The Bully and the Bystander

People who study bullying often focus on the bullies and the children they target. But now attention is turning to a long-neglected actor in this drama: the bystander. Empowering the bystander to speak up and act may be the key to stopping bullies, some experts say.

When children who see bullying speak up against it, seek help from an adult and offer support to the bullied child, they raise the overall emotional health of their school. And when children move from feeling afraid and disturbed by what they're seeing to feeling safe and respected, they will be better learners.

Learn how empowering bystanders can help stop bullying.

Study: Exercise improves decision-making, possibly math skills

Daily exercise for three months can improve the brain function of overweight children, according to a new study of 200 overweight, inactive 7- to 11-year-olds that was presented this week at The Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting. "We hope these findings will help persuade policymakers, schools and communities that time spent being physically active enhances, rather than detracts from learning," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Catherine Davis.

All the children learned about healthy nutrition and the benefits of physical activity. In addition, a third of the children exercised 20 minutes a day, and another third exercised for 40 minutes. During the exercise sessions, the children played running games and used hula hoops and jump ropes to get their heart rates to 79 percent of maximum -- considered a vigorous workout.


More information on Physical Activity Enhances Academics....

Nickelodeon: New School Grants Added

Nickelodeon has committed an additional $300,000 in awards to the Let's
Just Play Giveaway for October through December 2007. For more
information, visit www.nick.com/letsjustplay.

Let's Just Play Giveaway Sweepstakes is a unique grant-giving program
that empowers kids to partner with adults for a chance to win $5,000
awards to support fitness, recreation and nutrition programs at their
schools and community-based organization. Kids between the ages of six
and 15 nominate their school or community-based organization by
explaining why they need more resources.

In the past two years, Nickelodeon has awarded $2.2 million in awards to
more than 400 schools and community-based organizations nationwide.
These awards have been used to fund a vast array of projects, including
the purchase of sports equipment for 115 programs, the rebuilding of 114
playgrounds, the support of 41 athletic programs, the purchase of 29
rock climbing walls, and the support of 17 nutrition programs.

Let's Just Play grants have funded numerous Peaceful Playgrounds Programs through out the U.S. Apply Today! www.nick.com/letsjustplay

A National Look at Physical Education: SHPPS STUDY

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006 is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health programs in the United States ever conducted. SHPPS also was conducted in 2000 and 1994 and is planned again for 2012.

Tuesday's Topic-Recess
Wednesday's Topic- Nutrition in Schools
Thursday's Topic- Class Size PE


Friday's Topic-Physical Education
Moving in the right direction............
*69.3% of elementary schools, 83.9% of middle schools, and 95.2% of high schools required physical education.

*3.8% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools, and 2.1% of high schools provided daily physical education or its equivalent (150 minutes per week in elementary schools; 225 minutes per week in middle schools and high schools) for the entire school year (36 weeks) for students in all grades in the school.

*13.7% of elementary schools, 15.2% of middle schools, and 3.0% of high schools provided physical education at least 3 days per week or its equivalent for the entire school year for students in all grades in the school.

Some things never change..........
• 68.1% of schools that required physical education taught dodgeball or bombardment, and more than half of elementary schools that required physical education taught king of the hill or steal the flag, elimination tag, and duck duck goose.

* In 80.1% of elementary schools, physical education was taught only by a physical education teacher or specialist, and in 73.3% of middle schools and 66.3% of high schools, physical education was taught only by a physical education teacher.

Physical Education Class Size

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006 is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health programs in the United States ever conducted. SHPPS also was conducted in 2000 and 1994 and is planned again for 2012.

Tuesday's Topic-Recess
Wednesday's Topic- Nutrition in Schools
Thursday's Topic- Class Size PE
Friday's Topic-Physical Education


CLASS SIZE IN Physical Education

*69.3% of elementary schools, 83.9% of middle schools, and 95.2% of high schools required physical education. •

*Among the 78.3% of schools that required physical education, 36.0% had a maximum allowable student-to-teacher ratio for required physical education. The median maximum allowable ratio among these schools was 29.6 students per teacher.

