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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 should not be allowed in girls’ schools and in fact that girls are not interested in it.

According to the Saudi Arabian ministry official, physical education and exercise are not compatible with girls’ natures. Their efforts should be directed to enriching their minds and preparing for their future roles as mothers and housewives. The ministry official stated that there were religious doubts concerning the clothing girls would wear during such classes if they did exist, and she added that even if girls were allowed to take such classes, they would not benefit from them because their bodies are not built for exercise, unlike the bodies of boys and men. One wonders if this woman lives in the modern world at all.

Kids and TV : Food Advertising Unchanged

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, but child-targeted commercials continued to employ the very production techniques and persuasive appeals that make it difficult for children to critically evaluate advertising.

"Our primary conclusion is that little changed across the collection of food and beverage advertising analyzed in the two years of our sample. It appears that many advertisers selling unhealthy foods, at the very least, left their advertising practices unchanged despite a potential backlash from critics or the government," the researchers wrote.

Complete article on TV Food Advertising.

Visit the Peaceful Playgrounds website for additional articles on kids nutrition and healthy eating programming for children including: Stopping Childhood Obesity - April 2004, Nutrition and Schools - April 2004 , and Nutrition and Physical Activity - A Winning Combination - February 2004.

Overwhelmingly States Exercise Right to Legislate PE

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 Rep. Will Weatherford (R), the bill’s sponsor.

Since 2005, seven states — including Florida and Mississippi this year — have decided to bring back P.E. by mandating how often and how long students should be physically active at school. In all, about 20 states now have some sort of requirement about the length or frequency of P.E. classes, according to Trust for America’s Health, a preventive-health advocacy group.

Change is in the air.............. This year at least 18 state legislatures have considered bills to set or increase the minimum number of P.E. minutes required, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

For a comprehensive look at what states are doing in the area of childhood obesity, physical education, and nutrition legislation download the "F" as in Fat: How obesity policies are failing in America.

State: Band doesn't count as PE

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, who say they want to follow the law but are looking at their options.

Murrieta Superintendent Sheer said he believes many of the state's PE standards are already addressed in marching band, and that it just may be a matter of tweaking the class a little bit, in addition to dealing with some other teaching credentialing issues. But those issues don't seem insurmountable, he said.

Read the complete article and discussion regarding issuing PE credit for Band.

Perhaps Board members, parents and educators in Murrieta are asking the wrong questions? They should be asking, "Does your school’s physical education program help every student attain the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for them to lead healthy, active and productive lives?" The National Association for Sport and Physical Education urges principals, teachers and parents to conduct an assessment of their school's physical education program - evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and then encourage a plan for improvement where needed. Click link for the PE Program checklist. Many other tools for evaluating your physical education program can be found on the Peaceful Playgrounds Physical Education Resource Page.

Official Athlete Recruitment Tour of USA Luge

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-rung development ladder (Junior Development Team, Junior Team Candidate Select, Junior Team Candidate, Junior National Team Select, Junior National Team, Senior National Team Select) have hopes of one-day becoming members of the Senior National and Olympic Luge Teams.

Coming to a city near you:
May 26-27 - Columbus, Ohio
June 2-3 - Frederick, Md.
June 9-10 - Pittsburgh, PA.
June 16-17 - Port Jefferson, NY.
September 8-9 - Yakima, WA.
September 15-16 - Santa Clarita, CA.
September 22-23 - Phoenix, AZ
October 6 -7 - Southlake, TX

NM to Hire Elementary PE Teachers

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 the state. We just felt the need to do that, to provide that service for the kids," Gadsden schools Superintendent Ron Haugen said. "This gives us an opportunity to get certified instructors to teach P.E. and health."

Haugen said that because of the epidemic of childhood obesity around the country, he was glad that state officials decided to give school districts money to improve their health curriculum.

Visit Peaceful Playgrounds to view documents for improving your physical education curriculum. Some of the documents you might find of assistance include: Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT), and Physical Education Program Checklist.

Planning for next fall: putting an end to bullying

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 collected then schools should target problems and identify solutions to come to a common consensus about a plan of action.

So why should we look at school level bullying data? National studies suggest that bullying is widespread. Fourty seven percent of middle and high school students and 42 percent of elementary students reported bullying as a problem. Additionally, bullied students express fear of going to and being in school.
Complete article on Using data to combat bullying.

