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Administrators make the call.

In Southern CA where I worked at a principal, cold is rarely, (if ever) an issue. Generally, students could go outside nearly every day except for when it rains. But in Northern California at Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, they face snow storms and icy conditions frequently like many other mountain areas across the nation. So a temperature standard would not make sense for both these areas even though they are within the same state.

Weather conditions are critical in making the call

Principals generally take into account precipitation, wind chill and other weather conditions in making an indoor/outdoor decision. Tim Mc Avoy of Utica Community Schools in Michigan put it best, “the bottom line is student safety. It’s not a decision that you can paint with a broad brush.”

When making the decision to go outside for recess school officials need to consider many factors and one of the most influential is the wind chill factor that drives many decisions. Temperature is another factor that in some cases generates an end to the discussion because in some places when the thermometer hits a certain number there is a district policy that takes over. This is typically affected by local weather conditions. For example, in Southern CA children typically do not bring gloves, layered clothing, hats etc to school to wear at recess. A cold day below 50 would probably generate a long hard look at “sending children outdoors” basically because the temperature rarely drops that low and because children do not come to schools with warm snow type coats and hats.

On the other hand, in MN many schools report sending children out doors until the temperature reaches 32 degrees because parents send children expecting them to go outside at recess and dress kids warmly in the winter. Minnesota children generally arrive at school prepared for cold weather and most dress appropriately.

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Tips for teachers to beat the cold and keep kids safe

How to tell when a child is too cold and at risk for hypothermia

Winter Safety Tips download from American Academy of Pediatrics

and more....

Online Training

How to Have a Peaceful Playground

This online course is a great option to give a refresher on the program annually or to train new staff to your school.

Goals:

1. Acquire skills to improve your playground

2. Understand what goes wrong on a typical playground.

3. Learn 5 research-based solutions for what goes wrong on a typical playground.

4. Learn to establish rules and procedures for safe play on playgrounds.

Course Description:

The course is divided into 6 areas:

Introduction – Introduces the Peaceful Playgrounds “Creed” the underpinning of the Peaceful Playgrounds recess program. Students will learn the 5 areas for improvement.

Section 1- Lack of problem-solving ability. This section will cover how problems develop on the playground and strategies for teaching children appropriate problem-solving skills for settling disagreements.

Section 2- Discusses the havoc caused by playing by inconsistent game rules, as well as, the frustration it causes in children. A strategy and procedure for teaching game rules are discussed. Additionally, this section looks at the importance of safety rules to prevent injuries on the playground at recess.

Section 3- This section addresses the problem caused by the lack of loose equipment at recess. The course looks at children’s’ desire to be involved in student-organized games during recess and the roadblocks to their doing so. This section also covers the equipment needed for involvement in games based on a recommended child to equipment ratio.

Section 4- This section addresses the problems caused by a lack of school-wide rules for outdoor play. We discuss the importance of establishing rules and procedures for safe play at recess and discuss the importance of providing written rules for outdoor behavior expectancies and sharing them with parents and staff.

Section 5- Designs. This section points out that blacktop is an underdeveloped resource in most schools. It talks about appropriate game markings for educational settings. Some game markings suggestions are presented and illustrated in the areas of motor skill development markings, game markings, academic markings, and cooperative game markings. These markings (which are scarce in most schools) address the problem of not having enough to do on the typical school playground.

Target Audience

“The Peaceful Playgrounds Training is designed to introduce administrators, teachers, substitute teachers, physical educators, parents, after-school personnel, and playground supervisors to the responsibilities and techniques associated with keeping children safe on a playground.”

Learning Materials

The following learning materials are available for download at the conclusion of the course:

Playground Behavior Report

Article- 5 Strategies for Reducing Playground Injuries

Article- 10 Reasons Recess is so Important

Article – Beyond Busy Happy and Good

Article- Playgrounds Designed for Learning

Article- Disciplining Children on the Playground

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Interested in our other courses? See below.

How to Have A Peaceful Playgrounds Online

Pedometer Walking Program Training

Grant Writing Course

Recess Before Lunch Training

Low Cost, High Activity Playground

Playground and Strategies for Improving Recess

60 Seconds for Self Regulation

2 Go Games Indoor Rugs

When it's too cold to go outside use the Indoor Games rugs in a classroom, cafeteria or gym!

2-Go Games Rugs which are great for Brain Break Activities integrate physical activity with academic learning standards designed for indoor classroom movement and learning. The 2-Go Games Program includes 6 colorful large game mats and 180 matching student table cards with markers. Enough for 6 full classrooms!

2 Go Games Uses

The new 2 Go Indoor Games Program Kit includes everything you need to create and implement an exciting indoor Peaceful Playground activity in your classroom, church or daycare center. The perfect solution for after school programs, rainy/snow day activities, physical education stations, volunteer led activities, youth groups, YMCA’s and much more. Great for Response to Intervention activities. 2 Go Indoor Games Program are activities that are highly motivating as kids think they are learning while playing. 2 Go Indoor Games are ideal for classroom stations and the table cards allow for 30 students to participate in each game. The program integrates learning through movement activities while enforcing academic concepts in a fun learning environment..

2 Go Games Info Page - Learn More

2 Go Games Order Now

Indoor Games Unboxing Video

4 min running time

Play Nice! Equipment Fun Pack Contest

Enter to Win!

Play Nice! Equipment Fun Pack Contest

Enter your school today in the Play Nice! Equipment Fun Pack Contest.

Share a picture of you doing something fun on your playground with the hashtag, #playnicefunpack and #peacefulplaygrounds for an extra entry.

This Equipment pack includes 42 pieces of equipment. This equipment pack can be used at recess for each grade level, in Physical Education class, before/after school programs.

which includes 6 of each: