In the frigid Siberian region of Russia, where temperatures have plunged to -25 degrees Celsius, teachers at a kindergarten in Barnaul, Siberia, led young children to take cold showers in the snow.
The children, dressed in swimsuits and carrying buckets, played in the snow.
In the harsh Siberian region of Russia, where temperatures have dropped to -25 degrees Celsius, teachers at a kindergarten in Barnaul took young children to take cold showers in the snow. The teacher also claimed that enduring the extreme cold can boost children’s immunity.
According to reports, the youngest of these toddlers is just two years old. They took off their thick coats and, wearing only swimsuits, stepped into the freezing snow. The children then poured icy water over their heads, while the kindergarten teachers also “enjoyed” the thrill of the cold alongside them.
Teacher: Voluntary participation to boost immunity
Olesya, the principal of the kindergarten with 18 years of experience, stated that this is not a form of punishment for the students. Participation is entirely voluntary, and parents have the right to opt their children out of the activity. Olesya also mentioned that the activity has been conducted for several months, and the children’s resistance to viruses has noticeably improved, making them stronger as a result.
It is reported that the time toddlers spend taking cold showers in the snow is relatively short, about 90 seconds each time.
Extreme cold in Russia kills 88
According to Xinhua News Agency, Russia is experiencing its strongest cold spell since 1938. Local media, citing the Ministry of Health, reported that as of the early hours of the 24th, at least 88 people had frozen to death and more than 1,200 had suffered frostbite in Russia over the past 10 days, with nearly half of the injured being hospitalized for treatment.
Data from Russia’s “Phobos” meteorological center showed that Moscow experienced its coldest morning of the year so far on the 24th, with temperatures dropping to -25 degrees Celsius. Due to the severe cold, first to fourth grade elementary school students in Moscow had a day off on the 24th.
Since mid-month, a strong cold air mass has hit Russia’s Far East, Siberia, and central regions, causing temperatures in these areas to be 7 to 15 degrees Celsius lower than the annual average. Some parts of the Far East and Siberia even saw temperatures drop below -40 degrees Celsius. Russian meteorologists said the reason for this year’s unusually harsh cold is that the anticyclone usually stationed over Siberia has expanded into European Russia, and even to the border areas between Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Every winter, when cold air concentrates over Siberia, an anticyclone forms, leading to severe cold in Russia.
Japanese kindergarteners wear shorts in winter
In Japanese kindergartens, no matter how cold the winter, children are required to wear shorts to school. Many children catch colds soon after. Japanese mothers, however, believe that “sending kids to kindergarten is to let them build immunity through illness.” Over time, the children develop cold resistance, and cases of fever and colds become rare.