Need help with creating a survey? Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/bullying
They have an online bullying questionnaire. The survey was designed to find out how much bullying is happening and what kind of bullying it is. Visit the survey site.

Original source: Mr. Donovan is a Vice-President with School Perceptions LLC. This release is also available at www.schoolperceptions.com/news.

Don't forget to check the Peaceful Playgrounds Newsletters for the following bullying resources: Reducing Bullying - March 2003, Designing Out the Bully - June 2003, and School Policy on Bullying - July 2003.

Beat Bullying Video

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.

SCHOOL EMPLOYEE WELLNESS GUIDE: Free

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.

Inside you will find:
• Lessons from established school employee wellness programs, as well as other worksite wellness programs
• Steps to establish a school employee wellness program
• Tips for obtaining administrative support
• Suggestions for recruiting allies who can contribute to your program's success
• Responsibilities of a school employee wellness coordinator
• Tools to identify the interests and needs of employees
• Tips for culturally competent planning
• Ideas for wellness program activities
• Strategies for sustaining a program
• Additional resources, including potential funding sources

Download your FREE copy today at www.schoolempwell.org

Lessons from the Gym

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 then ask, "How did you do that?" The child answers, "Well, we sat in the gym and the teacher passed out these books, and we turned to chapter one, about passing the basketball, and we learned there are three types of passes: the bounce pass, the chest pass, and the one-handed pass."

"OK," parents would say, wanting to know more, "what happened next?" The child continues, "We read the next chapter about dribbling. And another chapter on shooting. We learned there’s the set shot, the bank shot, and the jump shot." After a few minutes of this recitation, the parents, increasingly exasperated, challenge their child: "But did the teacher ever give you a basketball and let you go on the court and play?" "No,” the child says with a sigh. "We just read the book until the bell rang."

No parent in America would stand for this, for sports to be taught to their children only through reading and through memorizing basketball terminology. Sports require observing oneself performing and watching others perform. Coaches and athletes routinely make use of videotape analysis of games to improve performance. Yet millions of parents settle for science, mathematics, history, and many other subjects taught through rote memorization of vocabulary from textbooks, and students never get a chance to actively perform real science or conduct authentic historical study.

Maybe more teachers should take lessons from the gym.

Adapted from: A Modest Curriculum Proposal Let’s teach basketball with textbooks. by Milton Chen
View complete article from Edutopia Website. http://www.edutopia.org/modest-curriculum-proposal

Bullying Behavior : A Sign of the Times?

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 that kind of environment at the school my child attends, or the school any child attends," her mom stated.

Click on the link for more information on the Gardner Middle School bullying incident in Temecula, CA.

Florida mandates daily PE for elementary students

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 a culture of activity.'' While state law already encourages elementary schools to offer 150 minutes of physical education every week, the legislation will mandate it, beginning when the new school year starts this fall.

Crist is expected to sign the bill, which he praised in a statement Friday.
''It is absolutely critical that we find ways to help children adopt healthy habits they can carry into adulthood,'' Crist said in a statement. ``Physical activity is a central component of a healthy, meaningful and productive life.''

Childhood Obesity: Who's job is it anyway?

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 that candy is still a very popular item for school fundraisers. “After all, it’s sold after school," she noted.

Another important piece of the childhood obesity equation is physical education and recess. Yesterday’s blog cited the National Association of Sports and Physical Education study which found that 81% of parents and 92% of teens say that they should have daily physical education. Sounds like a majority to me. Daily PE seems like a logical solution that would be easy to implement without any additional costs. It requires scheduling changes and an education emphasis on educating the whole child. Additionally, recess is needed, necessary and supported by parents as well. These represent a cost effective solution that could be implemented across the nation tomorrow.

Some opponents to bills in the state legislatures requiring physical education say childhood obesity is not the schools' battle. Schools are for academics, they say, and lifestyle changes should be addressed at home.

However, cutting schools out of the child obesity equation, is short sighted and contraindicated, largely because most of student's life is spent at school. And because childhood obesity is a public health risk, it is something the government must address. There’s a saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Our nation and its children are seeing the results of neglecting the physical. Not only are kids overweight but they are also experiencing early onset disease symptoms previously reserved for the elderly. Type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and joint problems are just a few of the sobering outcomes today’s children are facing. Investing in children’s future should include keeping students' bodies healthy, as well as improving their minds.

