I watched a less popular girl, Allison, walk up to a group of four girls who were playing a game of four-square. As she approached and asked, “Can I play?” she was quickly rebuffed. “The game is closed,” Janey, the ring leader, announced.
Given the school is a Peaceful Playgrounds school, I was surprised at the response because of the “You can’t say, ‘You can’t play’” mantra. Allison, whose disappointment was obvious, turned to play anoth…

Retiring Kindergarten teacher Beverly Gavrel donates Peaceful Playgrounds Program to improve the place children play at Phillips Elementary school.



View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

School Recess: Structured Games and Activities at Recessby Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. Structured recess.  Good idea or bad?
Today I received a phone call from a second grade teacher.  She indicated that she had a behavior challenged child (frequent discipline issues) and was growing pretty frustrated with him.  In response to Jeremy (not his real name), who was hitting kids, pushing kids, and causing chaos at recess, the school decided that they w…

You may have noticed that we are posting less to the blog and moving over to Facebook for announcements, articles, and information sharing.

Over the next couple of months that transition will continue.

Please take a moment to go to our Facebook page. If you click the "Like" button you will continue to get the daily RSS feeds from Facebook which will be replacing the blog feeds in the near future.

The latest news supporting recess comes from a survey of 1,951 principals or deputy, assistant, or vice principals polled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It found that:

* Recess has a positive impact on academic achievement.
* Student listen better after recess and are more focused in class.
* Recess has a beneficial effect on children's social development.
* Recess improves children's well-being overall.


Find out more…

The number two most viewed featured article is: Ten Tips to Getting Your Playground Grant Funded.

A grant is a monetary award given by a government agency, foundation, corporation, or other entity to another body in order to plan, implement or operate a particular program or fund a particular project. Learn how to get your playground grant funded.

The featured article also lists the seven elements to include in your grant proposal. Free grant wr…

Sixty Alternatives to Withholding Recess is the third most viewed Featured Article.

Given the value of recess in a student's physical and social development, and the need for periodic breaks from classroom instruction, using recess as punishment is inappropriate.

For more information on improving recess and recess research download the Right to Recess Tool kit.

This week we will present the 5 most popular Featured Articles from the Peaceful Playgrounds website.

Today is the fifth most popular and ending on Friday with the Most popular Featured Article. Bullying & Harassment : What Schools Can Do came if fifth.

This was one of the most recently published featured articles and covered: " The Department of Education issued guidance to support educators in combating bullying in schools by clari…

On an elementary school playground, the biggest and most boisterous kids tend to rule the roost. If they cut in line to use the monkey bars, no one will stop them. If they want to change the rule to a game, they’ll probably get their way. But at La Crescent-Hokah Elementary School, La Crescent, MN, the playing field will soon be leveled.

Immediately, teachers at the school saw a change in playground atmosphere after implementing Peaceful Playgrou…

Each year since the inception of the Champions for Healthy Kids program, the General Mills Foundation has awarded 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups like this that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle.

Deadline for Applications: December 15, 2010

Application link.



Remember to include Peaceful Playgrounds in your grant application as we were selected as a model program.

Peaceful P…

Kudo's to Parenting Magazine and the November issue in which they made the case for school day recess.

We've all heard of "the three R's": reading, writing, and arithmetic. The latest issue of Parenting School Years magazine is adding a fourth "R" to that list... RECESS!

What advice to they give for parents facing recess elimination? Contact your state recess advocate or visit www.Peacefulplaygrounds.com.

Than…

Teachers and 4-H members at W. W. Stewart Elementary School recently painted a United States map on the back patio of the school playground. A stencil was obtained through the Peaceful PlaygroundsUS Map Stencil Giveaway by Physical Education Teacher, Venessa Livingston.

FROM:
Miami County Republic Newspaper
Beaver Dam, Wisc.

Written by Brian McCauley
Friday, 15 October 2010 08:00

Two of the biggest issues facing youths these days are childhood obesity and bullying, and Cottonwood Elementary School in Paola is about to institute a program that could help tackle both problems.

Thanks to an impressive stretch of state teacher of the year finalists, Cottonwood Elementary had enough funds to pay for a new program, and …

Sun Media Times article Sept. 30, 2010

Elm School in Burr Ridge is using the Peaceful Playground program, purchased with the help of a grant from the District 181 Foundation.

Peaceful Playgrounds complements the work the staff already had been doing on helping children solve conflicts, specifically during recess.

The program kit includes directions and stencils to draw the markings for a wide variety of games, such as hopscotch, ball hopscotch, fou…

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

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&#…

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

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

I wanted to forward you some pictures of our new Peaceful Playgrounds - the activities really will make the playground an exciting place for our students, starting this morning! I also need to tell you that Cary did an outstanding job at our Peaceful Playgrounds inservice yesterday. I loved the energy and enthusiasm she displayed, and the way she involved everyone in a discussion of the program and in the activities themselves. Our staff and stu…

Your school could be enjoying the benefits of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program. Why wait? Put an end to those playground hassles and headaches. Start planning now for the fall and a successful opening to the school year. Summer is the perfect time to paint over 100 permanent games and activities on the playground.

Peaceful Playgrounds is a "do-it-yourself" program which transforms your school into a variety of games and activities …