Slyde the Playground Hound is loved by children and respected by adults for his “cool” and “careful” ways at the playground. With SLYDE by your side, children become aware of playground safety in a way that is fun, entertaining and easy to remember. Teachers can check out the SLYDE KID ZONE for coloring book activities, comics, games and other fun resources for students.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) is looking for strong district-level coordinated school health programs (CSHP). DASH is interested in gaining a better understanding of the essential characteristics necessary for program success. To accomplish this, DASH will be conducting site visits with selected CSHPs to learn more about them. DASH may offer assistance in evaluating these p…

National PTA : Making Playgrounds Safer

A national running campaign in China requires that all students K-16 run daily at school (Elementary -1 K, Middle School 1.5K, and High School -College 2K). It's all in the name of health and will continue from September 08 through the end of April 09.

It seems China's Minister of Education and teachers felt that childhood obesity and health concerns made the mandate necessary. However, some parents and students felt the running mand…

West Virginia children in more than 150 elementary schools did not receive the required 90 minutes of physical education each week during the 2007-2008 school year. California and Florida statistics tell them same story. Children are not receiving required PE instruction. In fact, only 67% of students received the required 90 minutes per week of physical education in WV.

Administrators of schools not meeting the mandated minute requirement sa…

The architect of a $2 Million park renovation at Morningside Park in NYC meet with some unusual challenges. Design a park where all the equipment is bulletproof — which explains why New York playground slides are made of stainless steel, rather than plastic, as is usually the case elsewhere.

Playground designers, according to NYC Architect Alexander Hart, must also make sure to avoid creating what Mr. Hart terms “sleepable surfaces” — places l…

Ireland's latest playground design "Tone Zone's", an elderly outdoor gym, is meeting with opposition. It seems that when local authorities have been meeting with community members they say, "thanks-but-no thanks", in regards to the new Tone Zones. The challenge it seems is to have the playgrounds close to where old folks live but senior developments see playgrounds are drawing "undesirables".

NFL Network is launching Keep Gym in School, a national initiative dedicated to supporting physical education in America’s schools and raising awareness about the importance of physical activity as part of education.

In its first year, Keep Gym in School is funding refurbishments for Physical Education programs at select schools, hosting NFL minicamps to get kids active and assess their fitness levels. Students will participate in follow up test…

Recess at Westmoreland Elementary School in NY went away last year when School Board President Mitch Lemaire says the district received word it could be audited for time spent on physical education. That resulted in the district putting a new emphasis on physical education which resulted in a loss of recess.

A group of parents in Westmoreland however have opposed the move and said recess is needed. "Kids are learning all day long, they ne…

When a Philadelphia 4 year old feel off a cork screw while playing on an elementary school playground structure the case rested on three legal issues. 1. The depth of the surfacing, 2. in adequate supervision, and 3. age appropriate equipment. It was alledged that all three conditions contributed to the injury ( fracture of the child's left arm) according to attorney's involved in the case.

It seems the depth of the surfacing did not…

When Florida legislators passed a law last year requiring 150 minutes of physical education a week some administrators decided to get "creative." They began counting walking to and from lunch as physical education minutes.

No way says legislators and health experts who pointed out that using the time it takes to walk across campus between classes was a "stretch" at best. But since the law that went into effect last year didn…

Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative has three main goals that will be emphasized on October 6 for Child Health Day. Check out their website for additional information and resources.
Help kids stay active! Encourage healthy eating habits!Promote healthy choices!

Peaceful Playgrounds walking program called "We Count" provides a curriculum o…

California's Menu Labeling Bill has experienced a rocky past but on September 30, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, sign into law a bill which would require restaurants to put calorie counts on their menus and indoor menu boards.

A special congratulations to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy for their success in winning another hard fought battle aimed at reducing California's childhood obesity crisis.

Schwarzenegger said the leg…

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a joint initiative between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation and its mission is to tackle one of our nation's leading health problems – childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to stop the nationwide increase in childhood obesity by 2010 by taking bold, innovative steps to help all children live longer and healthier lives.
The Alliance believes that helping s…