So who’s job is it? Ours.

Public Support for Physical Education

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 81 percent of teachers believe that students should be required to take physical education every day at every grade level and 92 percent of teens said that they should receive daily physical education.
• More than 75 percent of parents and teachers believe that school boards should not eliminate physical education for budgetary reasons or because of the need to meet stricter academic standards.

Juicy end to troubling accusations

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 surprised to find that the majority of U.S. children didn't drink juice. 57 percent drank no juice at all, despite guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that kids drink a half cup a day.

The new research was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Toronto last week.

When Physical Activity is Fun, Kids Get it Done.

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, three 10-minute bouts or six five-minute bouts offer similar benefits. Walking to school can make a big difference and why not start a school walking program? They are easy to administer and students reap positive health outcomes. Every step adds to better health.

Enjoy the cadence below that is a part of our We Count Pedometer School Walking Program. Start your school walking program today.

The We Count Walking Program is an innovative new program designed to get kids fit with the slogan, “Get Fit, Don’t Sit”.

The “We Count” Walking Program comes complete with teacher materials to support cognitive development in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and concepts related to combating obesity.

Up in the Morning at the Break of Day
Up in the morning at the break of day
Countin steps and loving play

Running on the track when the sun don't shine
For movin makes me feel so fine!

Up in the morning and out on the track
Grab my shoes and step like that

Running cross the grass in the morning dew
Looking good and feeling it too.

Up in the morning with a whistle and a yell
Movin’s great I fell swell

Teacher says hey move your feet
Walkin the track a morning treat.

I like movin and I feel fine.
Even when doing double time.

Copyright Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. 2006

Kids don't have to squirm to learn

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 movement during the school day. Proponents of this idea suggest that kids need and want to move, that they can still learn while doing so, and some may even learn better this way.

An Edutopia Poll conducted by the George Lucas Foundation surveyed teachers regarding their opinion the role movement plays in learning asking:
Does physical activity improve student focus?
Yes- 89%
No - 2%
undecided 9%

To find out more on Edutopia Polls and additional Lucas Foundation resources check out The Edutopia Electronic Newsletter . It contains hundreds of articles, expert interviews, research, and resources highlighting success stories in K-12 education. The George Lucas Foundation produces both electronic newsletters and a print magazine. Both are free to educators and you can sign up online.

How Important is play?

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 overstated.

A paradigm shift in the way we look at play could increase the level of respect accorded to currently undervalued activities such as recess, physical education, the arts, and rich personal adult and child interactions.

We know that active brains make permanent neurological connections that are critical to learning; inactive brains do not make as many of these necessary neurological connections.

Recent research on the human brain demonstrates that play is a platform for development, a vehicle for increasing neural structures, and a means by which all children practice skills they will need in later life.

This phenomenon extends through the animal kingdom to all growing animals. They all show the need to play, and they all seem to derive extreme pleasure from their play activities.

Structured play, such as sports, allows children to interact with others in a way that is governed by rules (metaphors for society’s rules).

It gives them a chance to work together as a group toward a common goal, but in a way that advocates and encourages respect and fair play with others.

Unstructured, creative play allows children the chance to develop the ability to think and express themselves through verbal and non-verbal, symbolic communication.

Positive, cooperative play that emphasizes fair play tends to foster the social links that help to negate anti-social behaviour. Peaceful Playgrounds, a school recess program concurs and points out that conflict resolution skills and the benefits of recess are many.

Kerry Senchyna has a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and is the owner of West Coast Kinesiology in Maple Ridge, Canada

Adults getting a kick out of kickball

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 into competitions that can even erupt in violence." Sociologists of late have focused on the need for good, old-fashioned play instead of organized sports, Southall said.

"Maybe that's what this kickball thing is," he said, "the balance between play and sport."

Howell, a kickball player from CA, figures his circle of friends has doubled since he started playing last year. "To be be honest, the social aspects are what keeps me coming back," said Howell, who also plays recreational softball. "It really is more social than athletic and men and women can play kickball together very easily."

Keeping up with all the benefits of recess is quite a kick. Speaking of which, in case you are looking for some additional recess benefits check out:American Association of Children's Right to Play: A great resource website on Recess and Play.

Pedometer Steps Up Physical Activity

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, they reported here at the American Geriatrics Society meeting.

