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

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…

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…

Remember the old "everybody needs milk" campaign?

Schools are faced with the question is some milk (flavored) better than no milk? This seems to be the situation that many school cafeteria's are facing with the opening of the new school year. Should they serve regular milk, flavored milk or chocolate milk?

The NY Times article on Some Schools Ban Chocolate Milk points out that 71% of milk served nationwide is flavored. Is this…

Clorox Power a Bright Future Grants aim to provide necessary resources to help support school programs that enrich kids' lives. Maximum award: $50,000.

Eligibility: Anyone at least 18 years old at time of entry can nominate an accredited K-12, public or private school program.

Deadline: September 27, 2010.
http://clorox.promo.eprize.com/brightfuture/?affiliate_id=Inbound5

If you missed it, last week the Los Angeles Times ran a series on "Grading the Teacher." It caused quite a stir.

Below is the introduction to the series as listed in the opening Times article. "The Los Angeles Times has obtained seven years of math and English test scores from the Los Angeles Unified School District, and used the information to estimate the effectiveness of L.A. teachers, which it says LAUSD could have done but…

Reasonable care does not require constant and undeviating scrutiny of a particular child on a supervised playground. Accordingly, a playground supervisor is not necessarily negligent if he or she fails to observe a particular child at the precise moment an injury occurs.

Read on to learn about teacher responsibilities in supervising the playground.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for the online Playground Supervisor Training Course and Certi…

According to the Voice of America news, childhood obesity is effecting the courses taught in school and a new offering is play. In fact, one school in Vermont is devoting one third of the school day to active outdoor play.

The idea of having to teach kids how to play outside leaves Anita Caldwell, a teacher at Calvary Preschool in Pittsford, Vermont, dumbfounded.

"You just kind of take for granted that kids want to go outside and play but th…

Though sugary sodas have been banned for some time in the state's public schools, in middle and high schools, sugar-sweetened sports drinks are allowed. SB1255, already passed by the State Senate and today passed by the Assembly's Education Committee, would ban sale of sugar-sweetened sports drinks during school hours too.

Read Sugary Sport Drinks.

Like Articles
Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Banning Junk Food Works.

Recess Before Lunch plan nixed when School Board votes down cost of new sinks. One of the biggest obstacles to a Recess Before Lunch schedule is often hand washing. On the traditional eat first and play later option children often wash their hands in the classroom before lining up for lunch.

District 861 School Board in conjunction with the local Wellness Committee are looking for grant funding to cover the $10,000 cost of the new sinks to be in…

Thank you to everyone that attended our last How to have a Peaceful Playgrounds Webinar! We had a great attendance. Here's a Question & Answer session from one of our schools.


Q: Approximately how many hours are needed to paint the playground markings?
This is a great question. There are many factors that vary the amount of time needed, such as: how many game markings are being added, how hot or cold it is on your paint day (drying time), …

The Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC) was established to recognize schools that are creating healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity.

In February 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced Let’s Move!, incorporating the HealthierUS School Challenge into her campaign to raise a healthier generation of kids.

You can download the HealthierUS School Challenge kit here.

This month's newsletter provides articles on:

1. Shortening the school year spreads,
2. Study: School recess improves classroom behavior,
3. Disadvantaged preschoolers lack motor skills,
4. Recess not Ritalin
5. List of U.S. Map Stencil Winners for June 2010

Download the June Play Nice Newsletter here.

A new study from the University of Nebraska indicates that banning junk food or foods of "Limited Nutritional Value"in ala cart lines which compete with school lunch hour meals resulted in an 18 percent reduction in overweight or obese students.

The findings, which appears online in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, are from a three-year research project on child obesity that was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.…

I met Sharon Krull over 20 years ago. You may know her by her blog, "Sharin' with Sharron." She has a blog on movement, play and physical activity for children.

Today's blog activity is called, "Ducking out of Duck, Duck, Goose." It is a great activity to check out and she renames it, A Tisket, A Tasket, My Fruit & Veggie Basket

How to play:
1. Sit young children (players) in a circle.
2. One child is chosen to hol…