Arab news, The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily Reported:

The head of the Extracurricular Activities Department in the Ministry of Education, Girls Section, had said that physical exercise “does not suit females.” The official, who began her job four months ago, said that exercise is not one of the department’s priorities. She went on to support the official line taken by the Ministry of Education which is that physical education…

A year after food companies pledged to combat childhood obesity with new advertising policies, University of Arkansas researchers see little change.Research at the University of Arkansas shows that a year after major food companies announced new advertising policies to combat childhood obesity, there have been no significant changes in television food advertisements that children view. Not only were unhealthy foods the most frequently advertised…

Next fall, Florida’s school children will be part of a trend reversal in which some states are starting to bring back physical education classes to combat childhood obesity. “We’re talking about young kids cooped up in the classroom all day, and for health reasons — physical health, mental health, and probably the mental health of the teachers as well — we’ve got to get those kids out there and let them run off some energy,” said Florida state…

MURRIETA -- Should marching a sousaphone around under the hot Murrieta sun for an hour or more while sweating buckets and blowing your lungs out be counted as physical education credit? Not according to the California Department of Education.

Thus, a 5-year-old policy allowing Murrieta Valley Unified School District's high school students to earn PE credit through their marching band class is in jeopardy and under review by district officials…

What fun! Calling all girls and boys ages 11-14. Physical educators spread the word.

The Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search is the official nationwide athlete recruitment tour of USA Luge, targeting young athletes, ages 11-14. The mission of this grass-roots program, sponsored by Verizon and established in 1985, is to identify, train and qualify young athletes for the USA Luge Junior Development Team. Athletes who may progress through the six-run…

The Gadsden Independent School District will receive $1.8 million from the New Mexico Department of Education to improve the health and physical education of students in the district.District officials said the Department of Education is allocating a total of $8 million throughout the state to hire certified physical education teachers."We've had P.E. at our elementary schools for about 10 years, but it wasn't regulated or funded by…

As the school year draws to a close it is the perfect opportunity for schools to begin to access bullying and harrassment within the school setting. Identifying when, where and how often bullying is occurring is the first step in extinquishing these behaviors. Mr. Donovan is a Vice-President with School Perceptions LLC, suggests that an anonymous survey that provides honest feedback is a great starting point. Once the bullying data is collec…

On the topic of bullying. We need to teach children that:
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men [or good women] do nothing." Winston Churchill.


Melinda's favorite bullying videos.
Watch the Beat Bullying Video. 60 second video.

Watch the Tell Someone Video. 60 second video.

A Guide for Protecting the Assets of Our Nation’s Schools

The first of its kind, this comprehensive guide provides information, practical tools and resources for school employee wellness programs. It will help schools, school districts and states develop and support the implementation of school employee wellness programs that promote employee health, improve workforce productivity and reduce the costs of employee absenteeism and healthcare.

Insid…

Consider how physical education teachers teach basketball. That's right -- think about how basketball is taught and learned and how we might apply those processes to other subjects taught in schools.

Imagine parents at the dinner table asking their young son or daughter that age-old question "What did you learn in school today?" The child shrugs, as children often do, and says, "We learned to play basketball." The parents …

TEMECULA, Calif. - A seventh-grade girl got suspended from school for a week for bullying another student. Then Mom got involved, and things got worse for the bully.
During the suspension week, the 12-year-old's mother, made her daughter stand outside various schools with a poster reading: "I engaged in bullying behavior. I got suspended from school and this street corner. Don't be like me. Stop bullying.""I don't want…

Gov. Charlie Crist, Florida has won over the Legislature in his push to take education out of the classroom and onto the field. Lawmakers decided Friday to require elementary school students to take 30 minutes of physical education a day in an effort to fight an epidemic of childhood obesity. ''Kids are just not as active as they used to be,'' said Rep. Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican. ``We're trying to create …

There’s no denying it. Childhood obesity is a public health problem. So what role should public schools play in the solution?

Clearly, the elimination of junk food and sodas on campus is a great first step. Most schools across the nation seem to have jumped on this bandwagon. However, the selling of candy for school fundraisers remains a challenge. I spoke recently to a representative from the National Fundraising Association who assured me…

Listed below are some important survey results from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). The surveys point out the over whelming support by parents, students, and teachers for K-12 daily Physical Education.
Ninety five percent of parents said that physical education should be included in the school curriculum for all students in kindergarten through grade 12.Eight five percent of parents and …

100% fruit juice has been getting a bad rap as a culprit in the childhood obesity epidemic. Those folks pointing fingers at the child favorite should think again as new research suggests that there is no link between childhood obesity and drinking 100% fruit juice.
Experts say that while it's important that kids drink the good stuff (100 percent juice) that juice with lots of added sugar is just as bad as soda.Additionally, doctors were su…

A little something is better than nothing. Adults often think that the "all or nothing" approach to movement demands 30 minutes of physical activity a day or their wasting their time. However, anyone working with children know that their activity level can best be described volleying between "bursts of energy" and bouts of rest. Teach children that if they don't have a 30-minute "chunk" of time to move…

