Chinese primary school scraps homework for weekend as sun comes out to play after month of cold and rain
- Head teacher fears pupils were stifled by weeks of classroom confinement
- Study suggests that lack of outdoor play is bad for children’s health
Staff at a primary school in Zhejiang province were advised to ditch homework plans because the head teacher wanted pupils to play outside in the sun after almost a month of bad weather, the Qianjiang Evening News reported on Monday.
Hangzhou Foreign Language Experimental Primary School asked pupils to put down their schoolbooks and have some fun in the winter sun while temperatures hit 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit) at the weekend.
Head teacher Luo Jiaqi said cold, wet weather had kept pupils from outdoor activities and physical education.
“The kids have all been really stifled; the teachers were very worried after term started,” Luo was quoted as saying.
“When the sun comes out, I will rush out of my front door, yell at the sun and lazily sit on a chair to sunbathe,” wrote first grader Liu Huijie in an answer to an essay question asking pupils what they would do if the weather improved.