* The percentage of states that prohibited schools from using physical activity to punish students for bad behavior in physical education increased from 2.1% in 2000 to 16.0% in 2006, and the percentage of states that actively discouraged schools from this practice also increased, from 25.5% in 2000 to 56.0% in 2006.

Nutrition in Schools: SHPPS Study

Each day this week I will review relevant information on the topics of recess, physical education, nutrition, and class size in PE as covered in the School Health Policies and Program Study research report released Friday, Oct. 19, 2007.

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006 is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health programs in the United States ever conducted. SHPPS also was conducted in 2000 and 1994 and is planned again for 2012.

Tuesday's Topic-Recess
Wednesday's Topic- Nutrition in Schools
Thursday's Topic- Class Size PE
Friday's Topic-Physical Education

NUTRITION: Nutrition Services
* 68.6% of schools offered breakfast to students
* 63.0% participated in the USDA reimbursable School Breakfast Program.

In the Districts and Schools That Qualified for the Reimbursable lunch program:
* 99.3% of schools offered lunch to students
* 23.5% of high schools offered 100 brand-name fast foods from companies
* schools offering fried potatoes to students decreased from 40.0% to 18%
* 25% of schools started serving lunch before 11:00am.
*On average, students had 22.8 minutes to eat

The good news:
Percentage of Schools That Offered Low-Fat a la Carte Foods, and Percentage of Schools That Almost Always or Always Used Healthy Food Preparation Practices can be seen below.

* Low-Fat bread products 2000-50.8, 2006- 67.1
*Low-fat salty snacks 2000-38.2% to 2006-53.2%
*Low-fat or nonfat yogurt 2000-35.5% to 2006- 50.3%
*Vegetables other than potatoes 2000-51.0% to 2006- 70.8%
* Trimmed fat from meat or used lean meat 2000-56.2% to 2006- 66.4%
*Removed skin from poultry or used skinless poultry 2000-40.2% to 2006-54.6%
*Steamed or baked vegetables other than potatoes 2000-67.0 to 2006-81.9%

For more information on nutrition in schools download the complete fact sheet

Recess: School Health Policies and Programs Study

Each day this week I will review relevant information on the topics of recess, physical education, nutrition, and class size in PE as covered in the School Health Policies and Program Study research report released Friday, Oct. 19, 2007.

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006 is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health programs in the United States ever conducted. SHPPS also was conducted in 2000 and 1994 and is planned again for 2012.

Tuesday's Topic-Recess
Wednesday's Topic- Nutrition in Schools
Thursday's Topic- Class Size PE
Friday's Topic-Physical Education

For 2006 only 7 states have legislation on recess as a daily requirement in elementary school according to the SHPPS Study released last Friday.

California Requires
Connecticut Requires
Delaware Requires
North Carolina Requires
Tennessee Requires
Virginia Requires
Wisconsin Requires

Thirteen states make recommendations for elementary school recess. They are listed below:
Arkansas Recommends
DC Recommends
Hawaii Recommends
Idaho Recommends
Kansas Recommends
Kentucky Recommends
Louisiana Recommends
Michigan Recommends
Mississippi Recommends
Nevada Recommends
New Mexico Recommends
North Dakota Recommends
Utah Recommends



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Schools give heelys the boot.

Students zooming to class on shoes with wheels aren’t a rarity in Red River Valley schools.

But “Heelys” – the must-have sneaker of the moment for many elementary-age students – are becoming a headache for school administrators.

Safety concerns posed by the fashionable foot apparel have prompted some school districts to put a foot down, developing policies about when children can use the wheels on the shoes.

Ellen Hopkins Elementary School in Moorhead asked students not to use the shoes until classes are dismissed and buses have left for the day, said Principal Mary Jo Schmid.

