Children out in the rain

[Highby]

For the past 2 days my children have been out in the rain at break and lunchtime. They have spent the last 2 days wet. The heating has been turned down. The staff are cold.

AIBU to think school should be keeping my children warm and dry?

I have to laugh at the 'appropriate clothing' response. Are people really suggesting children take a full set of waterproof clothing for a 20 minute play time? 20 minutes would be up by the time the class had changed

In our school they aren’t allowed to bring wellies in for break and lunchtimes, they still play out a lot but on really wet weather days they stay in

But accept that it simply isn't realistic in some areas to ask parents to buy additional clothing that will keep their children completely waterproof for 45 minutes at a time.

why does it need to be additional? Presumably they cannot afford a car, so the kids will have to walk everywhere, why on earth wouldn't they only provide waterproof clothes in the first place. As long as they are not fashionably branded and probably not that waterproof they don't cost much when you buy second hand. I have seen coats advertised for £3 or £4 when I know they cost around £50 brand new!

I thought that the notion that cold causes colds was an old wives tale. I certainly haven't caught one like that

I think we're pretty good at dressing for the weather. British weather.

I really disagree. British weather is wet weather and most people don't dress appropriately for it. I see so many people moan about being wet/cold but they dress in clothes from fashion shops, not outdoors shops. If you want cheap waterproofs - mountain warehouse or blacks are both good bets, they always have offers on and the stuff is cheap but works and keeps you dry. It's no more expensive than a coat from Tesco or Asda either.

I never owned a waterproof as an adult until I moved to the Lake District and got a dog! I just used an umbrella and moaned when it was windy and ended up very damp a lot of the time - there's no real need for that though. But people don't seem to like buying and wearing practical clothing if it doesn't look good.

NORMAL PROCEDURE IS THAT THEY STAY INSIDE FOR WET PLAYTIME

Not at my child’s school.
It has rained every day here this week and is forecast to rain tomorrow too. A class of 30 4/5 year olds would be climbing the walls if they couldn’t play outside at all in that time.
Unless the weather is ‘extreme’ then they play out. Thankfully.

I don't believe being out in the cold causes colds, that's more likely to happen shut indoors with the germs. However, being cold and wet does reduce the immune system, so whilst being outside is good, it is important to get dry when you go indoors.

Try walking in today's gusts if wind that hit the north west. The best walking gear wouldn't make that fun!

I did, and no, it wasn't fun but at least I came home warm and dry. I have a dog that needs out twice a day regardless of the weather. A warm down jacket and lined trousers plus boots, hat and gloves did the job nicely. I was dry and warm when I got home afterwards which is what matters, isn't it?

Get your child a water PROOF coat.

The outdoor shops do them. Not shower proof. Properly waterproof. One with a fleece zip in/out lining.

They're brilliant. Cope with spring downpours without the fleece and everything the weather can chuck at them in winter. The hoods have elasticated peaks so stay up. Get cheap supermarket hats for under them.

String gloves through sleeves on elastic.

My kids are never cold, or wet above the bum. Sometimes legs maybe, but that's less of an issue for a lunchtime.

@masterandmargarita the old wives sometimes knew what they were talking about though. Being cold for a certain length of time can lower your immune system. Apparently, especially if your nose is cold as the tiny hairs inside that protect you from breathing in nasties don't work as well.

Another old wives tale that I like is that eating fish will make you clever (brain food), and now we know that fish oil is good for the brain.

I was talking to my mum about old wives tales recently and she said that she thinks human kind has always known certain 'truths' that science is only proving now.

But accept that it simply isn't realistic in some areas to ask parents to buy additional clothing that will keep their children completely waterproof for 45 minutes at a time.

But the point is you don't need to buy additional clothing. If you can only afford one coat, get one that's warm and waterproof. You can get waterproof clothing in Aldi and Lidl these days - it's not something that's out of most people's price ranges, it's just they don't want to buy it for whatever reason.

We live in a very wet climate - certainly makes sense to me to buy one multi-purpose coat for winter if you're on a budget. Or a three-in-one jacket that you can take apart and wear certain layers of.