We Count Pedometer Research indicates that pedometers motivate kids to move also. The We Count Walking Program is an innovative new program designed to get kids fit with the slogan, “Get Fit, Don’t Sit". The “We Count” Walking Program comes complete with teacher materials to support cognitive development in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and concepts related to combating obesity.

IL to Mandate Daily Recess?

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 month.

Recess advocates point out that, "A healthy student performs better academically, will miss fewer days, and they will learn more."

Adults Top 10 Concerns about Kids: Childhood Obesity #3

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 each concern as a "big problem." Participants could use the "big problem" rating more than once.

1. Smoking: 40%
2. Teen drug abuse: 39%
3. Childhood obesity: 34%
4. Teen alcohol abuse: 33%
5. Driving accidents: 29%
6. Teen pregnancy: 28%
7. Internet safety: 26%
8. School violence: 24%
9. Sexually transmitted infection: 24%
10. Abuse and neglect: 22%

Ratings varied somewhat. For instance, black adults rated teen pregnancy as the top health concern, and adults with college degrees were more likely than those with no college degree to rate childhood obesity as a top concern.

SOURCES: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital: "National Poll on Children's Health." News release, University of Michigan Health System.

Weighty Issue: Routine Weigh-Ins At School?

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 have their weight taken at school. In the UK, 4- to 5-year-olds and 10- to 11-year-olds are routinely weighed so that health officials can keep track of the nation's obesity problem.

But more recently, as in the case of Arkansas, politicians have called for weighing all school children, and giving the results to their parents -- along with lifestyle advice and referrals to health services, when appropriate.

However, no clinical trials have been done on the effectiveness of routine weight screening in schools.

Research indicates that schools might be able to combat childhood obesity in other ways, such as promoting healthy eating and exercise. Painting games and activity markings on playgrounds is one research supported intervention for increasing children's physical activity level thus, decreasing the potential for being overweight. To view some research on this issue visit: www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/research.htm.

Great new book on playgrounds

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 professionals designing playgrounds, as well as, school and parks personnel committed to safe playgrounds. Included with the book is a CD-Rom that offers a presentation package of slides to share or to review as a refresher course for employees. S.A.F.E. Play Areas includes: 10 Myths about playgrounds, a playground injury form, a playground safety checklist, as well as, many other helpful resources.

New Study Finds That Food Is the Top Product Seen Advertised by Children

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 Family Foundation released the largest study ever conducted of TV food advertising to children.

The study, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, combines content analysis of TV ads with detailed data about children’s viewing habits to provide an estimate of the number and type of TV ads seen by children of various ages.

Physical Activity Portrayed. Fifteen percent of all food ads targeting children or teens include depictions of a physically active lifestyle, such as showing children skateboarding, snowboarding, or playing basketball.

The study also measured children’s exposure to public service messages on fitness or nutrition. Children 2-7 and 8-12 see an average of one such message every 2-3 days (164 a year). Teens 13-17 see just one such message per week, for an average of 47 per year. On the other hand, tweens ages 8-12 see the most food ads on TV, an average of 21 ads a day, or more than 7,600 a year. Teens see the most food ads on TV, an average of 21 ads a day, or more than 7,600 a year. For a variety of reasons -- because they watch less TV overall, and more of their viewing is on networks that have limited or no advertising, such as PBS and Disney -- children ages 2-7 see the least number of food ads, at 12 food ads a day, or 4,400 a year.

Great Resource: Teachers' Daily Activity Website

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, principals, and leaders in health and physical education make these 20 minutes of physical activity a fun, safe and healthy part of the day.

Video clips of actual lessons

This new tool provides video clips of students participating in physical activities showing how DPA can be done in the classroom, gymnasium, multipurpose areas, and the outdoors, as well as, warm-up and cool-down activities, including a range of stretches, descriptions and mini clips of how to move in a variety of ways (e.g., skipping). The website uses the most recent internet technology to show students and teachers in action. All in all, it's a great tool to support the implementation of daily physical activity and to get students moving!

School To Offer Online Physical Education

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 of physical activity. During the activity, they wear heart rate monitors that records how long an activity occurred. This data is automatically transferred to a wrist watch device — also worn while exercising — that stores the information to the instructor's computer.

A personalized exercise program for the student is designed by the physical education instructor. Each program is a blend of cardiovascular and muscular fitness activities. The exercise can include any activities that interest the student such as swimming, skateboarding, rock climbing, baseball or running.