The shoes, sneakers that contain wheel sockets allowing children to roll down hallways and the playground, are a growing commodity on the tween scene, Schmid said.

She said the school instituted the “no Heelys” rule after complaints of injuries stemming from children rolling over other students in hallways.

The school’s Web site states, “Heelys, the shoes with wheels, are not to be used at school as they are hard on the floor and create safety concerns. The shoes can be worn but the wheels are not to be used, recess included.”

Ellen Hopkins isn’t the only school to give Heelys the boot.

Survey: Schools offer students more healthy options

School cafeterias are serving more whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, according to a nonprofit School Nutrition Association survey of 200 U.S. school districts. About 81% of the districts said they added healthier beverages in school vending machines and 74% reduced or limited trans fat. FoodNavigator

Play first, eat later

One of the most frequent questions that I field is: "What do you think of recess before lunch?" Below is yet another article citing the benefits.

By PENELOPE OVERTON | Courant Staff Writer
October 15, 2007


EAST HADDAM - It is early afternoon on a sunny weekday in October, and the nurses' office inside East Haddam Elementary School is nearly deserted. The three child-size cots are empty. No groaning students await comfort for aches or pains. The only sound to be heard is that of school nurses filling out paperwork.

"Welcome to the world of recess before lunch," nurse Marty Dexter said. "In the past, at this time of the day, this office would have been full of sick kids. They'd get sick from eating too fast on their rush to recess, or lose their taco after hanging upside down on the monkey bars, or get headaches from not eating at all. Kids like that are in no shape to learn."
Playing first, eating later.....

Playground favorites making comeback

By Darlene Pellechia
Thursday, October 4, 2007 Naples, Florida

Remember hop scotch, four-square and leap frog? These games of yesteryear are making a comeback on the playground at Osceola Elementary School thanks to a program called Peaceful Playgrounds, part of the school’s Positive Behavior Support Process.

According to Osceola Asst. Principal Tammie Stewart, the concept is to promote positive play and provide students with ways to intervene and/or avoid inappropriate behavior.

“We need to teach our students to be proactive, not reactive,” she explains.

Osceola has been a PBS model school for two years and one of only 56 schools, statewide, to use the process. Stewart says it works. In just one year, behavioral referrals decreased from 587 to 187, in a school with 900 students.

Spurred on by the success of the PBS program, school administrators began to look into Peaceful Playgrounds, after a staff member brought it to their attention, last spring.

The concept is delightfully simple and something many grandparents have been touting for years – give kids some organized games to play.

“It provides a number of activities resulting in fewer conflicts and reduced playground injury, while motivating students to be physically active,” Stewart explains. “We worked on it over the summer and felt it was something positive for our school.”

The program is based on five components:

1. Marking the playground. Instead of students having to draw the grids in the sand or use chalk on a sidewalk, the district’s maintenance department painted permanent numbers, letters, boards and grids on thehttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif school’s hard court using stencils.

2. Consistent rules. Games are introduced in P.E. and health classes so students understand the rules and how they are played. Activity guides by age level provide recommendations for dozens of games and activities to encourage continued use by all ages of students. The program also includes certificates and rewards for good sportsmanship.

3. Equipment. The kit includes color coded equipment such as balls, beanbags, Frisbees, hoops and nets used to implement the games.

4. Conflict resolution. In addition to discussing the games and rules in P.E. class, signs and posters are placed in all classrooms to remind students of game rules and how to resolve disagreements during play.

5. . To insure success, every staff member is thoroughly familiar with all five components of the program through workshops and video tapes to assist with staff and student training.

Osceola secured funding for the program through a “safe and drug-free schools grant” and from donations provided by Sam’s Club. The program is used at recess, after school and can also be used in the regular classroom.

“The options include traditional games like tether ball and hop scotch and the students love it,” Stewart says of the program’s success.

