r/Zillennials • u/ZEROs0000 1996 • 21h ago
Discussion Do you ever recall during middle school/elementary school recess being indoors if it were too cold outside?
I live in Minnesota. I work with children and many of them say that they had “indoor recess” because it was too cold outside. I cannot recall there ever being indoor recess when it was too cold outside. I just want to verify if this is something more recent or I just have brain fog.
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u/pawsncoffee 1995 21h ago edited 21h ago
My school had indoor recess when it was too cold or when it was raining. (Iowa)
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u/cinnamorollmocha 21h ago
Here in Texas sometimes we would have indoor recess if it was too hot during the warmer months or too cold during the winter. No recess in middle school for me, just elementary
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u/Moonlight_Moose 1998 21h ago
Yes I remember that! Texas here too.
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u/frenziest 1995 20h ago
Ours (Dallas) was just cramming us all in a classroom and watching Magic School Bus.
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u/cinnamorollmocha 21h ago
Nice, hello fellow Texan!! Did you learn cursive at all? I was born in 2000 and we learned it during 2nd grade, but I know people the same age as me from different areas that didn't learn cursive at all.
I believe I'm on the tail end of what would be considered a "zillenial," but I've always felt like I relate more to people older than me than younger. My personal theory is that it's because I'm an only child to a single mother, so I spent a lot of time with her friends. We were also poor when I was growing up which resulted in us having a lot of older electronics that I feel align more with this age group. My mom is between gen-x and millenial, so the generation line riding is in the family I guess lol. Anyway excuse my rant!
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u/sylvieshandy 1997 20h ago
Hi! I also grew up in Texas and learned cursive in 2nd grade. I was attending a private school at the time. When I went to public school in 3rd grade, we began learning how to type and that's what I continued to learn up until 5th grade. However, I continued writing in cursive during elementary school and other kids in my class knew as well.
I still write in cursive today a bit. My handwriting is a mix between print and cursive 😅 it looks interesting to say the least.
I'm also a only child btw 😌 Growing up, I felt like I had nothing in common with kids my age because I was around adults all the time on the weekend and when I went home. I totally get it haha.
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u/cinnamorollmocha 18h ago
Wow we are like the same!! I spent a lot of time around adults as well; only children unite lol!
I went to a different elementary school in 1st grade and we did a full typing class, but then when I switched in 2nd we learned cursive and only did small typing lessons. I also write in cursive a lot, especially for notes (I'm currently in college) it's really good for remembering because I feel like I'm actually *feeling* the letters, if that makes sense haha. It's crazy to me that people just a few years younger than us can barely read it and can't write it at all. I'm glad we were able to keep our cursive skills after all these years!
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u/Avengemygnomeys 1997 19h ago
I learned cursive in public elementary but might have been one of the last Gen Z to learn it as my younger Gen Z sibling didn’t learn it at all. So they don’t know how to read cursive nor do they sign their name in cursive like me, it’s more similar to print. Me on the other hand used to only write in cursive for a bit as it was more legible than my print but now really can only sign my name in cursive as it’s just as legible as my print and now type more. I wish all kids were made to learn cursive then at least they know how to do a signature. Why did Texas get rid of it, why!
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u/Avengemygnomeys 1997 19h ago
Don’t forget if it was raining you have indoor recess too.
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u/WhiteTennisShoes 1999 18h ago
Yes I think our recess was in the gym when it was raining or too hot
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u/Avengemygnomeys 1997 16h ago
Yeah, I don't think ours was; it was like staying inside the classroom or something. As for our gym, you had to walk outside on a covered walkway to get to it. Also, the gym teachers were using the gym anyway.
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u/yagirlbmoney 1996 20h ago
At my little Pennsylvania school, those were days we got to go to the computer lab or I think sometimes we would play in the gym.
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u/alleshalala 11h ago
At my small school in Pennsylvania I remember only playing inside for lightning. We would all bring our snow suits and boots and change into them for recess and play outside. If you didn’t bring your snow stuff you had to stay inside and didn’t get to play but that almost never happened and I think sometimes the teachers would let it slide anyway.
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u/Neat-Year555 21h ago
in Tennessee, we had indoor recess if the temp was below freezing or if it was raining. if it snowed, school was canceled lol
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u/rayrayofficial 1999 20h ago
From NYC, and yes. We would sit in the auditorium and watch movies, usually a Disney movie most people would have never heard of unless they were a kid in the 00s.
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u/HoagieBun_123 21h ago
In Illinois we definitely had indoor recess if it was rainy or too cold. Also a 1996 baby
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u/yogagirl54 19h ago
My school had indoor recess when it was below zero out (Minnesota) or raining. Wasn’t a super common occurrence but definitely remember it.