In most states the physical fitness course of study described above would be viewed as only one aspect of a well rounded physical education curriculum. However, as in the case of Ohio which does not require a state assessment for physical education nor have they developed State Physical Education Content Standards the "course of study is vague" allowing for a physical education online course that requires only physical fitness components. While being physically fit is an admirable goal, it is but one component in a course of study that students require to acquire the knowledge to be both lifelong learners and skilled in leisure sports and activities.

Peaceful Playgrounds has Physical Education Documents for Writing Curriculum and Improving Your Program they include: 1. Physical Education - How’s Your School Doing?, 2. Physical Education Program Checklist, 3. Physical Education Curriculum Analysis (CDC's PECAT), and 4. Strategies for Teaching Large Class Sizes.
Documents can be downloaded from the bottom of the page.

NY Governor takes the lead on children's health

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 give children detention or other disciplinary action during recess and 2. the bill would prohibit teachers from using food or drink as a punishment or reward.

Are you wondering how to deal with discipline issues if you can't take away recess? A listing of 60 Alternatives to Withholding Recess can be downloaded from the Jan. 2007 issue of the Play Nice Newsletter from the Peaceful Playgrounds website.

What about “free play” during PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS?

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 able to demonstrate at a specific grade level. Physical Education is not unstructured or free play. At its best, Physical Education promotes and facilitates the attainment of movement skills, physical fitness, and the development and improvement of physical activity that can be maintained throughout life. It is important to note that if students do not receive the necessary instruction and opportunities to learn motor and physical skills and habits at the appropriate developmental levels, they will have tremendous challenges learning them at a later time in their lives.

I think the “free play” notion is tied to the misinformation that a child’s physical development “naturally” occurs during the process of growing. As a consequence, numerous physical education classes have been planned as “free-play” or a time for students to “release some energy.” It is important here to cite the research which states that mature fundamental movement skills do not develop on their own (Gallahue & Ozmun 1995; Roberton & Halvorson, 1984; Seefeldt 1986).

So “free play” is meant for recess NOT PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Free Play: "Children can do something or do nothing."

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 Research for more info regarding reducing bullying, increasing children’s activity level, reducing playground conflicts, reducing playground injuries etc). “If you add games and markings, teach children consistent game rules and how to play the games children will choose to be active most the time,” according to Peaceful Playgrounds President and creator Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer. Recess is after-all the time in the school day when children are most active. Our data indicates, (See Pep Grant SDCC Study) that about 65%+ of children were active at recess when recess games and markings were added and the playground games taught. Schools sometimes have a tendency to “regulate” recess due to behavior concerns. This sort and separate strategy may provide temporary relief but the solution will be short lived. For example, some schools advocate 1st grade gets the tetherball courts on Monday, 2nd grade on Tues and the playground is sliced and diced and children rotate between activities once a week. This type of regulation is counterproductive. Instead, why not read up on the Peaceful Playgrounds research and begin addressing the real problems such as: 1. children need developmentally appropriate games painted on the playground, 2. teach children a consistent set of game rules and how to play the games, 3. teach children some problem solving techniques for the playground, 4. make sure children have enough equipment to be active (balls, bean bags, ropes etc.) and 5. implement playground strategies schoolwide. Why not take 12 minutes and view Peaceful Playground video on website? Click here to go to online video.

I’ll close with my favorite play quote: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”

How about it???? Do your students have free play at recess? Leave your comments and thoughts below.


CHECK BACK FOR tomorrow’s Blog. What about “free play” during PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS?

Children's Right to Recess

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 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 to 13 percent of U.S. elementary school kids never have recess.

That means there's no recess for 4,620 to 8,580 elementary schools -- serving 2.3 million to 4.3 million children in grades 1 through 5.

Recess not only allows pupils to develop social skills outside the classroom, but some of those combating childhood obesity also are fighting for recess.

Bossenmeyer's researched, " What goes wrong on a typical playground and came up with 5 solutions," to these research based recess problems. They are: 1. children need skills for problem solving, 2. consistent game rules, 3. enough equipment (balls, ropes, etc.) 4. schoolwide expectations for student behavior, and 5. more games and activity markings on the playground. For more information on the benefits of this award winning program called Peaceful Playgrounds visit: www.peacefulplaygrounds.com