The California School Boards Association honored Peaceful Playgrounds with a Golden Bell Award. Peaceful Playgrounds also received the American Association for Leisure and Recreation Friend of Recreation Award.

While the Peaceful Playgrounds program has been used in over 8,000 schools and park districts throughout the country, Osceola Elementary is the first among Collier’s public schools to utilize it.

“Our goal is to promote healthy, educational, purposeful play,” Stewart says. “We want to promote positive behavior and active learning.”

For more information, go online to www.peacefulplaygrounds.com.

Reinventing recess: Schools try to play it safe

By KARIN SHAW ANDERSON / The Dallas Morning News
ksanderson@dallasnews.com

School recess isn't what it used to be. But it may be safer.

The playground games and equipment that many parents fondly remember are disappearing. Some schools have shortened recess in the name of academics and banned activities such as tag, Red Rover and king of the mountain as too dangerous.

Teeter-totters and merry-go-rounds are a thing of the past, too. School officials say they're acting in the interest of safety. But critics say the concerns are overblown – and even damaging to children.

Jonathan Purcell, a first-grader at Vaughan Elementary School in Allen, isn't thinking about grown-up stuff. All he wants to do is get a new life out on the playground.

More on The new recess: Properly protective or cautious to a fault?

Students at Catholic schools in western suburbs walking to enhance fitness

Thursday, October 11, 2007
By David Guo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There are maybe 30 of them between the day's first class and second, 48 from the school driveway to the church's parking lot. A good-morning jackpot of 100 lies at the front door, one student reveals, for anyone who walks there from the school bus drop point.

Hmmm. Maybe those 48 steps to Mass every Wednesday should be worth a bonus, these students at SS Simon and Jude School in Scott figure, since they're all uphill and sport multiple stoops.

The pedometers arrived Oct. 1 at the school on Greentree Road as part of the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield "We Count" program, a partnership with the Diocese of Pittsburgh aimed at enhancing fitness for 6,500 students in 33 schools.

Others in the western suburbs include: Elizabeth Seton, Sheraden; Holy Child, Bridgeville; Our Lady of Grace, Scott; St. John the Baptist, Monaca; and St. Titus, Aliquippa.

It's been a walk-a-thon ever since, as students with pedometers tucked on their belts check their readouts like quarter-milers sweating through a track workout.

The fun is led by the eighth-graders who helped design a giant poster chart to track each class's progress during the next 18 weeks.

One of the Week One leaders is James Pozycki, 13, of Banksville, who's racked up 3,247 steps, thanks to cross-country practice. He makes sure to keep the device on whenever possible.

"When I'm at home, I'm always outside, walking or running. Sometimes it gives you more or less than you think, but it's pretty good," he said of the pedometer's accuracy. "About every period I check it."

That 3,247 tally duly impresses his friend Ryan Jenkins, 13, of Scott, he of a mere 2,066 steps.

"Gee, you're killing me," he said.

Meanwhile, Abra Dadum, 13, of Dormont, is trailing with 1,568 steps. But not to worry, she said, because a couple days of soccer practice should do the trick. Like James, she said it's fun checking to see how many steps various activities rack up and comparing notes with other students.

"We want to see who gets the highest. It's fun competition," Abra said.

Sister Norman Zanieski, principal of SS Simon and Jude, said she is happy the school and about 160 students were chosen for the program that aims to lessen obesity in children.

A diocesan educator for "eons," or 36 years in Ebensburg, Cambria County, Natrona Heights, Baden and Scott, she said there's no question that "The kids are not as active as they used to be."

Hide and seek used to be the pastime of choice, whereas nowadays kids play video games. To make her point, she raises her hands in that too-familiar, double-yoke game-controller pose and says, "Yes, I know what it is, Atari or something like that. They just sit around and put themselves in front of a TV."

Diocesan education consultant Mike Killmeyer, who is coordinating the grant, called the program "a wonderful opportunity to enhance our Diocesan Physical Activity and Nutritional Policy."

