I just found out that our school district just lengthened recess by a whopping 5 minutes to "at least 20 minutes." Which means recess is 15 minutes now. Even for kindergarteners. This blows my mind! I would have assumed it was at least 45 minutes! I feel sad for 5 year old babies going to school all day with only 15 minutes to play outside. 
It honestly makes me want to explore private school & see what they offer! I think exercise, free play & fresh air is more important than formal instruction in the early years.
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do they get a morning/afternoon recess and then a lunch break? we always had about 15 minutes in the morning, 15 mins in the afternoon and i think 45 minutes after lunch. maybe they're not talking about the lunch break???
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Our state requires 20 minutes but we always did 30 (but on really nice days we would find excuses for extra recess and this was my go - to class reward!) I couldn't agree with you more!
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Our school has a half an hour for each grade.
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@loki: at our school there was only one recess time
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The school where I taught had 15 minutes allotted. Then the principal took recess away completely. I had to fight really hard and come up with an outside "curriculum" to get it back (but I won!)
I think it's awful. Kids NEED to run around and play.
ETA: A school where I worked in a more affluent neighborhood had 2 15-minute recesses as well as lunch, which was between 30 and 40 depending on how fast the kids ate.
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@Mrs. Lion: wow!!! i have never heard that, that is such a shame!!! i totally agree, kids need time to be outside and run around and get some exercise. that is awful. we always had two recesses and a longer lunch break and i think that was perfect.... even on the coldest days in canadian winter, we were outside!
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@loki: No, it is currently 15 min & will now be 20 min TOTAL recess. I am sure they have lunchtime but it is not outside. They do have PE I believe 3x/week for kindergarteners.
@Jess1483: Took it away from ALL the kids?? Wow, why?
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@daniellemybelle: wow that is shocking to me and really, really awful
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@loki: It is shocking to me too
I genuinely want to know if any private schools around here do it differently because that would entice me!
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@daniellemybelle: an 8th grader got hurt on a playground designed for primary. Well, ya think? No real explanation for why the primary kids couldn't keep recess.
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Crazy when the CDC recommendations say everyone under 18 needs an hour of exercise daily, preferably outdoors when possible. And no wonder so many kids can't sit still without medication. Most adults would have a hard time with that schedule! When our kids hit school age, I think we will prioritize exercise over homework if need be, but schools should take more responsibility for teaching healthy habits and life-work balance!
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@anandam: Agree!!!
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20 minutes and I think that's insane. I teach pre-k and we have an hour of recess, plus lots of indoor play time. In kindergarten, they get 20 minutes of recess and almost no "down time." That's a looooot of difference in between one year for those babies.
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I think my DD gets 15 min as a first grader in public school. I wish it were more..
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Wow! Our kids get 15-20 minutes first thing, 15 minutes mid-morning and 35 minutes in the afternoon
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@Charm54: Where do you live?
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20 minutes once a day. K-3 gets 20 min twice a day.
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I was curious about this, so I looked up our district's policy. 20 minutes, including kindergarten.
I just read this blurb: "Recess is mainly for visiting the restroom. If weather permits, part of recess may be outside." Uhhh, really? Do kindergartners have that intense of a schedule that bathroom time can only be squeezed in during a time set aside to get outside?
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At elem. school it is 15 in the morning and 15 after lunch. Taking LO to the park right after school everyday and on the weekends is cheaper than private school.
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@daniellemybelle: that makes me so sad.
@Pepper: how did you get that information?
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@daniellemybelle: Canada. As a K-2 teacher, I could preach all day long about how important recess and free play are to our learners. It makes for a LOT of extra duty time for teachers, but our kids need it to learn so we don't mind. Our recess and PE minutes are mandated by the provincial govt.
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@Pepper: this is why teachers should make the rules, not politicians. Must. Have. Time. For. Testing!!!
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@regberadaisy: It was just an excerpt from our school district's student handbook for elementary school kids. It was available to download online.
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25 minutes every day, after lunch. He's in 2nd, though. It was longer in K and 1st.
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@Pepper: That's crazy!
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This is the exact reason why I'm planning to go charter school for my daughter. I cannot even fathom asking my child to sit at a desk for hours and hours - she would be miserable.
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@sarac: I can't speak for all teachers, but as a 4th grade teacher I almost never required kids to sit still at a desk for more than 40 ish minutes
we had lots of mini breaks and I had areas set up all over the room (pillows, bean bags, tables etc.) Where they could do their independent work. They only had to be at their desks when I was directly teaching the entire class. I know most of my fellow teachers were similar.
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@Mrs. Lion: I teach first grade and I have them do their math and reading stations around the room both in desks and sprawled out on the floor depending on what the students choose. I incorporate multiple brain breaks throughout the day whether it's stretching, a fun song on YouTube, etc. My teammates also do the same.
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At my current school it's 15 minutes a day (right after lunch) and all grades (PK-8) have one 45 minute P.E. class a week. At my former school recess was not built into the schedule and usually only grades PK-1 had daily recess, 15 minutes tops.
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@Mrs. Lion: That's good to hear! I went to montessori school until middle school, so I don't actually know what goes on in a public school.
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@sarac: Interestingly the charter schools I am familiar with have more structure, not less. The days are longer, though I don't know about recess. According to my husband who works in this field, it's the intervention orientation that sets them up this way - basically trying to catch disadvantaged kids up.
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@daniellemybelle: The charter schools I'm looking into are Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf based. So, a lot of different, non traditional educational models, where kids are given more latitude to move around and be active than traditional schools.
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