In spring 2006, obesity researchers at the Mayo Clinic produced an innovative design for the classroom of the future: It has no chairs, uses "standing desks," and incorporates movement into every aspect of classroom activity. The assumption behind the design is that, due to ever-rising rates of obesity and ever-shrinking time for physical education in schools, students benefit -- both physically and academically -- from constant moveme…

Kerry Senchyna West Coast Kinesiology in Maple Ridge, Canada points out the Importance of Play
"Play seems, at first glance, a simple, trivial, frivolous, mundane activity, but it is an extremely complex activity that provides physical and social benefits that children can carry with them and help them to lead healthy lives into adulthood." The importance of physical activity and play in the school and in the family setting cannot be o…

Hatched by a bunch of buddies in Washington, D.C., in 1998, the World Adult Kickball Association has set up at least 32,000 co-ed teams in cities in 23 states.

"Choosing a low-skill, low-tech game like kickball as a social magnet is genius," according to Richard Southall, an assistant professor of sport and leisure management at the University of Memphis. "It is probably a reaction to the way some recreational sports have evolved …

Giving older type 2 diabetic patients a pedometer and a goal to meet may be enough to get them moving, researchers said. A pedometer and the target of 10,000 steps a day increased their weekly calorie expenditure by nearly twice as much as controls, according to research released this week from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

Moderate high-intensity exercise was also about eight times more frequent after patients received pedometers,…

According to the Healthy Schools Campaign, 85 percent of children in Chicago Public Schools do not have recess and that has activated a parent advocacy group into stepping up a campaign to get recess back in Chicago Public Schools. The Healthy Schools Campaign lobbied the Illinois House of Representatives, which passed a bill last week mandating at least 10 minutes of recess a day. The bill will go to the State Senate to be voted on later this …

Most parents worry about their children's safety. The University of Michigan recently quantified those worries into categories in a national survey. Adults' top concerns about U.S. children are smoking, teen drug abuse, and childhood obesity, a new poll shows. The National Poll on Children's Health included a nationally representative group of 2,076 adults.Here are their top 10 concerns and the percentage of participants rating eac…

Obesity screening for school children is a hot topic or perhaps more accurately a "hot button" issue for schools.

With all the testing that's going on is one more test really necessary?

NYC recently considered routinely weighing school children which may seem like a good way to fight childhood obesity, however, opponents point out there's no evidence that it actually works.

Take the UK. Right now, many children periodically ha…

Well respected playground safety advocates, Donna Thompson, Susan Hudson and Heather Olsen have recently published a book entitled,S.A.F.E. Play Areas: Creation, Maintenance and Renovation. Written by National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) staff, it is a comprehensive guide that helps YOU provide safe and fun-filled days for children in play areas.

S.A.F.E. Play Areas is filled with practical tips and information applicable for professi…

As the fight against childhood obesity escalates, the issue of food advertising to children has come under increasing scrutiny. Policymakers in Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and agencies such as the Institute of Medicine have called for changes in the advertising landscape, and U.S. food and media industries are developing their own voluntary initiatives related to advertising food to children. To help inform this debate, the Kaiser Fam…

A great teaching resource is now available online providing teachers access to a great new tool to assist in getting elementary students up and moving. It's called the Daily Physical Activity website.Provided by the Ontario Ministry of Education it is designed to support teachers in their efforts to increase a student's level of physical activity.This new tool, the Daily Physical Activity website is now available to help teachers, pri…

An Ohio high tech high school will offer online physical education this fall. The question? "Is it cutting edge or cutting class?"

"The program offers a personalized fitness plan for all levels of student capabilities with added accountability," said Shannon Duff, physical education instructor for Butler Technology and Career Development Schools.

Each week students in the class will be required to participate in 220 minutes o…

N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Healthy Food Act would eliminate soda and most junk food that is sold in schools and set limits for fat, sugar and salt contents from items on the lunchroom menu. It would also promote exercise, requiring 30 minutes a day of recess for children in the primary grades on days when gym isn't scheduled and a required lunch period for busy high-schoolers.

The Governor has also recommended: 1. it would be forbidden to…

A question from a Play Nice Newsletter reader.
Do you support “free play” time during physical education?

Put simply. I don’t. Physical education time is at such a premium. Rarely is there enough time to teach to the physical education standards. Physical Education is the discipline that teaches students the knowledge and skills to be physically competent. Physical Education determines the curriculum content that students need to know and be a…

Question from a Play Nice Newsletter Reader.
What are your thoughts on free play?

Free Play at Recess: At Peaceful Playgrounds we contend that a child can decide how he/she chooses to spend recess time. We are adamantly against telling kids what to do at recess. We support their right to do something or do nothing. We believe that “enriching the playground environment” brings about a multitude of positive results (see Peaceful Playgrounds R…

Children need to play," according to Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Peaceful Playgrounds creator. "Play is children's work. We expect them to sit still, be attentive and learn in the classroom. But it's really important they have an opportunity to socialize with their friends, play kickball, jump rope, feel the breeze, enjoy the sun and learn how to negotiate social situations. They need time to have fun." According to a 2006 r…