"We have been working with all of our schools to try to find ways to increase the amount of physical activity throughout the day,'' he said. "We believe that the 'We Count' pedometer program can greatly aid us in that task."

In addition to pedometers, each of the participating schools received curriculum materials that reinforce the lessons and help the students set a tangible goal.

Mr. Killmeyer said the individual schools will track the number of steps each child walks during the 18-week program. Sister Zanieski added that the results will cross over into a computer lesson, too, as a teacher helps the students enter the data into a spreadsheet.

"It is our goal that we will see a gradual increase in the average steps walked per child, classroom and school, thus proving that the students' daily physical activity levels are increasing," Mr. Killmeyer said.

Christine Gulakowski of Scott said all three of her children -- Ashlynn , 6, Brady, 9 and Corey, 11 -- have stepped onto the "We Count" bandwagon.

"I think it's made exercise more fun, so it's gotten the kids excited," she said, adding that she is particularly surprised that Ashlynn is so engaged.

"The boys are too, but she puts it on first thing, she's pumped up about it. They don't even realize how much physical fitness they're getting. They're all comparing notes.

"I really think we'll keep with it even after it's over."

One thing's sure: the students had better do more than talk the talk. A sneak peek at Sister Zanieski's pedometer clocked her in at 8,955, bad knee and all.
First published on October 11, 2007 at 9:07 am

Playground program aims to boost activity, prevent bullying

By Cheri Carlson (Contact)
Friday, October 5, 2007
Ventura County Star Newspaper

Kaity Webster had a list of new rules to learn at her Camarillo school this year, but she didn't complain when she saw what she got in return.

The fifth-grader returned to University Preparation School to find the asphalt painted with tricycle tracks, maps, and alphabet and number games — and the equipment racks stocked full of new balls, jump ropes, bean bags and other equipment.

"Nobody has to fight for a ball anymore," said Emily Esquivel, a fourth-grader at the charter school, which serves students from across Ventura County.

The elementary school has purchased "Peaceful Playgrounds," an educational program designed by a private company to increase students' physical activity and decrease bullying and injuries.

In the past, if there wasn't anything to do on the playground, kids would stand around and do nothing, or worse, get into trouble, 8-year-old Sophia Lubka said. Last year, she participated in a student leadership club, which held fundraisers to help raise the $4,000 or so needed to purchase the new program and the equipment.

Peaceful Playgrounds has several parts, including new games and a consistent set of rules for all of them.

"You can't say that you can't play," recited second-grader Riley Grizzard. And if someone has a problem, they have to "walk it, talk it or rock it."

Riley explained that to resolve disagreements on the playground, students can walk away, try to talk to the other players, or play rock-paper-scissors to reach an agreement.

Whichever strategy they use, children can resolve conflicts quickly and by themselves, then get back to playing, said Michelle Cregor, a teacher who's leading the school's new efforts.

More than 8,000 U.S. schools now use Peaceful Playgrounds. Its company, which goes by the same name, says the program provides a practical, research-based plan to promote constructive play.

Nearly a quarter of all public schools report student bullying happening daily or at least once a week, according to the National Center of Education Statistics. The behavior typically starts in elementary school and often is found on playgrounds.

University Prep didn't have a big bullying problem on campus when it signed up for the new program, but administrators said they liked its approach to settling conflicts and reducing confrontations on the playground.

"We were motivated by trying to make our school meet as many needs for kids as possible," Cregor said.

Dozens of volunteers, including two Eagle Scouts, spent about 500 hours this summer painting age-appropriate games onto each of University Prep's three playgrounds. The school also stocked up on new equipment and devised a checkout system to keep students accountable for the items they use, which is expected to cut down on losses.

The school also held training sessions for the staff and hired a playground coach to make sure everyone was familiar with the games, rules and strategies.

Students are learning to make choices independently. They're in a safe environment and they have access to constructive activities, Cregor said.

Rock, Paper Scissors: How it all began.