I work in a UK primary school and we try to let the kids outside as much as possible as it's good for them to run about (plus they go crazy in the afternoons otherwise). But if it's absolutely pouring it down or very icy sometimes we have to let them stay in. Then they go to their classrooms and get on with arts crafts and toys with TAs watching them.

It bothers me when people put 'only' in front of a price as if it makes it cheaper.
'only' £10. That's almost our entire weekly food budget. Shoes & coats are still expensive even on eBay. Okay- probably not everybody's idea of expensive but good wellies in my DD's size up to £5 including postage. And living with little to spare at the end of each month, something has to be cut if we're going to find £5, what with school requiring donations all over the place anyway. That something is either my bus fare, or food. Lately it's been heating because our boiler broke and landlord been shit about organising repair, but can't afford heating unless desperate anyway. I would be upset if DD's school wasn't heated properly. She comes home to a cold house, I value her going somewhere warm in the day.

Anyone who says it's parental neglect not to give them fully waterproof gear or 'just' spend £20+ outfitting them every year is living in a very naice bubble.

It's not much fun walking and navigating in fog! It's not pleasant going for a walk in heavy hail no matter what clothes you have on! Try walking in today's gusts if wind that hit the north west. The best walking gear wouldn't make that fun

No, that doesn’t sound fun but it’s also not realistic of a child having a 15min breaktime outside in the morning and then a further 30mins at lunchtime. For some children, especially this time of year, that might be all of the time outdoors that they get
I was referring to the twee quote about no such thing as bad weather!
As I said I am in favour of them going out!

I have to laugh at the 'appropriate clothing' response. Are people really suggesting children take a full set of waterproof clothing for a 20 minute play time? 20 minutes would be up by the time the class had changed

At DD's school (Finland) they have a 15 minute break after every lesson and have to go outside no matter the weather (unless it's colder than -25) and that means getting into outside clothes and getting back out of them and according to DD they still have plenty of time to play. I would agree that that would be quite difficult to manage for 4/5 year olds but not for older than that.

What about the old wives' tales about not bathing when menstruating and not watering plants?

Are they soluble?

@Heartofglass21 I reckon it was old husbands that made those ones up

I once worked in a school where the playground was overlooked by the flats where many families lived. One parent berated me at pickup because the children had been out at playtime and she had witnessed her child being forced to shelter from the torrential elements under the climbing frame ( as you do!) .i pointed out that it was my duty day, that I had been out there too and far from torrential it was a mizzle of drizzle. I think she was annoyed because she had done a fancy hair do on the child that morning and it had collapsed . I said if she ever wanted to pop over at wet play times, especially lunchtimes , and help to supervise thirty six year olds as they released their pent up energy by wrecking the home corner and fighting over inadequate supplies of Lego in a stuffy classroom she was welcome to do so........

Is it just me who would have utterly hated being sent out to play in pouring rain as a child, wellies or no wellies? Give me a nice warm classroom with a book corner any day!

I would hate it too, just sat on a bench miserable and wet waiting to come back in. Much preferred the library

Anyone who says it's parental neglect not to give them fully waterproof gear or 'just' spend £20+ outfitting them every year is living in a very naice bubble.

the point was that when you buy a coat for your child, you might as well buy a decent one appropriate for the winter. If the best you can afford is second hand, so be it. if you are that short of cash, why on earth would you waste it on something unsuitable?

If you have to chose between your child and "donation" to the school, surely you chose your child? In the UK, schools can't even ask you to buy a pen.

TheFifthKey, I would have hated it too. I still hate cold and wet weather. I'm assuming all the people quoting no such thing as bad weather would be happy to eat their lunch in the park in the pouring rain (the nearest equivalent to a child's break possibly). It would be quite pleasant on a nice day but not when it's pee'ing it down and muddy. DS2's asthma is exacerbated by cold air and damp. No "layers", "waterproofs" etc can offset that. He too is miserable in bad weather and he's already longing for the summer. His school have wet playtime if the rain is heavy and I'm glad.

In most schools the cloakrooms are tiny, no space for wet coats to properly dry or to get changed into waterproof gear.

@Kismetjayn if you're struggling to heat your home, why on earth would donate any money to the school?!