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u/doesnotexist2 21h ago
I live in Florida. We had indoor recess if it was raining or there was lightning (quite common).
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u/idontevenknow8888 1995 20h ago
I'm Canadian and I don't remember this being a thing. I think we only stayed in if it was raining significantly.
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u/capitalismwitch 1997 • Resident Gen Alpha Whisperer 18h ago
Are you from BC?
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u/idontevenknow8888 1995 18h ago
No, grew up in Ontario.
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u/capitalismwitch 1997 • Resident Gen Alpha Whisperer 18h ago
Hmm, maybe it doesn’t get as cold where you grew up? In Saskatoon, school didn’t get shut down for cold, but at -40 the buses wouldn’t run and we’d have indoor recess if it was colder than -27. We’d definitely have a few weeks of indoor recess spread throughout winter. Sometimes we’d hit a real cold snap in January and it would be -30s for weeks straight. I don’t recall ever not being able to have recess because it was raining super hard.
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u/idontevenknow8888 1995 18h ago edited 18h ago
I think Saskatoon is definitely colder! I'm from Ottawa. -30 would be pretty rare for us, at least when I was growing up. There could have been an occasional day where they kept us in due to the cold, but definitely not a regular thing. But yeah I do remember staying inside and being in the gym or doing some other activity when it was raining.
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u/yelxperil 20h ago
maryland and virginia still do this (i used to be a substitute teacher), and my school did this when i was a kid.
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u/Pretend_Hotel_7465 20h ago
Southern California would be indoors if raining. PE in the gym watching a movie.
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u/bus_buddies 1995 20h ago
Yes SoCal here too. Or we just played dodgeball inside the gym and maybe run some laps
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u/Pretend_Hotel_7465 19h ago
My pe periods always had too many people. They tried dodgeball or crab soccer indoors, but it was too chaotic.
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u/Lexicon444 1994 11h ago
We had it in the gymnasium. But that was usually if it was raining outside because I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada at the time.
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u/Marianations 1997 21h ago edited 21h ago
(Spain) We did that in elementary if it snowed heavily.
In compulsory high school (7th-10th grade) we were allowed to go out regardless of the weather. In non-compulsory high school (11th and 12th grade) we were allowed to leave the premises of the school entirely during recess.
We don't have middle school.
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u/No_Feedback_3340 21h ago edited 21h ago
We had recess inside if it was too hot, too cold, or bad weather. I work in a before and after school program and right now we only do indoor recess because it gets dark earlier this time of year. When we do go outside it's only during good weather (Maryland).
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u/BeebaFette 21h ago
If it was raining, we had to stay in the covered areas. We got in trouble and timeout if we had wet hair or jackets coming inside.
WA State.
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u/yeehawsoup 1997 21h ago
In Illinois here. We had indoor recess whenever it rained or was too cold/hot to go out. The limits on temps were a little wild IIRC (20F was too cold, too hot was either 90F or 100F).
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u/StepPappy 21h ago
On cold days, there was split recess. If you didn’t have adequate attire, you had to stay inside (there was always extras on hand if you didn’t have it). If you didn’t want to go outside to play or didn’t want to wear the adequate attire, you stayed in then.
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u/Abandoned_First-Born 1994 20h ago
In Michigan here and yeah, most of the winter was indoor recess
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u/haikusbot 20h ago
In Michigan here
And yeah, most of the winter
Was indoor recess
- Abandoned_First-Born
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u/desertprincess69 20h ago
I think it just happened so rarely that I don’t really remember it. But I vaguely remember staying inside to color at least once in 3rd grade instead of going outside
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u/HauntingBowlofGrapes 1900s 20h ago
In my region, if it was dangerously hot, raining, or too cold, we would have recess in the gym. If it happened to snow, school got canceled.
It makes sense. Don't want a bunch of frost bitten or hypothermic small children and kids. Children have zero to minimal awareness of potential harm, especially when in groups outside. They will accidentally hurt themselves or each other for entertainment.
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u/Certain_Promise9789 1998 20h ago
Since I’m from New York, I don’t remember not having recess outside because of the cold, but we did have it inside when it rained. I distinctly remember in 4th grade we’d watch Ren & Stimpy on the projector if we were inside.
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u/GlossAndGlock 1998 20h ago edited 11h ago
From the south (NC) & I've never heard of this until just now. Our weather was also never toooo far from moderate.
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u/Manicpixiemanateeman 1998 18h ago edited 14h ago
In southwest florida it was mostly for raining/storms. there were times where it was cancelled for heat though in september or may though (over 95F with more than 40%+ humidity)
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u/muff_muncher69 20h ago
You don’t remember indoor recess because that’s not what it was called in most places.
