Here's another one from the "duh" files: Kids Need Recess.
Why don't they pay me whatever these studies cost so I could just tell them: "No, having a baby is not a good move when your marriage is on the rocks." "Yes, small children should be allowed to run around every so often if you expect them to do a lot of sitting still throughout the day."
But researchers have made it more official than I could have done by finding that in 11,000 third graders studied, those who had more than fifteen minutes of recess in the school day scored better on behavioral charts kept by teachers.
Here's the kicker that maybe makes the official study worth its cost, though. The approximately 30% of children who had fifteen minutes per day of recess of less were "more likely to be black, to come from low-income and less educated families and to live in large cities" and, I'd venture to guess, they will also be the ones more often getting diagnosed with ADHD or pegged as behavior problems.
The study is being used to support the notion that new schools need to be built with sufficient outdoor space to accommodate children's recess needs. Apparently, often new schools are built without any thought being given to the need for free, outdoor play. It looks like parents now have another item to add to the list of factors to consider in choosing schools for their kids. It isn't "how are the test scores?" but, "where are the monkey bars?"
