Play date with school friend

[Bubnomore]

Exactly that, the first of the year ‘bubble’ sent home today. My child’s year is not impacted, would you let your child have a play date with someone from their class at an activity location, outside of school hours.

The fact they are in the same class makes me think it makes no difference to being at school, but with cases ramping, and a year group being sent home, I also think why take unnecessary risk?

All guidance will be followed e.g. no more than six rule - albeit still feels wrong half think it would be better to have a full lock down to stop such dilemmas ie it’s ok to do it but not sure it feels right.

The more we limit our social interactions the better. Its not just who the playdate is with that you need to consider but where too, by activity location do you mean a public location? What if your DC and friend pick up the virus at the venue and take it back to the rest of the class? If every child in the class went out to a different place where they could potentially pick something up that's 30 extra interactions that have the possibility of getting back into school think of it that way

Yes absolutely that would be fine. The whole point of bubbles is that the rest of the school should be safe (from that particular threat anyway).

I would. If you're following the guidance then I dont see what the issue is. Make the most of being able to go out with a friend before more local or national restrictions are applied. I'm going out as much as I can while still following the letter of the law.

I am only doing outdoors, because it is proven to be much less likely to transmit.

I would not do an indoor play date.

"The fact they are in the same class makes me think it makes no difference to being at school"

This is incorrect. Every interaction the children have is a risk, so we need to do everything to reduce risk elsewhere. Think about how statistics work; there is a low statistical risk to children eith every interaction. If you have thousands of interactions you are exposed to that risk every time; eventually you will be one of the statistics.

Interactions at school cannot be prevented as we are not allowed measures that would actually reduce the risk. Interactions outside of school can be prevented, which reduces the risk at school.

I've used the word risk a lot there

The word 'risk' features heavily in general discourse these days!

I agree with @WhyareWehardofthinking

However it's also very important that the children have opportunities to play with their friends as well as sit in a classroom with them.

(You forgot that bit )

I'm still doing in year playdates, but if you know for sure that a child in their year has covid, then you know that the risk of your child and the other child having it is much higher.

I'd say a definite no to an organised activity location, especially if indoors. Maybe to an outdoor park (though not playground) playdate while you wait to see if it's a lot of kids or not.

Or if a child was sent home with a cough, no other cases around maybe less need for panic.

Dd is 9 and in year 5 and we have had a few play dates with her best friend ( both here and at friend’s house )

There are no cases (yet) at their school and no burst bubbles. She is invited to a pamper party in a couple of weeks, 6 girls in total from her class but I’m not sure about that.

I would encourage it. I think the risks are totally minimal.

No, they've been sent home to keep apart. If they were in school together every day that's different!

Sorry completely misread that - still in school, fine. Take precautions

We see one friend, her best friend that she sits next to in class regularly. But aren't meeting anyone else. We are sticking to just seeing this one family to give her some normality of having play dates etc.

I think she said her child's year wasnt impacted. So not in your year?

Our bunch of friends have been having indoor playdates with each other. Just the child comes home after school who they've been mixing with anyway.

Outside of school I'm only going outdoors/notdoing shops or indoor venues but for my child's wellbeing I think being able to play with friends after all this time is so important. While school is open and theyre mixing there we would carry on doing this... a managed risk.

@PinotLovesMomma

The more we limit our social interactions the better. Its not just who the playdate is with that you need to consider but where too, by activity location do you mean a public location? What if your DC and friend pick up the virus at the venue and take it back to the rest of the class? If every child in the class went out to a different place where they could potentially pick something up that's 30 extra interactions that have the possibility of getting back into school think of it that way

I agree with this to a certain extent but balance is needed here. This is our life now until next spring at the earliest. There will be phases within that where you are restricted further and play dates aren't an option at all. Would you really want to subject your child to extra strict restrictions when unnecessary too? I'd say one or two play dates with one other child in a Covid safe place is ok as long as you all feel well. Meeting up with 3 or 4 friends on a daily basis (whilst still strictly allowed under the rule of six) wouldn't be a great decision.

I’ve been doing that with DDs friends and either choosing to meet in the park or at our houses rather than an indoor venue where they might have close contact with children they don’t know

Christmas . This exactly. We're allowed to have up to 6 in our house, but I'm not having people over regularly, personally not having friends to dinner etc.

But we've prioritised having school friends over as like you say we dont know if that will be forever!

@user1493413286

I’ve been doing that with DDs friends and either choosing to meet in the park or at our houses rather than an indoor venue where they might have close contact with children they don’t know

I would say risk from high to low is:

Domestic homes
Indoor venues
Outdoor venues
The great outdoors (i.e. just open space)

So I would question having people round as being better than a venue.

But I am not Chris Whitty so I could be wrong

See I would rather have 1 school friend at home than go to an indoor venue. Indoor venues mean Other People so we definitely feel we are minimising risk that way! I'd rather be near 1 child than lots.

Aside from school friends coming over we are just doing the great outdoors if we meet with our friends.

This is our life now until next spring at the earliest. There will be phases within that where you are restricted further and play dates aren't an option at all

But surely if we reduce our social interactions now theres less likely a need for further restrictions in the future.

Yes weve been told to reduce social interactions to no more than 6 .

Having school friends over who are a social interaction already is in keeping with this.

Meeting lots of new people each week less so.

@3littlewords

This is our life now until next spring at the earliest. There will be phases within that where you are restricted further and play dates aren't an option at all

But surely if we reduce our social interactions now theres less likely a need for further restrictions in the future.

Are you willing to bet your kids' mental wellbeing on that? I know I'm not.

Outdoors and SD I’d be happy with. Indoors would be a no. Whilst it may be permitted we know the virus spreads indoors so we are doing what we can to limit that contact.

We’re meeting one or two friends at a time, outside at the playground. I would consider having one friend at a time in the house but the parents of my children’s friends are uncomfortable with indoor play dates.

It would depend what the activity centre was for me - Go Ape or pottery painting I’d agree to, soft play I wouldn’t. A six person “pamper party” I would absolutely refuse because including some adult supervision takes it over six and no way will that be socially distanced.

@musicalfrog my theory behind it is less social activity outside school ( for all the family not just the dc) means less transmission inside school means more time actually in school. The more places we go to the more chance we have of needing to isolate, let me tell you 14 days stuck indoors not even allowed out for a walk is not going to do mine or their mental health any good!
I'm in a local lockdown area already so play dates aren't an option for my dc anyway, except for maybe a well timed visit to the park when a friend just happens to be there at the same time.