Coping with Lack of A/C in Classroom

Some gator aid might be good. Sweating a lot and drinking lots of water can realy flush out a person's salts and electrolites. Which makes one feel pretty bad. Freezing it is also a good idea. Neck wraps as other's have suggested work well.

Sounds like the school I used to teach in. Where in SD? I taught at Carver Elementary, Jerabek, and Vista Grande. Yes this time of year is miserable on kids and teachers when trying to teach/learn.

Tell your daughter to stay off the blacktop at recess and play in the shade when she can. That will help her not get overheated outside.

You could send frozen water bottles in an insulated lunch bag. That way as they melt she would have cold water to drink. I would also use a wet bandana around my neck. She cold keep it cold by wrapping it around the frozen water bottles. Danable Drinkable yogurts are also good to freeze. That would be good for snack or lunch. Check to see if the teacher would allow a small hand held fan.

The district probably said no the the A/C units due to cost to run and insurance in case something went wrong.

Growing up we didn't have ACs in any of our classrooms (through 6th grade) and we all learned to deal with the heat. something one of my teachers did that always felt sooooo good was she brouth a large metal bowl that she filled with ice and placed in front of a floor fan. the rooms had 2 doors, so she placed a fan blowing in and over the ice at one door, and the other door had the fan blowing out. She would change which door got the ice aften each break, so that we all got the "freshest" air at some point.

Other things that are good for the kids and the class- some "cool" scince lessons:

Coffee can Ice Cream (contact Maxwell house or Foldgers and ask if they could donate the enpty cans to the school. Also, have 3-4 classes collect their empty cans from home and then let the kids team up with 3-4 kids per set of cans. Link to project below.)
http://www.sendicecream.com/makicecreami1.html

Homemade Bubbles
http://www.geocities.com/toddlermoms/bubbles.html

Corn Starch and Water- part liquid, part solid. Very cool and very messy fun.
http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/cornstarch/index.htm

Fruit smoothy bar- Have each kid bring thier favorite 1 or 2 smoothy ingredients and find about 10 blenders to borrow for the day (for a class of 30). Be sure that ice and verious juices are part of the brought ingerdients. Let the kids pair up with others that have fruit they like as well. (Ask parents to send fruits that can't be cut with a butter knife to send them pre-cut.) Teacher brings a cooler or two and stores it all until time to make their heat relief treat. Stone Soup ( http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Stone-Soup/Marcia-Brown/... ) or other book about every one sharing a little to make something great would be a great literature tie to this project as well.

If I think of more, I'll either add them here or PM you.

My kids went to a school in Hawaii that had no air conditioning as well. When the PTA raised the money and purchased all the air conditioners. The state told the school that the bungalows did not have the correct wiring for the air conditioners (because they are termed as "temporary classrooms"). This means that even though the PTA had purchased 210 air conditioners only 158 could be used.
One of the best things that the PTA did for the teachers and students without air conditioning was purchase neck wraps and cooling body sprays for each student and teacher. They also started putting up some canopies in front of each of the doorways (this really helped a lot when they had recess, because the concrete was not as hot as on the playground. They also started serving semi-frozen fruit during lunches. The most popular was the frozen melons.
If you want to pull your kids out of school you need to go online and find out where they can take the exit test for their grade and be prepare to teach them the remainder of the information they need to pass.
I hope this helps
H. Stanley

Frozen water bottles, frozen fruit, smoothies made with blended fruit and yogurt then frozen, spray bottles filled with frozen water pretty much anything cold and/or frozen that can be applied to the skin or consumed as it thaws will help keep her body temp down and maybe help her be somewhat comfortable. That is of course if you choose to keep her in the classroom.

Please do everything you can to change the situation at that school. There are too many children (and teachers) suffering to let this go unaddressed. Thank you!

HI N.,

If I were you and the other parents, I would complain to the superintendent. It's a real shame that the school district cannot do something as simple as provide a comfortable educational setting for these children, especially during the hotter months.
I agree with the other moms and own a neck wrap myself. It works really well. We ordered ours from www.polarproducts.com The only problem is that you can't store them or they can mildew and you need to resoak them, but they last for hours and do stay cold around your neck.
And as for pulling your child out of school for the rest of the year, I believe you can but you'd have to talk to the district and ask how to go about that. You have to make sure her grades are in and everything and that she's been promoted to the next grade up.

Hope everything works out!

Hi N.:
You know, this should anger alot of parents! With all the monies going out for this program and that,I find it absolutely irresponsible and shameful,that our schools are lacking funds to this extent! How the hell are your children, suppose to be able to function,to concentrate on their studies, when they are subjected to sitting in a classroom,without proper ventilation.We who live in California, know how scorching the heat can be by July.If I were in your shoes,I'd start a petition, then I'd gather up all those spray bottles and drop them on their desk at the state level. To hear of this neglect really angers me.

Hi N.,
Older homes in Vegas did not have air conditioning, however later swamp coolers were added. It is miserable, but they will be okay and adjust to it. I am sure it is difficult to study and concentrate under those conditions.

I always enjoy a frozen gel pack on my back in the midst of summer.

C.

Hi N.,
There IS something that comes to my mind,they are called
"Aqua Cool." They are reuseable body 'coolers.'
They come sewn into small bandanas.
They ARE really cool! I first got them at the Del Mar Fair about 8 years ago. But, you can get them at Wal Mart!!
They are in the sporting goods section.
Simply hydrate them in cold water for 15-20 min and you are
good to go!
The kind at the fair were much better quality, but they only cost@ 3-4 dollars.
I went to a school such as that...a long time ago!
It is much hotter now-a-days! I think it's barbaric
and inhumane to treat children like that!!!
Good Luck,
C. S.

I agree -- this IS ridiculous. Public schools are funded based on attendance. So I don't know if possible, but you might incent the PTA to work out a solution with the district or else the kids are going to walk. They certainly couldn't afford to continue operations if their students don't show up for school. Surely a fundraiser could be organized to purchase some wall units and help support the increase in electricty.

Ditto on Kymberly's advice, they make neck wraps that you freeze and they thaw during the day. Get her a litte chinese fan, helped with my hot flashs!

N., That is rediculas! How can the kids think when it so hot. If the parents offered to pay for it, the school should have have no problem with installing it. I think the parents need to get together and talk again to the school, and tell them this is unexceptable.
We had the same problem at our school, and they finaly put swamp coolers in and it made a big differance.
Hope it works out.
Dana
www.southernlivingathome.com/danacarey