| Okay, teachers! I know my blood has thinned since I moved from the Pacific Northwest to the Carolinas, but it is cold outside! Surely these cold temps keep the kiddos indoors for recess. And I remember that even the best laid plans for inside recess activities can be taxing on classroom management. I’d love to learn your tips for a successful indoor recess. Be sure to tell us how cold it is in your neck of the woods too!Keeping warm, Diane |
Living in Texas, we don’t get much of a winter. 🙁
Today’s high is 76. (sorry – I am not trying to rub it in – my students keep asking when it is going to get cold). Drink lots of hot chocolate and stay warm!
Just yesterday we had an indoor snow day. We “ice skated” on the carpet on cheap coated paper plates, wore scarves, hats and mittens while throwing cotton ball snowballs, drank hot chocolate and watched “The Snowman”. But if you are in a truly cold climate turn it around and have beach day, Fourth of July, or some other summertime fun in the middle of winter. Wear shorts, sunglasses, play with beach balls, eat Pecan Sandies, drink lemonade, and do your math laying on a beach towel or any other warm weather activity you can think of.
I have 5 asthmatics this year pollen and severe cold keep us in more than other classes. I find videos of kid exercise online and usually go for something that gets them moving safely. My kindergarteners need that bouncy break or my afternoons are horrible with behavior issues. I show them on my Smartboard.
Here in Michigan we are freezing and have been for a week. Thankfully next week they say it might be in the 30’s.
Since we are stuck inside at our gross motor time we have been playing snow plow with the kids. All the kids sit or stand around the parachute. 2 of the kids have yellow construction hats on. I toss cotton balls in the parachute and we shake and lift and create a snowstorm. The 2 kids in the yellow construction hats run around picking up the cotton balls (snow). We go until all has a chance to be the snow removal crew.
Since they all want to play in the snow I just go outside and shovel some clean snow up and toss it in my sensory table. They love it. And it saves some money since I do purchase the fake snow I can save until the snow is gone.
Stay warm all.
It was 85 degrees here in South Texas today.
I do miss the cold weather I had in Missouri, though. I would like to move back north someday. I have to have cold weather at some point during the winter! 😉
We had quite a cold week here in North Dakota. We went
outside for one recess when it was -10 below zero with the wind chill. The rest of the week windchills were as cold as -40 degrees below zero. Time for inside recess!Today at 12 above zero it felt like a heat wave…no kidding!
When the temps hit 40 above zero..kids want to take off coats…wear shorts…and-flip flops!!
I like some of the ideas suggested…I think I will try some-next week as the cold temps are on the way back. Ha!
Here in Oregon, it’s more rainy than too cold, so we’re inside more than usual right now. When we can’t go outdoors, we have parades and march around the classroom with instruments, put lively music on and do freeze dancing or wear home made snowflake/ribbon bracelets or scarves and waltz or twirl around the room. Turning the lights down low helps too. Or, we make an obstacle course around the room and play follow the leader. Or, you can write exercises or specific movements on slips of paper and have each child choose one, like “gallop around two things” or “slide your feet like an ice skater”. There are also loads of great movement CDs available to get the children’s large muscles moving.
All great ideas ladies! Things that I will incorporate when I get back to work after the Super Bowl. I especially like the suggestions of Sue and Darlene just to get my kids to think beyond the every day stuff we go to automatically. Thanks everyone!!
I just moved to Arizona from freezing Ohio. I have enjoyed the warm weather. In Ohio during indoor recess we usually had board games, blocks and legos for kids to play with. They loved this time.
We have had a few days of indoor recess because of the rain, the kiddos usually play in the gym.
I have often thought of friends in Ohio shoveling snow. I have not missed it one bit since I moved to sunny Arizona.