What's at Play in Recess Today

(Catchy title, I know. Thanks.)

So, I've been pondering the issue of recess. There was this article in the Post a few weeks ago: The Recess Regimen - District Schools Seek to Bring Order to Play Periods with Help of NonProfit
Really, do we need to "bring order" to play periods? Can't kids have ANY free time in their day anymore? My initial reaction to this is to feel a little disgusted - but maybe teaching kids to play in healthy active ways is an important component that elementary schools are missing. Kids really do spend too much time in front of the TV, the computer, etc. Maybe this will help them want to get outside more. And if the kids are enjoying this instructed play, then thats awesome - I'd like to see it in action.

And then I saw this in the Penn GSE weekly update: "HELP PROMOTE RECESS FITNESS AT A WEST PHILLY SCHOOL!
Join students, volunteers, and work study students in promoting interactive play and fitness during recess (11:00-1:00p.m.)" So I guess it's not just DC.

Is it really to the point that kids need to be instructed how to "play" at recess? Have the nation's children forgotten what to do with basketball hoops and rubber balls and tetherball courts? Do we really need to teach them four square and hopscotch and double dutch? Apparently we do. Thank you, Xbox.

On a totally different note (but still recess-related) I think that recess is crucial for kids. When I was in elementary school, we got 15 minutes of recess in the morning, around 10am, and then we got another 30 minutes of recess after our 20 minute lunch every afternoon. Plenty of time to run around, get our "wiggles" out, and so forth.

At M School, recess is all of 20 minutes each day, immediately before or after lunch, depending on your class schedule. They also get 1 hour of gym class each week. In my opinion, this is not enough playtime.

Often, Mrs. C keeps kids in for recess for misbehavior, or to finish their classwork or to do homework that they "forgot" to do the night before. As you can imagine, there are several kids who stay in over and over and over again. And, as you can also imagine, the kids that are kept in are the kids who MOST need to go and get some fresh air and exercise so that they can focus for the rest of the afternoon. I have noticed a marked differences in De's behavior if he is able to get out and RUN during recess - he comes back in after lunch much calmer and settles down to his afternoon work. When he is kept in, he is usually in a bad mood and extremely wiggly all afternoon - but honestly, who wouldnt be?

I don't think I agree with kids losing recess as a form of punishment, but when you only have so many hours in a day, and when kids dont do their homework, as a teacher, what else are you supposed to do? When else can you give detention? After school? I doubt many parents would be ok with that.