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Should school children have structured recess?
Asked at Hy-Vee, 4000 W. Sixth St. on March 16, 2010
“No, children’s lives are structured enough as it is.”
“Not every day, two out of five (days).”
“No, I think they should just be allowed to run free and do whatever they want.”
“No, I think I like the idea of organized chaos. … Let the kids develop their own imagination.”
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Comments
snap_pop_no_crackle 3 years, 3 months ago
Give the little nippers some lawn darts & turn 'em loose.
BorderRuffian 3 years, 3 months ago
Why is it that we adults seem to think that every minute of our kids lives needs to be structured? Why not let them just play once in a while? Why are we in such a hurry to make them just like our over-stressed, neurotic selves? Perhaps is it us who need a little unstructured time and space just to unwind and act naturally.
grammaddy 3 years, 3 months ago
Agreed. Why?
M. Lindeman 3 years, 3 months ago
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says… Give the little nippers some lawn darts & turn 'em loose.
rdragon writes: Now that brings back memories, I believe it ended with a hospital visit.
BorderRuffian (anonymous) says… Why is it that we adults seem to think that every minute of our kids lives needs to be structured? Why not let them just play once in a while? Why are we in such a hurry to make them just like our over-stressed, neurotic selves? Perhaps is it us who need a little unstructured time and space just to unwind and act naturally.
rdragon writes: Border I would have to agree with you.
LadyJ 3 years, 3 months ago
Took care of a kid for awhile that had been in preschool since he was an infant. The child could not go into a room of toys, books, and crafts and find anything to do. Would just stand there until you told him what to play with. Took months until he would just do something himself.
Mel Briscoe 3 years, 3 months ago
what's the point of recess if you can't go buck wild and do what you want?
mom_of_three 3 years, 3 months ago
Isn't that the point of recess? To run wild and do what you want. Don't most kids find something to do on their own?
RETICENT_IRREVERENT 3 years, 3 months ago
Damn anal retentive tag banners.
♥Free the kids!!!♥
CWGOKU 3 years, 3 months ago
I am with Borderruffian. Let them go free. Wait, hang on, I have to go free willy.
timetospeakup 3 years, 3 months ago
I think "structured recess" is what they have now in PE class. Leave recess alone, it's supposed to be a break.
mommaeffortx2 3 years, 3 months ago
What the heck is a structured recess? No no and no you are only a child once.
labmonkey 3 years, 3 months ago
Okay LJworld and JKealing....why can we not have the accompanying article linked to the OTS? I am really interested in reading if this is just a bad idea being discussed, or if some hair-brained administrator is actually trying to implement this.
labmonkey 3 years, 3 months ago
Okay LJworld and JKealing....why can we not have the accompanying article linked to the OTS? I am really interested in reading if this is just a bad idea being discussed, or if some hair-brained administrator is actually trying to implement this.
Did_I_say_that 3 years, 3 months ago
Structured: something arranged in a definite pattern of organization
Recess: a suspension of business or procedure often for rest or relaxation
Oxymoron: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words
Mel Briscoe 3 years, 3 months ago
^^^ exactly.
sunshine_noise 3 years, 3 months ago
BordorRuffin you just hit it on the nose. We adults have no time for such freedom of expression because we are so consumed with structure. Reason there are murders, aruguments, job loss, just angry, uptight, stressed out people. Probably on of the reasons heart disease has risen. Even when we have an off time it is harried and structured with something. Nothing wrong with a little idle time to get the creative juices flowing, to smile at a stranger or laugh at the irony of life.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT 3 years, 3 months ago
And get rid of those damn nazi recess coaches. Yeah I know they will point to their studies that structured recess periods lead to better behaved cows in class that can more easily be led to academic slaughter, but unstructured recess provides social, developmental, physical and get this, academic benefits.
Just another way to control the proles.
George_Braziller 3 years, 3 months ago
Recess is structured by the kids themselves. We were always organizing and making up our own games. Sometimes it was just a group of four or five having "swing races," other times it was the entire class deciding to play dodge ball. One activity would be popular for two or three days and then we'd switch to something new.
Scattered 3 years, 3 months ago
Oh, please, let them use their imaginations during this FREE time!
Back in the early sixties, in my fifth grade class, we had no recess choices. In good weather we had to play baseball or kickball, in bad weather we all had to slide on this gigantic frozen puddle area on the playground. (can you imagine the legal implications of that today?)
I absolutely loved school, but those were the longest of days and I dreaded recess!
Jaylee 3 years, 3 months ago
oh man that would have been so cool to be talking with friends and waiting for finish that game of H-O-R-S-E or kickball from before school or the day before, but the teachers all lead us single file to the four square box
not.
denak 3 years, 3 months ago
I think structure is important for kids (ie a structured bedtime) but kids learn better when they are just allowed to play.
It is hard for adults to work 8, 9 hours a day imagine what how hard it is for kids. Let them go out and just run wild and have fun, blow some steam off. Kids need that more than "structured" recess.
Dena
LoveThsLife 3 years, 3 months ago
No, unstructured play is important to child development.
Did_I_say_that 3 years, 3 months ago
The imaginary play that we did at recess would have the following consequences today:
1: Mandated sensitivity training. 2. Write apology letters. 3. Ten day suspension from school or mandatory expulsion.
Many times, our recess started out by finding the best sticks for pretend guns and/or spears and arrows. Once the weapons of mass destruction were located and allocated, sides were chosen up, and an imaginary war between the Cowboys and Indians commenced. "Be careful with that stick," came the warning from the Teacher stuck on playground duty. Back than, adults knew the difference between sticks and guns.
consumer1 3 years, 3 months ago
This question had to originate in East Lawrence. Probably by the same people who want kids to wear uniforms at school. Heck, let's go ahead and implant a chip in em while were at it.
KansasPerson 3 years, 3 months ago
What great memories came back when I read the comments. Four-square, jump-rope, kickball, and all the crazy kid games like Mother May I, Mimsies, Crack the Whip.... I like those red kickballs we used to use. Never saw one like that outside of a school playground. Playing on the swings and the monkey bars. Playing jacks if we could find a smooth space; practicing cheers and handstands and such. Boys running around trying to flip up the girls' skirts and yelling, "It's Dress-Up Day!" .... you'd get sent home from school, at least, for that these days!
I'm all for non-structured recess. Shoot, I sometimes had fun just bouncing a ball against a wall or a flight of steps.
Do they still have children as "Safeties?" Remember, they wore an orange belt?
jumpin_catfish 3 years, 3 months ago
Structure is the downfall of civilization.
beatrice 3 years, 3 months ago
Kids still get recess?
KansasPerson 3 years, 3 months ago
Bea, you must not live too near a school. :) They sure do get recess, and they scream just as loudly as we ever did!
merrill 3 years, 3 months ago
maybe supervised by someone who would not be afraid to give bully types a great big time out.
Otherwise let them burn off a few calories.
crazyks 3 years, 3 months ago
Why in the world would anyone think every minute of a kid's life should be structured around something?
Let kids be kids...they'll have enough structure later on in life...
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