Do You Want To Be A Rock Star?


This weekend, Toronto will be a rockin' city, as the 2007 World Rock Paper Scissors Championships cut into town.

The game of Rock Paper Scissors has been settling scores on playgrounds since long before little brothers came into existence. In fact, some say it originates back to the year 200 BC in Japan, where it was referred to as "Jan-Ken." Others say it started as an early Scandinavian pastime, while others trace it back to 6th century BC in Portugal. Whatever the case, the game is a worldwide phenomena with an infinite amount of variations.

If you've never heard of the game, then crawl out from your cave and have a listen. The game begins with two people bouncing their fists three times. This is called priming. As their fist descends a fourth time, the hand either makes the symbol for paper (hand out flat, palm down), scissors (index and middle fingers extended) or rock (closed fist). Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. It's that simple.

Of course, some people only prime two times, while others have thrown in win-all moves such as dynamite or snake, but these moves don't count. At least, they don't according to the World Rock Paper Scissors Society. The society was started in 1842 in England, but was moved to Canada after World War 1 because our country was seen as being more peaceful. The society was all but defunct when Toronto brothers Doug and Graham Walker (pictured above) cut in and took over in 1995. Since then, the sport has seen a resurgence, and since 2002 Toronto has been home to the World Rock Paper Scissors Championships.

Dull play areas linked to bullying

Polly Curtis, education editor
Monday October 8, 2007
The Guardian

Boring playgrounds could be fuelling bullying in schools, a charity warns today after a survey suggested that many parents think their child's schools lacks green space. According to one in five parents polled, schools lack proper spaces for sports, and one in six children are bored at break times.

The poll of 1,100 parents paid for by the the charity Learning Through Landscapes and the Royal Bank of Scotland revealed that children still play traditional games of "kiss chase" and "it" but that many parents believe that teachers' fear for children's safety is hampering play, with 57% of parents agreeing that children are "too wrapped-up in cotton wool in the playground".

Catherine Andrews, chief executive of Learning Through Landscapes, said: "Children often engage in bullying or negative behaviour because they are bored. A proven solution is to engage them in more stimulating play.

"School grounds have the potential to offer a limitless range of experiences and opportunities. However, the design of the grounds will determine what children do in them."

More on dull playgrounds and bullying....

A popular alternative to so called "dull" playgrounds is spreading throughout the United States called Peaceful Playgrounds. It utilizes what most schools have already, blacktop and grass areas, to add 100 painted games and markings to the playground.

Peaceful Playgrounds leads to 42% reduction in misbehaviors

Jefferson Elementary School has seen a 42 percent decrease in student misbehaviors since they started using the Peaceful Playground Program last year.

The program is designed to reduce conflicts during recess time.

"We're very happy with the reduction in misbehaviors," principal Barb Linke said. "It's also carried over into the classroom. That's what we wanted."



Students often say, "you can't say I can't play," or use a game of rock, paper, scissors to solve a conflict on and off the playground, Linke said.

The entire program went into effect in December. The Peaceful Playground Program, which the school's PTO sponsored, was assisted with a grant. Also Home Depot allowed the school to purchase equipment at reduced rates.

Through the program the school was able to get colorful markings, new games and new equipment.

On Tuesday and Wednesday at the school, each class spent an hour-and-a-half learning how to play.

"We were playing but we learned about sharing and being nice to everybody," first grader Dulce Valadez said.

All the teaching staff assisted in helping the children learn or remember the rules, while learning new games and finding how to have fun while allowing others to have fun.

Walk Score™…How Walkable is Your Community?

The benefits of regular physical activity for our health and well-being are well documented. Over the past 50 years, however, our increased dependence on the automobile, coupled with the invention of many labor-saving devices, has caused physical activity to be engineered out of our lives. It is now possible to go through an entire day without walking more than a few minutes at a time. Suburban sprawl encourages more driving, more polluting and fewer human-powered transportation options, thus creating less active environments for people to live, work and play.

