Inside recess

 It was just starting to snow when I left for school.  I didn't think it would amount to much but then it kept snowing more and more.

My students were excited and kept wanting to look at the weather app on my phone to see how long the snow would last.  They are growing up in a different world with different sources of information than I did!

Peering out the window, one boy said, "It is almost pitch white out there!"

Braeden texted this:

I didn't have to say anything because Emma covered it for me....

Shortly before recess time, the principal announced that it was up to the teachers whether we had inside or outside recess.  

I didn't want to deal with wet shoes and socks and cold hands and all of that.  They mostly do not dress for cold weather very effectively.  I have a drawer of gloves I hand out and then collect so we'll have them another day.

More importantly though, I had recess duty.

I decided we would have inside recess.

It was the first time we've had inside recess and they wanted to know what to do.  I gave them all the options:  computers, drawing, reading, games.  A few boys played on the computers, one girl wanted to work on multiplication (I said sure!), some boys played Battleship, there was a raucous Uno game happening and four kids set up Jenga under my desk.  They love to crawl under my desk (which is really a kidney shaped table) and I'm always worried I'm going to accidentally kick them.  

It felt chaotic but also cozy. Sometimes inside recess is the worst because they need to run but this is such a mellow group that they do OK without a run.

It had stopped snowing so lunch recess was outside.  I had a line of wet gloves drying, everyone complained about cold wet feet and two students had slipped and fallen and their pants were wet.

Inside recess is not terrible.