I’ve noticed a funny thing here in California (at least in the Bay Area). When the temperature drops below 60F, kids disappear from the playgrounds. This morning before school, the thermostat was still hovering around the freezing point, yet the kids who arrived early had a blast running around on the playground. Really, parents, playing outside is healthy in all weather. If kids in Finland can play outdoors every day throughout the year, so can we here in California. Now let’s head outside for some fresh air and fun!
Related articles
- Cold Snap to Chill the Bay Area (blogs.sfweekly.com)
- Freeze Warning Extended As Cold Snap Grips Bay Area (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com)
- It’s Cold! Yes – Cold! (blogs.kqed.org)
hike.wander.wonder 
I believe children naturally like to play outdoors, and it is the parents that hinder them.
Here in Colchester, England, the winter has yet to bite, a few days of minus Celsius, no snow, today double figures at 11 degrees Celsius, and rain.
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The cold weather (nightly temps below freezing, days not much warmer) has now passed, and daytime temperatures are warmer again (60F / 15 C or so). Still not much rain!! Absolutely no reason not to be playing outdoors here now. 🙂
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In Czech Republic, kids play outside even when it’s below freezing temperatures :). How else would they build snowmen during recess? 😀
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At one point in time, Japan and some other cultures dressed their young boys in shorts during the winter “to make them tough”.
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Aw! I believe in warm, cozy clothing. It’s no fun playing outside when you’re freezing! (Though I realize their intent wasn’t for the boys to have “fun”.) Now, if my son were to choose to take off his warm, fleece-lined shirt and run around in his t-shirt, that would be his choice. But I don’t think it would “toughen” him up.
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Actually when I stopped to think about it, I was kind of in the same boat as the boys wearing shorts in winter. When I was in elementary school, girls were required to wear dresses to school. Since I lived in a rural region, this meant while I was standing in the snow waiting for the school bus, my bare knees were sticking out between the bottom of my winter coat and the top of my knee socks. Brrr. Thankfully by the time I was a teen, the school district changed the dress code so that girls could wear slacks or jeans. As soon as I had a choice, I wore long pants throughout the winter season.
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We have been really socked in with the cold up here in Utah, got down to 0 degrees the last two nights and not warmer than 20 during the day. That said, my munchkins begged to go out into the backyard to play in the snow. It didn’t last long, momma can only stand so many times having to fish the toddler out of snowbanks when he can’t stand himself up and requests to fix gloves.
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I’m not much of a snow person, so that would be tough for me! I’m sure my son would want to stay playing in the snow much, much longer than I would. 🙂 Speaking of which… I just saw there is snow in the forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area tonight. We don’t see it often, but we may wake up to snow-covered hills in the morning!
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We aren’t very hardy, are we! I feel like staying indoors, too–then i feel guilty for being such a wimp. Good for you for encouraging your son to enjoy the outdoors. It’s not snowing quite yet–although that would probably be really fun at first. 🙂
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If it would just rain, we’d have snow!
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In upstate NY, kids in school do get outside recess time until the temperatures go below 28 degrees. They do get to play in the snow daily.
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As it should be! I’m sure the majority of the country does have recess outside throughout the year (well, for those schools that still have recess – but that’s another issue). It’s just us whimpy Californians who are afraid of the cold. 🙂
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Was the Finland reference speaking of the “School’s Out” documentary?
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/12/forest_kindergarten_watch_kids_in_switzerland_go_to_school_outside_in_school.html
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I haven’t seen that documentary. But I absolutely love the concept of the forest kindergartens. If we had one around here, I would have enrolled my son in one! Several years ago, I read somewhere that kids in Finland play outdoors every day, no matter what the weather. I forget where I first read it, but here’s an NPR article with reference to it… http://www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133301331/the-new-republic-the-u-s-could-learn-from-finland . There are many aspects of the Finnish education system that I admire and wish could be implemented here in the US.
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