Recess in public schools near Boston (Belmont: real estate, apartments, rent)

[ytlh]

My family is in the "browsing" stage of contemplating a move to the Boston area in about a year. Our top priorities are great public schools and reasonable commute into the city. Dense areas with older homes/duplexes/apartments are fine with us as long as there are some parks available. We might rent for a year or two to get a better sense of the area before moving. From an early glance, a town like Belmont might be a good fit. We're currently in West Hartford, CT and like the town very much.

One issue I'm pretty concerned about is finding schools that allow for some outdoor play for kids. I have a very energetic son who starts bouncing off the walls if he doesn't get a fair amount of physical activity every day. He is a clever little boy, but I could see this being the difference between loving and hating school for him as he gets older. I was a bit shocked to see that that even in kindergarten the Belmont schools give a maximum of 30 minutes outside per day. Are there any school districts that are known for having more time outside? Or ones that have afterschool programs that are mostly outside? Both parents work, so we would be using something like that and if the afterschool program includes a lot of physical activity, that might be enough.

Thanks in advance!

[yaeger07]

30 minutes is a lot. That's how long recess was where I grew up in central NJ.

The next question you should be asking is about PE class. Lots of schools have cut that back to 1 day/week. I used to have gym 2-3 days/week.

[ytlh]

Originally Posted by yaeger07

30 minutes is a lot. That's how long recess was where I grew up in central NJ.

The next question you should be asking is about PE class. Lots of schools have cut that back to 1 day/week. I used to have gym 2-3 days/week.

That is considered a lot? Times have changed.... The recess I saw described in Belmont was split into two 10-15 minutes sessions per day. My son's preschool class is often outdoors running around for the majority of the day, so this is going to be a real adjustment.

Yes, I'd also be very interested in knowing about the amount of gym. Thanks for the suggestion!

[kingeorge]

Most public schools offer recess for elementary school kids 1-2 day, but usually at least 30 minutes daily, often longer, but at the discretion of teacher. Teachers are no fools, and understand young kids and their needs better then most parents.

PE is done 2-3 times a week as well probably 30-45 minutes as well. Weather permitting they would go outside as well. Again, teachers are well aware that younger kids, and boys especially, need to move--so all together this should be big non-issue. Kindergartners are not expected to sit for any long period of times, and they move freely in the classroom that resembles more preschool space with toys, different activity areas etc.. .

At dismissal time many kids stay and linger at the playground for additional playtime. Or after-school care takes them out. Kids also walk and bike to school and home, so there is plenty of opportunity to move. Also plenty of PTA enrichment activities to get them an additional play/sport/activity time in the afternoon.

Your kid is growing, and so is his attention span. Unless there is really an issue in course of the next year, I would not try to project something that it is really just normal rite of passage coming into kindergarten and elementary school years. All my kids are high energy, and we never had an issue about recess and school. It is too cold, nasty winters around here that can dampen everyone spirits, and make kids feel as cooped inside for too long. But we still go out regardless.

Good luck.

[ytlh]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Your kid is growing, and so is his attention span. Unless there is really an issue in course of the next year, I would not try to project something that it is really just normal rite of passage coming into kindergarten and elementary school years. All my kids are high energy, and we never had an issue about recess and school. It is too cold, nasty winters around here that can dampen everyone spirits, and make kids feel as cooped inside for too long. But we still go out regardless.

Good luck.

Thanks for both the information and the perspective. I am susceptible to worrying too much, as a first time parent.

[kingeorge]

Originally Posted by ytlh

Thanks for both the information and the perspective. I am susceptible to worrying too much, as a first time parent.

I get it. We all worried too much about firstborn to some degree. But, kids need community to grow. Parents feel the need, but shouldn't micromanage every aspect of their kids life. It is good to separate a little. Try to make sure your kid doesn't pick up on your anxiety. If you are scared or negative they will start to mirror it, because this is what all kids do.

Relax, concentrate on a move, figuring out logistics, and rest will fall into place.

You should know that most school districts offer free short day kindergarten if you decide regular day might be too long. But you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Have trust in your kid, and his capabilities.

Good luck.

[SalamanderSmile]

When we were deciding to stay or leave MA I was school shopping, I called every district we could afford and asked them about elementary recess and lunch time. We were coming from a 100% outdoor preschool on a farm and that transition was important to me. Kindergarten was mostly half day in the affluent districts (that has changed in the last couple of years with federal incentives available to schools for offering full day kindy), and working class communities had full day kindy.

There is alot of pressure in MA to prove that your real estate values are substantiated by your school's scores on standardized tests, so test prep pressure has made it all the way to kindergarten. The impact is of course on recess, lunch and arts/music. Call the schools, go to open houses, ask the questions. When is the library open? Full art room or art-on-cart? Full gym or cafetorium/gym combo? (this means that the six months it is too cold to have recess they might have recess in the classroom because there is no separate gym) music? Foreign languages? Hot lunch served? Gym at all? Elementary clubs or extra curriculars actually run by the school?

So my for my queries I found out that the elementary libraries in one district were only open one day a week because they all shared a librarian, another had to use the gymatorium as classroom and now they all eat in the hall and the school never provided hot lunch anyway due to no kitchen, another has pared its recess AND lunch down to 15min each and only one recess a day, another had recess inside almost everyday due to site conditions at the 5yo school that caused the playground to be flooded constantly, another had a temperature cutoff of 36* for going outside so all winter they had classroom recess. It went on and on and on. MA has been on a big school building boom (although less than the 2000s when there was matching fed money) will your kid spend his entire elementary years in GE modulars due to construction with no playground at all?

Grill them mercilessly and tour tour tour.

[ytlh]

Originally Posted by SalamanderSmile

Call the schools, go to open houses, ask the questions.

Grill them mercilessly and tour tour tour.

Thanks for the ideas on what to ask about!

[gf2020]

20 minutes per day for elementary school is probably pretty typical.