My kid sometimes gets like this when his blood sugar is low. I keep little bags of oyster crackers in my purse or in the car. Just nibbling on crackers can sometimes do wonders for his personality. Sometimes they don't realize they are cranky because they are hungry, and they're too cranky to sit down and eat when they get home, so it's best to have them nibble while they're strapped in the car seat with nothing else to do. (Yeah, you'll get crumbs in the car. Oh well)
You obviously feel that the kids would de better to have a little more outdoor time at school. (Yesterday WAS a GORGEOUS spring day - practically a crime not to let preschoolers out to soak up the sunshine.) Don't be afraid to bring it up with the teachers or school principal - you can say it's something they can think about for next year. I mean, politely, respectfully, but determinedly. Acknowledge that the school obviously can't do everything that every parent suggests, so they won't think you're being unreasonable or bossy. But at the same time, they may have other parents who are pressuring them to spend more time "drilling the basics" or whatever they do to keep them inside. Make a point to meet other parents and see what they think, and maybe you'll find a few allies. If your kid needs it, there's probably other kids that need it, too.
(Or someone who's kid also goes beserk and they're willing to take turns taking the kids to the park or nature center or whatever.)
We looked long and hard to find a school that really embraces outdoor time for kids, and they always tell the parents to send in rain jackets, rainboots, and a spare change of clothes to keep at the school, (changed out when the seasons change) because unless it's storming, or REALLY REALLY cold, the kids WILL be spending time outside.
And sadly, even some of the school playgrounds are just a bunch of plastic or metal equipment on a section of open field. Everyday I drive by Hembree Springs Elementary, and the barren playground doesn't have a single tree - no shade, it looks hot as an oven and depressing. There's no more connection to nature there than an urban ghetto.
I was just reading something about this in the grocery check-out line -
http://www.publix.com/wellness/greenwise/feature/Article....
This article is about a man who was going through a tough time when he was six. And he found that when he sat still by a river bank and just watched the water and trees and listened to the birds, that everything felt better. He spent a lot of time in nature growing up, and then he moved to a big city, and found that he fell into a depression. He didn't realize until he moved away again that the depression was due to being away from nature while he lived in the city.
It affects some people more profoundly than others, just like Seasonal Affective Disorder affects some people much more than others. (In places like Scandinavia, when there's hardly any sunshine during the long winter, the suicide rate always jumps.)
There are actually a number of books coming out these days that support the way you feel and stress the importance of outside time for kids. You may be interested in these
"The Last Child in Nature"
"What Happened to Recess and Why are our children struggling in Kindergarten?"
"Recess: It's role in Education and Development".