Written by Jim Mendoza - jmendoza@kgmb9.com

The prisoners are steps away from being released. They're building a bridge as much as they are a place for kids to play.

"It makes me feel good about myself, giving back to the community," Ridao said.

The playground project at Kauluwela has been a long time coming. It's been ten years since the school last had playground equipment. Friday, kindergartners saw it for the first time.

M…

Here's 10 popular outdoor games that continue to be kid favorites.

1. Freeze Tag- Its simple. Someone is the tagger. If the tagger touches you then you're frozen. Last one tagged becomes the new tagger.

2. Horse- Shooting game in basketball. For every missed shot you get a letter. The first player to spell the word "horse" loses.

3. Red Light, Green Light. The commander faces the opposite direction calling out green light whic…

A new study questions the trend toward less play in kindergarten. Researchers suggest that "lack of playtime is killing the joy of learning."

Authors of a 2009 report, "Crisis in the Kindergarten" call the current state of affairs, "a national disgrace." They call for return to play-based teaching, warning the nation is "blindly pursuing educational policies that could well damage the intellectual, social and…

More time on the playground.

Children who are enrolled in play-oriented preschools do not have a disadvantage. In fact, there were neither short-term nor long-term advantages of early academics versus play, and there were no distinguishable differences by first grade.

More on Preschools that emphasize play.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert=Rae_Pica

A frequent question that we answer here at Peaceful Playgrounds is : "How much space do I need to take advantage of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program and stencils sets?" We point out that while we offer 4 different blueprints and designs with approximately 100 game choices and no one puts ALL the games and markings on the playground. We recommend that you select a few games from each blueprint so that you have developmentally appropriat…

Have you checked out the Peaceful Playgrounds"Featured Articles" section of our website? Peaceful Playgrounds publishes a featured article on our website each month and highlights it in the Play Nice Newsletter. Below is a short description of the some examples of our featured articles.

Recess is on the Upswing

The growing support for daily recess is gaining momentum. Parents, educators, and public health organizations have all engaged …

What is the “Peaceful Playground” Program?

The Peaceful Playgrounds provides an organized playground with appealing games and activities. Through these, incidents of playground conflict and injury are reduced and children develop motor, social, and cognitive skills.

Peaceful Playgrounds is a positive behavior support program that is implemented school wide. All staff, students, and supervisors engage in regular cycles of training and review of bas…

Fit to Play facts

Miami-Dade County Parks & Recreation teamed with the University of Miami's Miller School for this summer's Fit to Play summer camp and after-school program.

Health tips

Here are some tips toward good health that the children, ages 6 to 14, are learning.

Cut down on any activity that requires you sit for more than 30 minutes at one time. Sorry, kids, that means limit those video games. `Guitar Hero' is not exercise u…

Check out the Blog called, Kinetics by Dr. Carol Torgan, Ph.D.

The list of play resources includes organizations, resources, guidelines and reports, current news stories, books, audio and video, e-newsletters, blogs, twitter hashtags, programs, locations, and events.

If you are interested in play, check out the Grass Stain Guru Blog. A current post is entitled, Sign o’ the Times: Playborhood. Blog author, Bethe Almeras stated, " I am so proud to be a part of the play movement in America that is working hard to reverse this trend — to take childhood off the Endangered Species List and restore play to its rightful place." Another play advocate, Mike Lanza, has formed a group called Playborhood. Pla…

PLAYGROUND SAFETY
Source: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/maytra.htm
Source: http://www.aap.org/family/playgrd.htm

* The playground should have safety-tested mats or loose-fill materials (shredded rubber, sand, wood chips, or bark) maintained to a depth of at least 9 inches. The protective surface should be installed at least 6 feet (more for swings and slides) in all directions from the equipment.
* Equipment should be carefully mainta…

A play-deprived childhood disrupts normal social, emotional and cognitive development in humans and animals. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. Research into animal behavior confirms play’s benefits and establishes its evolutionary importance: ultimately, play may provide animals (including humans) with skills that will help them s…

Want more innovation, creativity, and general job satisfaction? According to a new book entitled, The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play, what we learn in childhood—to be spontaneous, resourceful and full of imagination—offers us lifelong lessons for creativity and problem solving at work.

Why as adults do we lose our sense of play? Author Kevin Carroll suggests, " we dumb down the role of play, and …

Another study shows the benefits of adding playground markings like those encouraged by Peaceful Playgrounds.

Implementing simple, low-cost interventions during recess could help increase children’s activity according to a study conducted by the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation, Ministry of Education and Culture, Nicosia, Cyprus.

The research investigated the effects on playground markings and jump ropes in increasing children's …

It wasn't until recently that researchers turned their interest to children -- in whom exercise may have more impact. The brain's frontal lobe, thought to play a role in cognitive control, keeps growing throughout the school years, says Charles Hillman, associate professor of kinesiology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois. "Therefore, exercise could help ramp up the development of a child's brain," he says.

In a …

A new study suggests that kids who exercise aren’t only in better physical shape; they’re happier, too.

Canadian researcher Mark Holder and colleagues asked 375 children, ages 8-12, about what they did for fun, paying special attention to the amount of time the kids said they spent in “active” leisure activities—physical activities such as sports and exercise—or “passive” activities, such as watching TV, talking on the phone, or playing on the co…

Indoor playgrounds are growing. It seems odd just when we're hearing more and more research about the importance of children playing outside.

A study by Oliver Pergams of the University of Illinois-Chicago and Patricia Zaradic of the Environmental Leadership Program finds that park visits and applications to hunt, camp and fish in US National parks have decreased between 18 and 25 percent in the last twenty years.

It only takes listening to a…

The obesity epidemic has spurred many parents to try to get their kids to spend less time in front of the TV or computer and more time running around outside. But a new study suggests that kids who exercise aren’t only in better physical shape; they’re happier, too.

Canadian researcher Mark Holder and colleagues asked 375 children, ages 8-12, about what they did for fun, paying special attention to the amount of time the kids said they spent in “…

Grandparents.com is offering a free guide called, "Go outside and play!" It is a free download from their website. The guide has suggestions for fun activites that grandparents can do with grand kids.

Some activity settings include: Backyard afternoons, playgrounds, fund in the field, in touch with nature, & neighborhood action.

Peaceful Playgrounds and Fundamental Movement Programs have been selected for the Head Start Body Start Preferred Provider List for the competitive Play Space grants.

The Request For Proposal for the play space sub-grants is expected to be
released in early May! More information can be found on the Head Start Body Start Center for Physical Activity and Outdoor Play website.

For more information on the Center and Play Space Grants visit our featu…