Daycare letting the kids go out and play in the cold. (middle school, live)

[des1rees]

I know there are people and kids out there used to the cold, and this is nothing to them. But for most of the kids not exposed to major cold, today's temperatures are COLD. I just called my kids' daycare, and they will be letting the children out to play around 11am. Basically, they said that the state wants the children to go out and play and they will adhere to that policy unless it is not good for the kids. Right now in M'ville, it is 38 degrees, but feels a lot colder...and I am quite aggravated. I have bundled up the boys, but still wish they could just stay indoors for today and tomorrow.Venting. Feel free to flame me if you want. D

[NewUser]

I took my son to daycare yesterday and they did not let them go out. By my car's thermometer, it never got above 42 yesterday. I'm not sure what the cutoff is for that daycare, but I'm willing to bet that it was 45 or so. When I dropped him off, the admin said that they were definitely not going out in the morning, but they would re-evaluate for the afternoon. I have no problem with him going outside when it's chilly as long as he's dressed for it.

[kelly237]

Personally I think it is good for them to get some fresh air.
If it were 20 maybe a different situation.

[Bilirubin]

Originally Posted by des1rees

Feel free to flame me if you want.

OK.

Playing outside for 20 minutes won't kill them. They're running around and generating heat. Did you ever play outside when it was cold? Throwing snowballs, making snow forts, seeing if the ice on the lake was strong enough to hold your weight (Darwinism at work)?

If you feel strongly about it, request that your boys stay inside. Other kids will point and laugh at them because their Mommy won't let them go out and play, but you'll feel better. Make sure you mention that you don't care about the teacher being out in the cold, just your boys.

I'd be more worried about them playing in the heat. What do you do when it hits 90-95 degrees outside? (It's rhetorical)

[lamishra]

I think it's OK for 30 minutes or so as long as it's above freezing.

[broux00]

I lived in WI through high school. I remember in middle school, we basically had to go outside unless it was in the teens outside. Even then, most of us would still go outside. You may not be used to 38 degrees, but it definitely isn't dangerous if you're dressed for it. Since it's -16 here right now and -30+ with the wind chill, I can't wait until it's 38, so I can wear just a fleece outside.

[Babytarheelz]

My son's school always takes them outside unless there is a heavy rain. They even go out in drizzle. I think it's good for them to have outside time. It's not going to harm them in any way.

I think there's some kind of legal requirement or request from the state for child care providers to provide a certain amount of outside time. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Maybe someone can elaborate.

[geoff2v]

I don't see this as a concern. Kids down to age 2 can go out and run around for a little bit when it's 30, 20, etc. And tomorrow, when it's 14, I'll be walking to school with my seven year old, four year old, and 6 month old like we normally do. It's not going to hurt them. (No, going out in the cold doesn't give you a cold.)

[CraftySM]

When I was in grade school in IL, 15 degrees and above, we went outside at recess (and this was recess in a big empty parking lot, no playground equipment or anything, so it's not like we were actually running around generating heat. I hated every minute of it). As long as you bundled them up, though, they'll be okay.

-17 here with a windchill of -32. I wore two shirts, a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, a sweatshirt jacket, a coat, mittens, and gloves (and two pair of socks!) when I went out to my volunteer job this morning. I'm just starting to thaw out now!

[des1rees]

Originally Posted by Bilirubin

OK.

Playing outside for 20 minutes won't kill them. They're running around and generating heat. Did you ever play outside when it was cold? Throwing snowballs, making snow forts, seeing if the ice on the lake was strong enough to hold your weight (Darwinism at work)?

If you feel strongly about it, request that your boys stay inside. Other kids will point and laugh at them because their Mommy won't let them go out and play, but you'll feel better. Make sure you mention that you don't care about the teacher being out in the cold, just your boys.

I'd be more worried about them playing in the heat. What do you do when it hits 90-95 degrees outside? (It's rhetorical)

lol, yeah I asked for it.Thanks for the posts, everyone. I will not be over-paranoid. And no, I am not going to ask they stay inside. My boys will disown me if I do that