Too cold for six years olds to be outside for PE for 45 minutes?

[Married2aWelshman]

I'm all for getting the kids outside, particularly mine, but it was 0 degrees in London today and my DD1 told me that they did PE outside and they were all freezing in their tracksuit bottoms and school t shirts, also allowed school cardigans but that's it. No gloves, majority of them already coughing and spluttering as is the January norm. Some of the, crying. It's not like they were playing rugby and sweating their arses off. AIBU to have a word with the teacher in the morning?

That's disgusting! I would be bloody livid!!!

yes, you do catch cold from the weather.

Really?

ds2 (6) only went out for first break and they are generally a tough outside school (although the boys are in shorts).

DS1 (12) sneered and said it was hardly cold - and to be fair was only in school jumper....

Weirdly it seemed to be colder in the middle of the day today here I walk 40 mins to / from work around 6.30am and 6pm as well as my 30 mins at lunchtime and it was definitely coldest at lunch time.

We put our coats on and went for PE...after the warm up I had children asking if they could sit on the (cold, damp) tarmac for a rest. They loved it - we kept moving and came back in a little bit earlier than normal when they looked like they were getting chilly.

My dcs wouldn't have had any issue with that.
Actually they've had any issue with that throughout the whole of primary school.
They are now doing PE with not much more on them wether it's cold or raining.

If they are actually doing PE as in running and participating, they shouldn't get cold.

Ach, it was only 45 mins. The kids will be fine, yanu I think.

You get a cold from being crammed together indoors with the doors and windows shut, but from being outside.

I think PE outside was fine today, I was a little concerned when it started to snow! but it was cold dry snow, and the kids loved it. If it had been rain or wind I would have sent them in.

Its been around 0 degrees here in Finland too today and DD commented that its like summer because its so warm perspective changes a lot!

But YANBU if they couldn't wear gloves, hands don't get warm from running around. Outside PE is fine in those temps but keep the extremities covered, hands especially can get prone to cracked and sore skin.

Wow.Surprised at some of the responses.
The kids had on tshirts, cardigans and trackie bottoms and were moving about. For less than an hour!
Special snowflakes.

My reception dd (5) and her classmates who are 4-5 do outdoor PE unless it is raining/snowing/gales. She had outdoor PE today - it was zero degrees. She has a tracksuit, t shirt and trainers and the only time she complains is if it's raining because she LIKES outdoor PE, even in this weather. No complaints about being cold.

She's also had significantly less colds (one since September - normally three or more) and less asthma issues.

It's getting them ready for when they are coat refusing teens...

I guess it depends what the activity was.

Seems a bit much if some were crying.

What evidence so you have for that comment bettersleepoutdoors? I think you'll find that cold air kills off viruses in the nose and pharynx and people catch illnesses when couped up inside rebreathing each other's warm virus laden air. Fresh air is good for you even in the cold but I agree sport should be fun for kids and not upsetting and v cold. If wrapped up well I see no issue.

Special snowflakes

you sound lovely. If it's too cold for me, it's too cold for my kids without appropriate clothing.

YABU. They'll be fine. At my DCs school they all have to do a 'daily mile' first thing in the morning. They all go out wrapped up in what they arrived in for school and by the end there's a huge pile of discarded coats, hats etc. As long as it's safe for them to be outside let them.

I'd rather my dcs were outside for PE

I put warmer clothes in their PE kit and explain to them the importance of putting it on.

I think it's unacceptable actually - I went for a run today and it was sub zero. I needed a hat, scarf and two tops to keep me warm and I usually get hot running.

I'd have a word with the teacher. However our school usually has a reminder for parents to provide a warmer kit for cold days.

I took gcse pe and we had to do 6 hours of pe plus training in 0 degrees, we ran up mountains (i live in wales) and even had to run cross country when i was 1 degrees. If your kids grow up and decide they want to take pe as an option, they have to get used to it beforehand, which is why they do it. Plus if they're running around they shouldnt get too cold, if you could get sick from being cold i would have been the sickiest child alive when i was doing pe. Its just a bit of cold x

"Scientists don’t yet know why we have more colds in winter than in summer, but they’re working on it. One recent theory is that our noses are colder at this time of year, and each time we breathe in, the lining of our noses cools, reducing the effectiveness of our defence system in that area. And that makes us more prone to infection."

Not sure about this, but suffice to say (anecdotally) that the worst colds my children have had, have been ones where they have got cold whilst they were coming down with the virus...so can believe there may be something in this.

However hot stuffy classrooms are a breeding ground for germs - but 45 minutes outside won't do much to mitigate that!

My son's prep school had the boys wearing shorts EVERY DAY as uniform - when it snowed they wore shorts and wellington boots.

For games they were not allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms - just shorts. And, to be fair, the games teachers only ever wore shorts, no matter what the weather. And none of the children ever suffered from ill health!

My ds wears long sleeve thermal t-shirts under pe shirts. School is ok with it, even though pe shirts are short sleeved. A lot of children wear school jumper on top as well.

Zero here today in Canada and the kids all had sallopettes, snow boots, big coat, hat, scarf, gloves on.

So yeah, tracky pants aren't really enough TBH.

-3 here today - Northumberland coast. DS -2- managed to get his coat off runnng round the park. Little blighter!

I live in Scotland. If we didn't go out when it was cold or wet, then we would never go out!
Soprano if they were wearing ( one presumes) socks, underwear which could include vests, fleecy joggers, t-shirts AND cardigans, then that is appropriate clothes for doing activities. Standing at a bus stop they might be cold. Running about wearing several layers in the UK...Fine!

thebaldsoprano, I thought that when I read the 'special snowflake' comment!

I remember being at school in the 80s when they made us wear fucking shorts in this weather out onto the hockey pitch for an hour. My legs would be red-purple and I wouldn't even be able to hold the stick properly it was so cold. And I remember how much my bones hurt with the cold.

I suppose at least now they're allowed to wear tracksuits and I'm all for going out in all weathers dressed in the right clothes. But every now and then it's just too bloody cold!

YABU, kids should be out in all weather, we literally wrp them up in cotton wool these days.
Not all that long ago that boys wore shorts for school all year round.
I'm told 1963 or was it 1969 was really cold, midwives still suggested small babies be pushed in the fresh air.