but here we go:

Since Fursdays are our “recess” time here at the White Papers, and I found this on TBO just now, I thought I’d ask:

Do your kids have recess at their school?

A few years ago while I was working in a child care coordinating agency, I started hearing rumors that a lot of schools were gradually doing away with recess. I remember thinking: “that can’t be good…. don’t kids need a break from the classroom during the day?”

Apparently the rumors are true, and the Cartoon Network, of all people has found some experts with some fancy statistics & studies to back up what I guessed to be so:

An experimental study found that fourth-graders were more on-task, less fidgety, and less disruptive in the classroom on days when they had recess, with hyperactive children among those who benefited the most. Breaks are helpful, both for attention and for classroom management.
Olga Jarrett, child-development specialist at Georgia State University

Children permitted to play freely with peers develop skills for seeing things through another person’s point of view – cooperating, helping, sharing, and solving problems (NAEYC, 1997). side note: NAEYC stands for National Association for The Education of Young Children. They are the professional organization for people in the business of teaching kids birth-8 years

How active are children during recess? Kraft (1989) and Pellegrini and Smith (1998) found that elementary school children engaged in physical activity 59% of the time during recess, with vigorous physical activity occurring 21% of the time–slightly more time in vigorous activity than occurred during physical education (PE) classes (15%). Physical activity improves general circulation, increases blood flow to the brain, and raises levels of norepinephrine and endorphins – all of which may reduce stress, improve mood, induce a calming effect after exercise and perhaps as a result improve achievement.

OK, I know what you’re thinking…. if you’re reading this blog, chances are you may be, in the words of Hanna-Barbera, “Smarter than the Average Bear” and recess for you may have provided not only a chance to let off steam but an opportunity to practice your bully-avoidance skills. (believe me, been there, done that) But, the mean kids notwithstanding, recess still meant a breath of fresh air, a chance to use our brains for something other than the multiplication tables, or whatever it was we were supposed to be memorizing that day, our hands for something more interesting than scratching out workbook answers.

Recess was a brief space of freedom, a chance to do what you wanted in a day filled with instructions.

Recess was a given, only taken away as dreaded punishment for particularly greivous, usually collective offenses.

I’m sure that school administrators have their reasons; valid concerns that need to be addressed. I don’t really think they’re all evil monsters who hate kids….

But what if eliminating recess creates more problems than it solves?