Part of our strife for holistic education is to include sporting activities. Sports is enriching as it teaches discipline and perseverance, encourages teamwork and enhances health. However, now and then we call off our sports activities on Fridays. We instead substitute the sports session for indoor activities such as group games, sharing and recently, hands-on First Aid training, led by Clement.
The decision to call off sports is easy and obvious when it rains. However, the tougher decision to make is to call it off based on how hazy the weather is.
Haze is generally caused by open burning, land clearing, vehicular use and combustion of fuels in industrial uses. How bad the haze is can be quite visually subjective, from person to person. Some notice the haze and some do not.
Haze is usually measured and reported by our government in total suspended particulate (TSP). Reports can be found online and sometimes in the newspaper, if it gets bad.
The effect of Haze on our health is a negative, with short and long term effects. It causes and/or aggravates running nose, sore throats and asthma, to name a few. The general advice is to limit outdoor activities and stay indoors as much as possible. Wearing masks and using air purifiers may help reduce the effects of haze too.
Because of the detrimental effects of haze on health, we call off sports. Sometimes a few weeks in a row. Its not an easy decision as we know how much the children enjoy their sports. Rest assured, we still keep them engaged with other activities, in-line with our holistic approach to education.
For Furthur reading & Information:
Malaysia Meteorological Department
http://www.met.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=160