A movement is growing across the country to create more walkable communities that support "active living" — places where children and adults can safely walk to school and work and where other destinations such as shops, restaurants and parks are close to home. Many studies support the association between certain features of the built environment and physical activity. These features include the number, proximity and diversity of destinations; the density of residential and employment areas; the connectivity, accessibility and safety of sidewalks and trails; the aesthetics (how pleasing the environment is for walking); and the accessibility of parks and open spaces.1

Many tools exist to assess environments for their "walkability." One such tool is called Walk Score™. You simply type in the address of the location you want to score and, in seconds, Walk Score calculates the walkability of the address.

Walk Score:

* computes the distance to walkable locations near an address
* calculates a score for each location
* combines these scores into one easy-to-read Walk Score2

Although this scoring system has significant value in determining the number, proximity, and diversity of destinations to your particular location, it lacks the ability to include other important characteristics of a walkable neighborhood (e.g., safety, accessibility, topography). The developers of Walk Score readily admit the tool's limitations and point out how it doesn't work on their Web site.

Nonetheless, I found this tool to be a fun and easy way to find out part of the walkability story. Now that you know some of the variables that determine the walkablity of your location, you will just have to go out and get some of that good ol' physical activity to get the rest of the story!

Good community design supportive of active lifestyles, for recreation and active transportation, is just one of the many public health strategies that are needed to promote healthier lifestyles at the population level. Encouragement and incentives are also needed because the "build it and they will come" strategy is not enough. Too many things in our environment conspire to make the healthful choice the most difficult choice. If we are to make any headway toward improving the health of the nation, we will need to touch people at multiple levels (i.e., individual, family, community) and support them with policy and environmental changes that make healthful eating and active living the social and cultural norms of the future.

Cathy Costakis, MS, is the physical activity coordinator for the Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity (NAPA) program. NAPA is a statewide program funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and located at Montana State University-Bozeman. NAPA aims to improve the health of all Montanans through policy and environmental change and statewide/community interventions focusing on nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding and caloric balance.

Recess cut in schools to accommodate PE mandate

By RACHEL KYLER, Florida Freedom Newspapers
2007-10-01 08:47:00
Olly, olly, oxen free! Recess is hiding at many Okaloosa County schools. With a new state mandate for 150 minutes per week of physical education, schools such as Liza Jackson Preparatory School ended any unstructured play this year. School officials say they just don’t have the time.

Assistant Principal Julie Jenzen said lawmakers mean well in implementing the law, but students need a break during the day.

“But we also have to follow the mandates that we get,” she added.

With increasing state regulations on core subjects, including math and reading, the school couldn’t afford to cut instructional time, Jenzen said.

Schools in other parts of the state have combated the problem by extending the school day. Jenzen said that’s not an option.

“I’d rather see them have that extra 20 minutes at home having unstructured play time.”

Many schools cut recess out before the new mandate.

Recess Cuts

Kaiser Launches New Tool to Fight Childhood Obesity

Kaiser Permanente today announced the launch of "The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective" (AFD), a first of its kind, free, online video game in English and Spanish that teaches children to eat healthier foods, get more active and manage how they spend their time in front of the computer and television.

Based on a popular character from Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Program, the Amazing Food Detective takes children through activities that show how to choose healthy foods and get more active. Children playing the game follow the routines of eight culturally diverse children whose activities or conditions would benefit from healthy food and exercise choices. The game, aimed at children 9 - 10 and available to everyone at http://www.kp.org/amazingfooddetective, complements Kaiser Permanente's nationally recognized childhood obesity clinical strategy.

Check it out: http://members.kaiserpermanente.org/redirects/landingpages/afd/

Hollywood gets an "F" in gym-Guest Column

Written by: Lane Schurr is the president of the Northern District of IAHPERD and the 2003 Illinois Middle School Physical Educator of the Year.