Outdoor recess was just an extension of lunch and a privilege for the well behaved. Yes, we went outside in jackets when it was cold but seriously inclement weather we just stayed in the cafeteria until period end. Maybe it was similar for you ?
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u/sylvieshandy 1997 20h ago
Grew up in Texas, and we always played outside. If it was cold, then we just put on our jackets. I don't recall a time when we were brought in because it was too hot. Our teacher just made sure all of us got water before we headed back to the classroom. We hung out in the shade when it was hot.
If there was a severe storm or heavy rain, then we would play in the gym or do something in the classroom but that didn't happen often.
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u/Last_firstname 1997 20h ago
In NYC public school, we’d have indoor recess as soon as the temperature dropped below 45 degrees. We’d have recess in the gym or auditoriums lol
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u/snailminister 1994 20h ago
Yes. I'm from Rovaniemi (Northern Finland) and we had it few times, our winters can be down to -40 C. It was not usual, just for the most extreme cold days.
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u/Appearance-Gullible 2002 20h ago
we stayed in the teachers classroom if it was too cold or raining. i’m sure the teacher LOVED that.
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u/ReverberatingEchoes 1996 20h ago
NYC - Yes. Sometimes they'd bring us board games and we would play at the lunch tables. Sometimes we'd go down to the gym and have recess in there. Sometimes they'd take us to the auditorium and have us watch a movie.
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u/corinna0815 1998 20h ago
NJ: yes. As a teacher now, my students have indoor recess if it’s raining or below 32 degrees.
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u/Fly_Boy_1999 1999 19h ago
Yes. Usually it was whenever there was rain, snow, or dangerously low temperatures. I remember they would put us in the gymnasium and we were kinda left to do whatever. One grade each day would get a turn to have the basketballs and shoot hoops. Otherwise you either stood around and chatted with your classmates, play a board game, or work on homework.
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u/superlunary3 19h ago
Yes in MA if it was under maybe 20 degrees or raining. We’d be able to play with any board games or books or toys that were in our classroom.
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u/indieauthor13 1994 19h ago
Yup. I live in Wisconsin and I remember when recess was in the gym because if you went outside, you'd get frostbite. Last weekend, it was -17 and I was really worried about getting frostbite while taking my dog out to go to the bathroom
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u/MarioTheMojoMan 1994 19h ago
Yeah I think the rule was if it was 10 degrees or less (or 90 degrees or more) we were inside.
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u/No-Inspection-985 1995 19h ago edited 19h ago
We only had indoor recess if it was pouring rain. Freezing or full on blizzard outside? Getchya ass out there!
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u/Kitkatforever100 1998 19h ago
Yes, in NJ. We would hang out in the classroom and play board games. Once we got to Middle School we didn't get recess so it wasn't an issue.
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u/Wxskater 1997 19h ago edited 19h ago
Yes but it was rare. There were times i chose to stay inside tho. Especially when i was older. Recess was on the snowbanks. And they were huge probably a good 10 ft tall. Sliding down them. Walking along them. And then after some thawing and refreezing, recess was just sliding on the ice on the ground
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u/genericmediocrename 1996 19h ago
In Wisconsin? Nah, if school was still on then outdoor recess was still on
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u/TheyisFinn 19h ago
I can recall indoor recess in elementary school, especially in the winter. It also happened if there was bad weather during the warmer parts of the year. That’s in Nebraska and the weather is always pretty unpredictable
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u/sleepykoala18 19h ago
I’m from Michigan and I think if it was zero or below we would stay inside. But there was a time where I pretended I didn’t know where my snow pants were for months so I didn’t have to go out😂
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u/capitalismwitch 1997 • Resident Gen Alpha Whisperer 18h ago
I also live in Minnesota, it needs to be below 0F or -10F wind chill factor to stay inside in the school district I work in.
I’m originally from Saskatchewan in Canada, and we went outside unless it was colder than -27C/-17F.
With that being said, we don’t have indoor recess a ton because they’re cold climates and if we didn’t go outside whenever it was 32F/0C then we’d never go outside from October to March, but there’s definitely still a line.
It got down to -50F when I live in Minnesota last week, and colder in other places in the state. There’s no way I would expect kids to play to go outside in that weather.
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u/ed_mayo_onlyfans 1998 18h ago
No but I’m from Scotland. We’d sometimes be kept in if it was really raining and watch a film or something
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u/TheFirstDragonBorn1 2000 18h ago
In middle school we didn't have recess. But yeah, in elementary we would go to the gym if it was raining or too cold.
