really tell the difference in my kid's behavior if I don't get him outside during a weekend day. He starts to go stir crazy and then mom starts to go crazy. I'm sure it helps to relieve stress as well. I know there are times I just need to get up away from the desk at work and go for a little walk to get in a better frame of mind and stretch my body.
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