Our kids just have recess in their classroom where they play and talk. The aides who would otherwise be outside with them just sit in each classroom.
I agree that your kids should not be in a position of having to be silent in the gym. I need to ask as another poster did...where are the people who would have been watching the kids outside? I think it is fine for you to offer a solution that involves volunteers, but there should be paid staff there that can do the job.
Speak to the principal first and if that fails go to the BOE
are kids typically unsupervised during outdoor recess? if not, what are those supervisors or aides doing during indoor recess? cant they lead the kids in movement/walking/stretching activities in the gym? you dont need to bring in outside voluntters for that.
nothing fancy, just plain old fashioned move to the music type stuff that doenst require a trained PE staff person. otherwise put on a kids-excerse video, lots of people make them, getkids off thier bottoms and move. or maybe the aide can play music and do sing alongs...singing uses up energy too and is a good release for kids.
seems like sitting indoors and not talking is no way to spend a recess and will only create more restlessness in the classrooms later in the day. getting the kids movign probably will reduce discpline issues,is my uneducated guess, and an all around win win thing for the admin.
Our school sets up stations in the gym and off to the side in the cafeteria with board games, coloring, jump rope, we have a climbing wall. These things are used when the weather is bad. Just in mho, I would subtly incorporate into the conversation with the admin that if the kids are being put in the gym anway then why can't it be some phys ed type of activities? If there is a question of insurance, liability with parents helping to supervise that, than that's a bridge to cross if/when you come to it.
Maybe make a couple phone calls to other schools in your area, what do they do? Especially if you live somewhere like I do, with a long winter. There are probably some "area specific" ideas out there for you. Good luck!
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - Ferris Bueller
It's a little late in the year for the complaint that some of the other parents and I have but we are hoping to nip it in the bud for next year! At our elementary/middle school the children are taken to the gym and shown a movie and not allowed to talk during any recess that can't be outside due to incliment weather. The parents strongly feel that the kids need some time to talk and blow off steam. We want to approach the principals and offer our services in volunteering to come in and do something with the children. We would like to have a plan drawn up before going to speak with them so I'm doing some fact finding. What do your schools do when the weather won't cooperate and the kids cannot go outside?
