On the playground of a northern Colorado Springs elementary school, tag is not “it.”

[fgoodwin]

On the playground of a northern Colorado Springs elementary school, tag is not it.

 

http://www.gazette.com/articles/school_26621___article.html/games_tag.html

http://tinyurl.com/2n5ksw

 

Springs elementary gives tag a timeout

By BRIAN NEWSOME

THE GAZETTE

August 29, 2007 - 4:05PM

 

The touch-and-run game and any other form of chasing was banned this year at Discovery Canyon Campus elementary school by administrators who say it fuels schoolyard disputes.

 

It causes a lot of conflict on the playground, said Assistant Principal Cindy Fesgen. In the first days of school, before tag was banned, she said students would complain to her about being chased or harassed.

 

Fesgen said she would hear: Well, I dont want to be chased, but he wont stop chasing me, or she wont stop chasing me.

 

Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the demise of tag, but she said that generally, parents and children didnt fuss about the new rules. Running games are still OK, she said, as long as students dont run after one another.

 

The Academy School District 20 elementary school isnt the first in the Pikes Peak region to take issue with traditional recess games.

 

In 2005, two elementaries in Falcon School District 49 adopted a structured recess program, Trouble-Free Playground, that did away with games like tag in favor of alternative activities that cut down on physical contact. Evans and Meridian Ranch elementaries said the program encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce playground squabbles.

 

Nationally, several schools have done away with tag and other games because of the accidents and arguments they can lead to. Its a trend that has rankled some parents and childhood experts who say games such as tag contribute to childrens social and physical development.

 

Fesgen, who has supervised playgrounds for more than 20 years, said this is not the first school where shes restricted chase games. She still believes in free play. Students can run races and run around with friends, she said.

 

There is plenty for them to do, she said.

 

DETAILS

 

In 2005, two elementaries in Falcon School District 49 adopted a structured recess program, Trouble-Free Playground, that did away with chasing games in favor of other activities that cut down on physical contact. Evans and Meridian Ranch elementaries said the program helped reduce playground squabbles.

[evmori]

Let's just wrap all our kids in bubble wrap & have them attend school in individual cubicles!

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Kudu]

18 games of tag by Daniel Beard, including a few that are still politically incorrect after I cleaned them up:

 

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/summer/tag/index.htm

 

[ Black Man ] [ Bloody Tom ] [ Brown Ear Wolf ] [ Bull Ring ] [ Cattle Rustling ] [ Cross ] [ Dixie's Land ] [ Fox & Geese ] [ Iron Tag ] [ King's X ] [ Last Tag ] [ Monkey Tag ] [ Over the Hill ] [ Prisoner's Base ] [ Red Ogre ] [ Tommy Tiddler ] [ Wild Beasts ] [ Wolf & Sheep ]

[Gunny2862]

What's next?

 

He was looking at me! Newscaster voice - "Blinders prescribed for children in Schoolyards, film at eleven."

 

Tag, you're it...

[Beavah]

Yah, I think children should not be allowed to talk to each other unless adults are present.

 

They might say somethin' mean, and we can't have that.

 

B

 

[scoutldr]

"structured recess"...around here we call that "PE"....when they have time for it.

[evmori]

Running games are still OK, she said, as long as students dont run after one another.

 

There goes soccer & football!

[AnneinMpls]

Tag, you're it! No backs!!!

[Kudu]

13 games of Tag from G.S. Ripley's politically incorrect, rough & tumble Games For Boy Scouts:

 

http://inquiry.net/outdoor/games/ripley/5_tag.htm

 

Scout Games such as "Turtle Tag," "Slapping Cheek," or (my personal favorite) "Barrel Boxing" may need to be, um, adapted :-/

 

Kudu

 

[evmori]

Well this does solve the getting cooties from girls epidemic!

[skeptic]

This last post made me remininse about my days in scouts as a youth. Our favorite game was British Bulldog. While it could get pretty rough on occasion, there was seldom anything more than an occasional bruise. We had a rule for bigger kids that required them to quick walk rather than run, so as to ease the of weight in motion at full throttle. The scout caught had to be completely off the ground for three BB's said outloud. I still remember laughing uncontrolably as a 15 or 16 year old under attack from a half dozen smaller boys. I would keep getting one limb to touch the floor, or it would be my butt. They would finally all control the limbs, then more than once, station another beneath me to keep the bottom from dragging. Now, I have trouble controlling the boys at times; and for the moment have had to ban the game. We also have to watch really close when they play dodge ball, as some boys seem to become way too aggressive.

 

Still, taking all "rough and tumble" out of the games is overkill, in my opinion. But I do see a differnce in the boys response to following rules and a tendency toward over aggressive behaviour. I perceive this as a general reflection on our society and many of the examples seen in the sports world.

 

Another opportunity to try to help them learn moderation and awareness of the total group, as well as following the rules. Requires a bit more supervision than before, but we do still play the games, once they have had time to think about why it has been taken away for a while.