The big screen, the smell of popcorn and the comfort of lounging back in a theater chair is all part of the fun of "going to the movies." Like any other red-blooded American, I enjoy a good thriller or an action-packed drama, a super sci-fi and even the occasional gut-splitting comedy on the silver screen. But, I have to say that Hollywood has failed to portray any positive image of physical education. You remember; that class in school where you learned to do push-ups, play together as a team, handle the agony of defeat and feel the thrill of victory. More importantly, you learned why it is important to have a healthy heart. I'm sure you still talk about some funny "P.E. class stories" at your class reunions and walk away smiling saying "Those were the days."

Unfortunately, Hollywood has not shared any such stories with the American public. The stories it has told were of ones that "gym" class is cruel and unusual punishment and cannot be taken seriously. Only the strong shall survive and the movies hero will beat the system at his or her own game. A few such examples can be seen in movies like Porky's, Big, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science and the more recent release Mr. Woodcock.

In the day and age where America has become known as the most overweight and out-of-shape country in the world, we continuously take steps backwards. School districts across the country look for ways to cut costs and without much hesitation they put physical education on the chopping block or pass a waiver for students to bypass the class. On the news and in the newspapers we constantly hear and read about our youth killing each other and ask the question "Why?" Physical Education is one class in our public school's curriculums that teaches children "How to get along" Yet, we look for ways to get rid of it. The national forum has implemented "No Child Left Behind" policy which states that every child will score 100-percent on state exams by the year 2014. Physical education is not included in the policy.

Every day, thousands of physical educators across this great country put on their tennis shoes and go to work. They teach children how to run, jump, hop and be healthy. They also teach the students the importance of teamwork and that everyone can succeed with some effort. But through all the rigors of teaching, the climb for recognition and importance seems to be "never-ending." Like a big bully, there sits Hollywood laughing at us. The story of a young physically handicapped boy scoring a goal in soccer for the first time or the young girl diagnosed with a heart disease is able to score a basket as her classmates look on and cheer in her P.E. class. Why aren't these stories being told about physical education classes? Instead, Hollywood wants to show the physical educators as sexual predators as seen in the movie Teachers. Physical education is a wonderful class for all students and has taken a beating over the years from many different angles.

Hollywood has taken strides in creating a good and positive image of educators with such movies as Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus. The world of sports has received great recognition with such classics as Remember the Titans, Radio, The Rookie and the list goes on. Yet, there is physical education class standing in the corner being laughed at and abused by the big bully "Hollywood." Enough is enough, it is time to rewrite some scripts and give physical education its well-deserved dues of recognition. Until then, the "F" still stands on my report card.

Intelligent playgrounds

By Michelle Jana Chan
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pick me! Pick me! The weakest children may no longer be left out of playground games. New technology may help to put kids on a more level playing field, which may in turn motivate them to learn and encourage competitiveness. Using modern artificial intelligence and robotics, new playground games can recognize a child's behavior and respond accordingly -- in real-time -- to make the game harder or easier.

Lund and his team came up with 'intelligent tiles', a grid of pressure-sensitive floor tiles for playgrounds. Each tile has a small computer inside it, which measures the force of the child's foot and responds with either colored lights or sounds. One game, called 'Bug smasher', provokes children into chasing lit 'bugs'. When a bug lights up, the child must tread upon the surface of the tile and smash the bug. They are rewarded by a comical, smashing sound.

Intelligent Playgrounds read on.....

Bully and Bad: What's a parent to do?

By Jane Clifford
UNION-TRIBUNE FAMILY EDITOR
September 29, 2007

OK, you've seen your child do some things, little things really, but nagging little things. Being just a little too aggressive with younger siblings, a little too snarky on the phone about classmates, a little too intimidating with the kids in the neighborhood.

Do you continue to ignore it or do you follow your instincts and acknowledge that your child is a bully, confront your child and work on the problem?

We asked two experts in bullying to answer 10 questions parents might have about children's questionable behavior.

Bullying continued: