When it comes to the Rock, Paper, Scissor game,
it's all in fun but still a little strategy never hurts.
Scientists in the UK have "studied" this popular playground game and concluded that one should start with scissors as it has a psychological advantage.
Research shows that a rock (or stone) is the most popular of the three possible moves in the game of quickfire hand gestures.
If your opponent expects you to pick stone, they will c…

As you may know I’m a retired principal but I’d be the first to admit that changing the education system is a lot like turning around a huge cruise ship in a small harbor. Possible but not probable and it requires lots of maneuvering.
However, a few brave principals across the nation are doing just that and bringing a long stranding school tradition to an end. They are advocating recess before lunch.
And in doing so they are getting some a…

With warm weather just around the corner it makes sense to start thinking about shade for students. Harbour View Elementary School in Summerfield, Florida is doing just that. They have installed a canopy which is hurricane proof and blocks UV rays over the kindergarten playground structure. Kindergarten teacher, Melinda Boatright commented that its working, "We don't see those red, flushed cheeks like we used to."

"The canop…

by Andrea Bossenmeyer

The new issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, published a Temple University study showing the true power schools do have in reducing rates of obesity.

The researchers chose to examine schools impact in reducing obesity, factoring in that kids eat 1-2 meals at school per day. They went into 10 schools and revamped their menus. Soda was replaced with water, fruit juice and low-fat milk; snacks were capped at 7 grams of total fat …

"TV Turnoff week promotes the idea that limiting screen time and boosting physical activity can lead to healthier living, sponsored in part by the Center for Screen Time Awareness (CSTA) and We Can!, a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes the following recommendations for physical activity and tv watching time:
Limit TV viewing and video game playing …

Wilson & Hartwell, ages 7 & 9, are taking action in trying to reduce childhood obesity in their state. Mississippi is known for having some of the worst childhood obesity statistics in the country.

Their idea is simple. Give every elementary age child in the state a ball.

Research has shown that giving children consumable equipment will endorse moment and physical activity.

They started their mission in January and have already donated over…

As an educator, I'm the first to admit that getting things to change inside the education system is like turning a huge cruise ship around in a small harbor. Possible but not probable and it requires lots of maneuvering. However, a few principals across the nation are doing just that and bringing a long standing school tradition to an end, they are advocating recess before lunch.

In doing so they are finding some amazing results: kids ea…

I think RSS feeds are the greatest invention since sliced bread. Well, almost. When I stumbled upon (no pun intended) RSS feeds last year I found my life getting organized and my mailbox shrinking. Yes. Shrinking. Spam filters were "heaven sent" but RSS feeds make life "heavenly".

Are you a believer? Few have joined the club according to the Pew Internet Project which cites, "back in 2005 only 5% of the Internet us…

Robyn Hooker, principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean, Va., added her name to the list of principals last week when she eliminated "tag" as one of the recess game choices. Hooker explained to parents in a letter this month that tag had become a game "of intense aggression," and it seems the kid's tag game turned into a game of "pile up" instead.

See a great animation of the game of tag from the Vi…

Playgrounds Grow Up is the title of an article and slide show highlighting a history of playgrounds in NYC. The article was published in Jan. 2007 in the NY Times. This slide show and audio narrative provides a great overview and history of playgrounds over the last century. The slide show ends with Imagination Playground which I blogged about last Friday, April 18.

Imagination Playground: A model for future urban playgrounds.

Click on the lin…

Kinetic. Explosive. Interactive. NEOS moves at the speed of light. It's Challenging........ The world's newest electronic sport is an electronic game for the heart and lungs—not just the thumbs. It's a giant video looking game with all the bells and point possibilities of a hand held but this game gets kids hearts pumping and pounding.

Imagination Playground is a place where kids will exercise their minds as well as their muscles.
A unique joining of private and public entities in order to provide a new playground model for cities. The first that I've heard of is this one in New York City where the Rockwell Group and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation have collaborated to create a new playground model that is a dynamic alternative to more traditional play …

Spring is in the air, but unfortunately so are falls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission cites falls from equipment as a factor in 70% of the nation's playground injuries. Teaching children how to fall properly can greatly decrease the injury rate. According to Dr. Thompson, Executive Director of the National Program for Playground Safety, "the best person to teach the 'fall safely method' is the school physical educati…

The NED Show advertises itself as America’s Most Popular School Assembly. More importantly it teaches students what it takes to be champions at school and in life! NED stands for:

Never Give Up Encourage Others Do Your Best®




A new program aimed at fitness for the classroom is entitled, Be Fit and Learn. It is designed for classroom teachers to help motivate kids to get up and move. Materials include classroom warm ups, cool d…

I attended the National Principals' and American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Conferences last week. Below you will see some new items that may be of interest to schools.



Talk LightIf you have spent time in schools you know the lunchroom can be a noisy place. I ran into this stop light type system that seems to be a solution. The self management noise monitoring system is designed to encourage …

Eat Smart. Play Hard materials are a great free resource from the USDA.

Eat Smart. Play Hard.TM provides practical tools to help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active. Messages and materials are fun and based on MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

What should kids and parents eat and do for good health? The answer is just a “click” away at USDA’s new Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ web pages for…

If you attended the blogging session at AAHPERD last week please send your blog address by using the comments section below.

This article was copied in its entirety because it gives such a great perspective...
post submitted by Andrea Bossenmeyer

Of all the challenges to reversing our national obesity epidemic, the one that concerns me most is what I call the "distortion of normality." While constants in science (physical values or principles) are well known and don't change, life has far fewer "constants."

The constants we tend to adhere to most …

Lawmakers Want Kids In P.E. Class Despite Cash Problems
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Published: April 6, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida lawmakers thought reintroducing physical education to the state's public schools was going to be no sweat. Turns out, it's an ongoing workout.


Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Physical Education
for Physical Education and are designed to describe what students should know and ... preservice preparation and c…

At Peaceful Playgrounds we often receive phone calls asking for an instrument that schools and/or researchers can use to assess physical activity. We most often refer these folks to Thom McKenzie Ph.D. at San Diego State University (CA) and his SOPLAY Instrument which is a system for observing play and leisure activity in youth.

SOPLAY is a validated direct observation tool for assessing physical activity and associated environmental character…

Nickelodeon, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and American Heart Association have teamed together to create the Go Healthy Challenge.

You can learn about healthy snacks and pledge your reason for taking the challenge.

There are videos, nutrition information, and much more...All designed with kids in mind! Spread the word about this fun kids site.

According to 9 year old Sydnie the gym situation is working out just fine because: "the adults don't really bother us because we're doing our own thing and they're doing theirs."

Sydnie's mom has a different perspective: " bringing the kids to the gym with me is a way for me to show, not 'tell' them that I work out, too, to be healthy." She adds that "it's a nice combination for a busy parent …

Results of a new study to be released today in the April issue of Pediatrics will show that healthier food choices and removal of high calorie foods in school vending machines makes a difference. Additionally snacks were scaled back and they banished candy. researchers handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices and spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

It paid off. The number of kids of obese children…

Saucony has been keeping up on the research that notes that 4 out of 5 children will carry the weight from adolescence to adulthood, which results in health problems.

The Saucony Run For Good Grant is open to communities and non-profits that initiate and support running and fitness programs for kids.

With the implementation of the Federal 'No Child Left Behind' regulations schools have been eliminating both physical education and recess citing the need for extended periods of instruction emphasizing math and reading skills. However, that may soon change. Results from a study released on April 2 indicates that a small but significant benefit for academic achievement in mathematics and reading was observed for girls enrolled in high…

By Andrea Bossenmeyer

A new report asked children what a healthy diet is, and they responded "One in which you do not gain weight." Rather than a diet that gives you all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need to grow and develop.

They also interviewed children as young as four. The research indicates that children can be strongly prejudiced against overweight people. Children had little sympathy for people who are overweight. The…

Richard Simmons' campaign to bring physical education classes back to schools is gaining some important supporters-- key policy makers on Capitol Hill. According to Simmons, he makes no apologies for his "impatience with the current presidential contest, characterizing it as a political circus that drowns out calls to address the real crisis in children's health and fitness".

Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act (FIT Kid…