I guess because its spring or maybe because the San Francisco Chronicle wrote a blog post about it but either way the dodgeball debate is raging again.  I always defer to The  National Association of Sport and Physical Education's (NASPE) position statement on dodgeball which provides guidance to physical education teachers and schools in general.  But first, what brought this topic to the surface?


The San Francisco Chronicle blog spoke about…

Download Canada's physical activity guides.

This resource is designed to help those who teach children and adults about healthy eating and physical activity. The Toolkit includes:

* The Eat Well and Be Active Every Day poster;
* Downloadable activity plans
* 54 healthy eating and physical activity images to complement the poster.

Ohio leave no child inside video urges teachers and parents to see to it that all children play outside at least once per day.



Need some outdoor game ideas? Check out the Peaceful Playgrounds instructional games DVD's.

The recorded copy of the Let's Move in School Webinar and the Webinar slides are now on the Let's Move in School website. Almost 800 people participated in the Let's Move in School Webinar according to NASPE the event coordinator.

Why not sign your school up to celebrate Let's Move in School during National Sports & Physical Education Week, May 1 - 7. Sign up here: National Sports & Physical Education Week.

Watch this 3 minute video on how exercise promotes learning. John Raney author of SPARK explains 3 ways that brain grow occurs and why.

Watch 3 minute Video

HSBS is going to the AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition!

Join us for the 2nd Annual Early Childhood Movement Day for a fun-filled day of learning and active play. To learn more about the AAHPERD National Convention and to register to attend, please visit the AAHPERD website.

The best part? AAHPERD is in my neighborhood this year in beautiful San Diego. Come join in.

If your physical education program is in danger of being cut then this new and practical webinar is perfect for you.


There’s less than 2 weeks left to register for the Save My PE Program! Webinar happening on January 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM EST. Offered by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

Receive a contact hour and get advice and tips on what you can do for yourself, in your school and in the community to save your qua…

The January Play Nice Newsletter has been released.

Topics include:

Top Ten Activities for Indoor Recess

Update: Parents in California Can Sue District for not Providing Physical Eduction

Winter Olympians Speak Out on Fair Play.

A California Court of Appeal ruled that parents may sue a school or district that is not providing students the minimum amount of physical education mandated by state law. It has been reported that more than half the state's schools were not providing the required 200 minutes every 10 days for elementary-school students, or 400 minutes over that period for middle- and high-schoolers. San Francisco Chronicle

Sharon Murray, the president of the Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education, pointed out that states with “health-supporting policies” – things like minimum health and physical education requirements, an emphasis on healthy nutrition standards, funding for school-based health clinics and other student services – tend to have higher test scores and lower dropout rates than states that don’t.

“So my recommendation for action is, …

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

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…

Peaceful Playgrounds will release our new CD called Songs in Motion. It was designed to motivate kids to jog. Think of the songs as military cadences. A cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching.

Here's a preview of one of the new cadences on the new CD:

Up in the Morning at the Break of Day


Up in the morning at the break of day
Countin steps and loving play
Running on the …

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…

A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control indicates that lack of parks and places to play is effecting children, their weight and contributing to childhood obesity crisis.

The report called the State Indicator Report on Physical Activity 2010 points out that about 1 in 5 children have a park within a half mile from their home. Teens face a similiar obstacle to exercise as fewer than 1 in 5 have daily physical education in their h…

Mission: Readiness is a nonprofit organization of retired senior military leaders. Their latest concern is over what they call, "The latest national security threat: obesity."

Being overweight or obese has become the leading medical reason recruits are rejected for military service. In fact in the last fifteen years, the proportion of potential recruits who failed their physical exams because of weight issues has increased nearly 70 …