The Department of Education posted the new PEP grant winners for 2010 earlier today. Congratulations to all the districts that secured the grants.

by Andrea Bossenmeyer

A great free resource came into my inbox today. We all know we should eat at least 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies everyday. Here's a great way to find locally grown across US & Canada. The Eat Well Guide® is a free online directory featuring over 22,000 listings where anyone can search for fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food.

And if you live in Wisconsin Farm Aid is having a 25th Bday Celebration.

T…

Related from the Hero Construction Company Newsletter: Thanks Matt for sharing......

October has been set aside for preventing bullying. The Teaching Tolerance website has a documentary accompanied by lesson plans and staff trainings. They'll send it to you free if you sign up at their website.

Featured Articles on Bullying.


Bullying Prevention. Life's lessons in good and evil.

Why bullying programs succeed or fail.

A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) has named video games as one of the major drivers behind the growing global challenge that is childhood obesity.

The report looked at childhood obesity from a global perspective which stated that one third of kids across the world are now classified as obese. The study blamed this growing trend on a sedentary lifestyle. Only 25 per cent of boys and just 15 per cent of girls are said to get the r…

In many California school cafeterias, there's no water available to drink.

Hard to believe but true. Drinking water is not available in many school cafeterias throughout CA.

A California bill requiring schools to offer drinking water at no charge to students has passed the Senate and Assembly and awaits the governor's signature — a fairly sure thing because the governor sponsored the bill, according to the Los Angeles Times.

I'm glad …

A new Bullying Survey is available for download from the National Association of Sport and Physical Education website. It was designed specifically for use in physical education settings.

The Bullying Awareness Survey is an anonymous activity that can be used as an instant activity at the beginning of a class, or a closure activity as students are finishing up a lesson, according to the NASPE website.

Featured articles on Bullying:

Bullying Prev…

A recent "Well" blog posting from New York Times Blogger, Gretchen Reynolds ask, Can exercise make kids smarter?

In her blog she suggests that researchers showed that fit children had significantly larger basal ganglia, a key part of the brain that aids in maintaining attention and “executive control,” or the ability to coordinate actions and thoughts crisply.

The study groups consisted of children of similar socioeconomic backgrounds…

Listen in on a great debate on Structured VS Non-Structured Recess at BAM Radio.

Join Rae Pica Is structured recess the way to go? Will it mean more activity or less initiative? Listen & decide!: http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq

Peaceful Playgrounds September Issue of the Grants Newsletter is now available.

Video- Boston area school cuts back on recess.

Another school district is eliminating morning recess in an attempt to raise test scores.

For an education system this is an uneducated response. Here's why recess is important:

Schools role in the childhood obesity crisis.

Why Play?

Head Start Body Start in Body Building?

Recess on the Up Swing

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has a new "Be Well Booklet" which consists of messages from Mom's about leading healthier lives. It is free to download at BEWELLBOOK.ORG.

The booklet is available in both English and Spanish. It is available in hardcopy from Amazon or the download is free.

Bulk orders of 10 or more are available free of charge thanks to the generosity of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The resource…

By Blake Taylor

Take a minute to think back to your childhood school days and, more precisely, the part called recess. What do you remember about it?

I would guess that you recall having fun and playing games that used your imagination and creativity.

Unfortunately, in many schools in Kansas, there is a startling trend of taking away morning and/or afternoon recess to spend more time in the classroom. Some administrators believe that their school&#…

The "Texas Youth Fitness Study," provides an in-depth analysis and evaluation of data collected through the state-mandated health-related fitness testing of all public school children in Texas in grades 3 through 12.

A key finding was the link between higher physical fitness test achievement is related to higher state academic test scores and higher attendance, fewer negative school incidents.

Reliability and validity of large-scale te…

Healthy Schools Campaign has a new campaign to make play part of the school day. Their two-day campaign to bring back recess is well underway! With the help of Groupon and The Point, HSC is helping individuals team up and make recess a reality for Chicago school children.

The non-profit Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) has organized thousands of parents and caught the attention of top Chicago Public School officials in its quest to bring physical…

A new study finds a link between children's performance on standardized tests in reading and math and their fitness performance on the Fitness gram.

According to an article in the Shreveport Times, The Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning analyzed results of Fitnessgram tests taken by more than 25,000 students in 15 Louisiana school districts in the 2009-10 school year. The tests measure body mass index, body strength, fl…

Contributed by JC Boushh The Cincinnati Enquirer recently posted an article “More Students Feel Lunchtime Crunch” investigating the growing issue of shortened school lunch times. Inquiries to parents throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area showed a consensus among parents that many school lunch periods had been shortened by as much as 10 minutes. Students complained that there was not enough time for them to get in line to r…

Keeping the peace is the outcome of the new program, called Peaceful Playgrounds, implemented at Riverside Elementary School from Jeffersonville, Nv. It appears to be working. School officials are finding that some stenciled paint on the ground coupled with balls, bean bags and other accessories are helping students keep the peace on the playground.

Read more on: Play nice: New games help students keep the peace during recess

General Powell and his wife to attended “Education Nation” Summit September 28 at Rockefeller Plaza. He will be delivering the keynote and discussing to state of our nation’s education system with attendees. The discussion will be streamed live on MSNBC and can be accessed at educationnation.com. The summit will seek to address the High School Dropout Crisis, Prepare Our Future Workforce, and other related issues affecting our current education …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that it will award $1 million in grants for eligible high-poverty schools to start community gardens.

The goal: to teach students about gardening and nutrition and to provide fresh produce for school meals. Some of the harvest may also be given to students' families, as well as to local food banks and senior-center nutrition programs according to the USDA announcement. (www.fns.usda.gov…