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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Many Hours Do You Spend Outside?
Ac114 01:10 PM 05-24-2019
How many minutes/hours do you typically spend outside on any given day? All my kiddos are 13 months and older. The older ones like to spend a great amount of time outdoors. The 13 month old twins, not so much. After about 10 mins max, they’ve had enough and will scream and cry the entire time we are outside. We take multiple drink breaks, go inside for cool down periods and back out we go. We’re usually outside for pickup which starts around 4-4:30ish until 5:30. I get the vibe that their parents don’t like that they are outside. I lather everyone generously in sunscreen, have a 7x7 tent set up for shade, and if anyone wants to sit inside the doorway to cool off for a moment they can.
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Pestle 01:15 PM 05-24-2019
I try to do at least an hour in the morning and somewhere between half an hour to an hour in the afternoon. It depends upon the weather. Right now, in late May, it is already hitting the 90s in the afternoon where we are, and the kids get overheated even in the shade with lots of water.

In the winter, we flip it. We spend as much time outside as possible in the afternoon, and between half an hour and 45 miserable minutes outside in the late morning. Only one of my kids comes from a family acclimated to cold weather. The rest of us are Southerners by genetics and we just can't handle the cold!
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AmyKidsCo 01:30 PM 05-24-2019
We spend about an hour outside in the morning - more if it's nice. In the afternoon I try to get them out by 4:15, then it's a matter of who goes home when. Last pick up is 5:20 so he's out the longest.
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storybookending 01:48 PM 05-24-2019
We eat PM snack at 3 and go outside immediately after. If it’s nice out we stay out until pick up which depending on the family is anywhere from 4:40-5:15. In the winter we come in at 4ish if it’s super cold and 4:15-4:30 if it’s in the high 20s-30s and not crazy windy just so I have enough time to get everyone out of their wet snow gear and change socks or anything that may have got wet while outside before pick up. In the mornings sometimes between 9:15-lunch (in spring/fall) we go on a nice walk or play bikes in the driveway since I have a smaller group with kids at 4K. We don’t make it out in the mornings too much in the summer bc there’s so much dew on the grass here.
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springv 04:07 PM 05-24-2019
Depending on the time of year and the temp that day we usually go out after naptime and stay until 5pm
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Ms.Kay 05:49 PM 05-24-2019
Upstate NY...weather permitting 2-3 hrs in am .and 1-1 1/2 hrs pm. Pretty much..as much as possible!! We are cooped up for 7 mo in winter..we GO OUT when we can!!!
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Josiegirl 02:39 AM 05-25-2019
My dcps loved that we got outside as much as we could but it was never long enough for me. We'd go out about 9 then come in by 10 so LO could nap, sometimes back out after lunch for another 30 minutes, and then an hour after snack. In the winter, we were lucky to get outside 1 hr. a day. Such a hassle getting small children ready to go out. And I always let parents know we'd get out every day, except for extreme weather so dress accordingly.

We absolutely need that time/space/movement/fresh air every day!
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Jo123ABC 10:06 AM 05-25-2019
If we could live outside we would!! Where I live, winter is super long and cold so we are cooped up inside way too much. When spring hits we spend from 9/9:30 to 10:30am outside and 4/4:30 to 5:15pm. So roughly 2 hours. It would be longer if there were 2 of me the only time we're inside is while eating, sleeping, and cleanup/diaper/potty times and if it's raining heavily or something. It was raining lightly yesterday and we still went out in the afternoon. My kiddos LOVE being outside
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Rockgirl 02:40 PM 05-25-2019
This time of year, we go outside right after breakfast and stay out until time for me to make lunch. We go out right after nap and stay most of the afternoon. I have the water table and misters set up on really warm afternoons. We LOVE outside!
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BumbleBee 01:55 AM 05-26-2019
2-3 hours on nice days this time of year. Summer varies depending on temps but anywhere from 2-5 hours.

Winter is generally an hour a day.
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Ariana 09:56 AM 05-27-2019
Winter I like to do at least an hour. I have had a steady stream of crying babies lately though so winter has been tough. Spring and summer it is at least 2 hours a day. If its really hot we go out first thing in the AM.
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Msdunny 01:33 PM 05-27-2019
We are outside by 10am most days and stay there until naptime. We eat lunch outside, too. Then we are back out after naps, from around 3:30 until pickups. That will change as we get hotter here - we are already near 100 this week. So we will have to head out earlier and come in right after lunch (around noon), most likely. So we are outside about 3-4 hours every day.
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Annalee 02:20 PM 05-27-2019
We get an hour in between 9:00-10:00 in the morning during the summer and an hour between 2:30-3:30 in the fall/winter.
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Blackcat31 07:09 AM 05-28-2019
Currently we spend about an hour to 90 minutes outside in the morning.

Then another 30-45 minutes while lunch is being prepared (thank you DH! ) and then in the afternoon we head out right after nap and have P.M. snack outside and stay out until pick up/close time at 5:00.

So about on a good day we get about 4.5 hours of outside time.

In the winter we go out once in the morning and once in the afternoon. How long is dependent on winter temps.
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Ac114 10:05 AM 05-28-2019
Thank you ladies! We spend anywhere from 1-4 hours outside depending on weather and humidity. I don’t want to feel like I’m keeping the kids outside for an unreasonable amount of time just because I enjoy being outside. I guess if they don’t like it, they can go somewhere where they keep everyone indoors 🤷🏼*♀️
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ColorfulSunburst 10:32 AM 05-28-2019
NYC.
business hours 7am-6:30pm

Late Spring, Summer, Early Fall
7:30am-8:30am free-play
9:30am-11:30am water play, art projects, gardening, individual and small group lessons

if it isn't too hot 3:30pm-6pm gross motor skills activities, free play, reading books

Winter
at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Early Spring and Late Fall
10:00am-11:30am
3:30pm-5:00pm
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LittleExplorers 11:10 AM 05-28-2019
We are outside by 9:30, in for lunch around 11:45 then back out as soon as everyone is up from nap and diapers are changed etc, so about 3:30. We stay out until I close at 4:30.

During the winter we go out two to 3 times and stay out as long as the temps allow.

What do you have for the twins to play with? Maybe it's time to switch some things up outside for them?
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Rockgirl 11:13 AM 05-28-2019
Originally Posted by Ac114:
Thank you ladies! We spend anywhere from 1-4 hours outside depending on weather and humidity. I don’t want to feel like I’m keeping the kids outside for an unreasonable amount of time just because I enjoy being outside. I guess if they don’t like it, they can go somewhere where they keep everyone indoors 🤷🏼*♀️
In all my years of daycare, I’ve never had a parent who wasn’t thrilled that their child was outside as much as possible. And like you said, they could choose another daycare if your routine didn’t fit their needs/wants.
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LostMyMarbles 09:27 AM 05-30-2019
We are out from 930-11. My helper and I take turns staying in with nappers at noon and The other one takes the non nappers out. Kids are in at 2 and when nappers are up and snack is done, we are back out side at 3:30 till close.

I make it clear we are outside people and spend as much time as humanly possible outside.
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trix23 04:27 PM 06-04-2019
I do 1 hour in the morning, after breakfast. Every day unless it's lightning out.
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