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At 10:47 a.m., a teacher stood at her public school’s door, checking her watch and then her students, one by one as they headed out. The “feels like” temperature that morning was 3 degrees. She scanned the line of third graders: hats pulled low, neck gaiters snug, mittens on, boots tucked. Every child had prepared themselves appropriately.
Then they headed into the woods.
By 11:30 that morning, the students were still playing — running, building, laughing, and exploring in powdery snow. The teacher checked in frequently. No one reported being cold. At 11:45, she gathered the group for the hike back to school, where they paused for a five-minute warm-up indoors before heading back outside for their regular 30-minute recess.
This was not reckless. It was thoughtful, well-supervised, and developmentally sound.
In Maine, cold weather is often treated as a barrier to learning rather than a condition children can safely adapt to. Many schools rely on rigid temperature cutoffs that keep students indoors for weeks at a time. These policies are not only fear-based; they are often rooted in adult convenience rather than children’s needs, despite strong evidence that year-round outdoor time supports physical health, emotional regulation, focus, and resilience.
With proper clothing, active play, and attentive adults, cold exposure is safe. Children stay warm through movement and can communicate discomfort when trusted to do so. Countries and states like Alaska and Minnesota, with far colder winters than Maine, have long embraced outdoor learning with success.
What is harmful is prolonged indoor confinement. It’s time for schools to revisit cold-weather policies and replace fear and convenience with evidence-based practices. Maine children deserve to experience winter not from behind a window, but within it.
Anne Adams
Rockport