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?

2 degrees in mid western Canada today and my kids were playing outside, but in open ski jackets (admittedly no hats or gloves). So t-shirts and joggers would have been pretty underdressed. Poor kids. I hate being under dressed in the cold. If the school are going to keep that up I'd send her in with an extra base layer on.

Where I live, we've not had a plus temperature so far this year. It's FUCKING freezing.

I would not expect kids to be outside in what the op described. It's not moddycoddling them to make sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather, what a stupid attitude.

Outside is good. Life goes on when it's cold, but for sports, flexible gloves, a hat and some thin line underwear are essential. Do you see people going skiing in a cardy, for god's sake? Would you be happy to have your children do sports in thick sweaters when it's 30 degrees plus? It's the same idea. Just because people in the uk 50 years ago were stupid, doesn't mean you have to carry on the tradition.

It's inappropriate. And bollocks to all character building old days bullshit that mostly wasn't real and is just used as an excuse to berate those modern pathetic 6 year olds

Dressing appropriately isn't a moral failing.

I would much rather my DC were out in the cold than miss pe, no wonder this country has such an obesity issue

Oh and it's obvious people are confused about enforced lack of appropriate wear and children choosing to remove outer wear based on feeling too warm.

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if they were doing physical activity.

And those kids who grow up hating PE would probably always have hated it, because they don't particularly enjoy it, not because it's cold. If you love hockey or cross country or netball you will love doing it in the cold! If you don't, you will moan whether it's hot or cold

I agree OP. Most of us wouldn't do it ourselves but think it's fine for small kids. I don't and I didn't when I was younger either in those golden years of yore people keep referring to

I ama regular runner but haven't been out for a run since Christmas because it's just too joyless. I actually bought some fleece lined running tights yesterday for this very reason.

I'd be interested to know how outside physical activity is conducted in countries where the weather is routinely this cold. I doubt for a moment they'd have them outside in joggers and a T-shirt in this weather.

Sorry missed your post Psammead. Exactly that.

Funny how much we expect 6 year olds to put up with things that we never would. I went for a run yesterday and wore two layers of trousers, thermals, giant hoody and a jacket. I was moving constantly. PE lessons involve a lot of standing around too.

MsGame - my 7 year old went out at school yesterday for a walk to the woods as part of a class. I guess they were out for about 2 hours total.

It was -8, or thereabouts. She had a vest, long sleeved tshirt, ski jacket, scarf, thick gloves, hat, underwear, thick jeans and snow boots. She enjoyed her walk. It's great to get out whatever the weather. Where this attitude of dressing stupidly for the weather comes from, I have no idea.

CripsSandwiches: We do, but usually things 6 year olds have always put up with. At that age they should have boundless energy and should literally be running for that whole 45 mins like no 9 in the first half of a Premier League game! Very little chance to get cold.

DS (8) went to football training last night in a long-sleeved thermal vest and running tights, football kit, sweatshirt and hat. He forgot his gloves. By the time he came home his hands were swollen and turning white. He was in tears from the pain as the blood returned and they became puffy and red. I don't consider him to be a special snowflake, it was just too cold. Sport is supposed to be fun, surely?

Eh, appropriate clothing would be my line of unreasonable or not.

As for the coughs/colds etc - weather might not give someone a cold but it can and will exacerbate underlying conditions, unrealised chest infections and disorders like asthma. If kids are coughing a lot after being in the cold I think it's better to be safe than sorry and get that checked out.

This all reminded me of PE in 5 degrees and under... god, a football smacking a frozen thigh shudder

msGame it was -14 plus wind this week when DS had sport outdoors. They wear what they are sent in with, although we were pre-warned sport would be sledging so thermals, long tshirt, thick long socks, jumper, fleece, ski clothes, hat, scarf and gloves, snow boots.
Usually though, they do PE indoors. He wears jeans, vest, long sleeved tshirt, jumper, fleece and ski coat, hat scarf and gloves, snow boots (they keep slippers at school for indoors) to school because they all have to go outdoors for break time, whatever the weather. When it's raining, then wellies, rain trousers and raincoat.

I came to the conclusion since Dc started school that the only reason there is uniform in the uk is because the weather is so mild. Here, we really have to be on top of checking the weather forecasts to make sure they are wearing weather appropriate clothing and footwear (including sun hats in summer and occasionally swimming costumes/towels) that just wouldn't be feasible if you had to have a uniform.

Oh and I have to assume that one lesson a day will be spent outdoors, with the 4 year old (who is not in formal school yet) they spend at least one lesson + break time outdoors every day. The only exception is if it is too windy and the children risk getting blown over For the school children, it is at the teacher's discretion and we aren't warned in advance, DS (7) came home the other day to say they had spent their science lesson outside building igloos.

CripsSandwiches: We do, but usually things 6 year olds have always put up with. At that age they should have boundless energy and should literally be running for that whole 45 mins like no 9 in the first half of a Premier League game! Very little chance to get cold.

That's one of the silliest posts I have read on here. It just doesn't work like that, it's always loads of standing around and instruction, then there's the ones messing about so it all stops while they get told off. I don't think you have a very realistic idea of six year olds en masse.

MsGameandWatch: We have different opinions and experiences then.

Some of the relplies! I honestly worry about this forum sometimes.

I think a lot of you don't understand how cold it was here yesterday. I have a bowl of water in a huge bowl out in the garden for the dogs. In the morning it was fine, in the day time it froze. It was cold yesterday and not suitable for kids to be out and not dressed properly. I'd rather be hit with a bat than suffer in the cold when I was a kid.

When they do outside pe in winter here in Finland they are dressed in their snow clothes as it'll be winter sports like sledging or cross country skiing, otherwise they do indoors pe in the winter or ice skating at the ice rink (snow clothing for that too as its cold in there). They have to go outside every break no matter the weather but dressed appropriately

I'm living in a colder country and I still wouldn't be happy that my child was forced outside in such clothing.

I think schools in the UK need to consider the kind of clothing children should wear when doing PE outside in the cold and wet. Cycling clothes are good wind breakers but are not suited to all given they are usually quite tight.

If they were told to wear tracksuit bottoms and a tshirt, then good thermal underclothes can be provided by the parents. A child will soon realise that being warm trumps looking good.

Sudocreamface I completely agree. I wonder why people want to boast about what they did in their day and still survived. I did hockey in the 80's in freezing weather in shorts til my legs were red and blue, and yes I'm still here to tell the tale but it doesn't mean it was a good thing. People are ridiculous. I'm not a special snowflake for thinking that sometimes it's just too cold to be outside in just a PE kit.
As for the eejit who said no wonder we have such an obesity crisis it clearly has fuck all to do with not doing PE in freezing conditions, because kids are doing PE outside in freezing weather.
People just love being antagonist. I wonder how many of you that said 'send them outside' actually spent an hour yesterday outside dressed in similar clothes doing PE?!
Such GF's on MN!

wouldn't happen in our primary. the pe kit is shorts and tshirt. they do it in the hall.
there are kids in shorts at ds school tho... even when it snowed!

clearly has fuck all to do with not doing PE in freezing conditions, because kids are doing PE outside in freezing weather.

It promotes an attitude though, doesn't it? It's too cold to go out for a run/walk/swimming. I'll watch a box set instead...