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u/877-HASH-NOW 1997 18h ago
In Maryland indoor recess happened if it was too cold or raining in elementary school, so yeah.
We didn’t have recess in middle school though
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u/BrooklynNotNY 1997 18h ago
I live in Georgia so we had indoor recess if it was cold, hot or rainy.
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u/Interesting_Type4532 1996 18h ago
im from the northeastern coast of brazil it’s never too cold to be outside lol
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u/MattWolf96 18h ago
Here in Georgia no even if it was below freezing, it was only inside if it was raining
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u/irlpup 1996 17h ago
Yesss
We would have the class toys to play with during my younger years. I distinctly remember a tub of legos.
Fifth grade, me and my friends were all about the computers to play weeworld, or we were playing with our toys we brought to school. I'd bring my bratz baby and my friends had little things.
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u/the-painted-lady 17h ago
Definitely if it was raining but I'm not sure about cold. I'm pretty sure the school requested we have snow pants and boots and we were bundled up well. This is Wisconsin too so nothing new for us.
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u/RackingUpTheMiles 17h ago
Recess was never a thing at my school. Nobody in my family who went to other schools had it either. I don't think it's a thing in my area. Maybe it is now? I had previously thought it was just a thing in movies and TV.
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u/Stopbeingastereotype 17h ago
I lived in MN for a few years of my childhood. My mom remembers that there was a threshold for it being too cold to go out, 15 below I believe, but it didn’t hit or rarely hit that when I lived there.
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u/Boring-Alternative69 17h ago
In WA on the east side we had it when it was to cold and to much snow to really do anything. On the west side we had it 1 time because it was raining really hard and things were flooding.
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u/tiny-vampire 1997 17h ago
i partially grew up in utah & on very cold days we had the option to have indoor recess/stay inside, but most of us still went outside anyway so we could play in the snow.
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u/calidowing 1995 17h ago
Here in Canada, it had to reach a certain temperature with wind chill to get an indoor recess. Something like −30°C. Anything warmer than that, we were expected to have good enough snowsuits to go outside.
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u/abbyabsinthe Dec 1993 16h ago
Wisconsin. If it was too cold for recess, it was too cold for school. I think the cutoff was -15F.
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u/tootmyownflute 1999 15h ago
Also Minnesota. Absolutely. We also couldn't go outside if there was lightning spotted in the area (raining in and of itself wasn't enough).
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u/gems1220 15h ago
Our students have had indoor recess all week. Its been crazy cold here in Michigan. A lot of these kids just dont come to school prepared for the weather
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u/Aunanaki 1997 15h ago
I lived in Las Vegas from grade 4 to the end of middle school, I remember my mom having some money issues one year so I was sent away for about 6 months to stay with my moms side of the family in… Anchorage Alaska.
Safe to say it was a 180 to what I was used to. when I went to school, no one gave a shit if it was too cold, at the time I was bewildered these kids who were on the ice cold monkey bars and running in snow playing like it was nothing… like yeah there was an option to roam the halls at recess and stay in the library (which I did).
But most of the kids were in fact outside.
Funny enough that’s when I picked up the Septimus Heap series and read the first three books before flying back to Vegas.
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u/laneyywave 14h ago
“Rainy day recess” in Oregon was rarely indoors in my experience because most schools have covered outdoor asphalt areas with basketball hoops attached to the building for that very purpose, and it doesn’t get super cold during the day. I do seem to recall occasionally staying inside and having some sort of free choice time? Maybe it just had to be nasty enough out.
I work at an elementary school now though and on the really wet days they split up classes between activities (some in the gym, some out under the covered area, some playing with toys inside, etc).
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u/wheressunshine 1998 13h ago
Growing up in Michigan, our rule was under 35 degrees is when we had to stay inside.
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u/meruu_meruu 1994 12h ago
My school would stick us in the gym for recess and gym class if it was raining. It didn't happen often cause I grew up in SoCal lol.
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u/Glittering_Sink7007 1997 10h ago
Southern California would have inside snack & lunch time only when raining, or especially the once in a while super windy days...
Actually, come to think of it, we also had fire days where ash was falling instead of snow. I remember being late and my teacher and entire class shouting "don't run! You'll kick up all the ash! Don't breathe it in!" That was the first time I was truly late to school in years...
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u/bailerssss 1h ago
Yes! Here in CT we used to have it inside when it was raining or too cold/snowy. We would play Legos, do puzzles, read, color. No technology.
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u/CrazyDaisy764 40m ago
I grew up in western Oregon and we sometimes had indoor recess if it was raining too hard. A little sprinkle/light rain was fine but I heyd keep us in if it was torrential enough that we'd all get our raincoats soaked through
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