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

CBS in Canada ran a 19 minute documentary on an alternative high school and their exercise program based on Dr. John Raney's SPARK book and research known as Brain Gain Theory.

New research and pilot fitness programs in schools are showing positive results that exercise helps the human brain learn.

Video: Brain Gains

Contributed by JC Boushh A child’s physical environment has the ability to shape the structure of the brain and form vital neural connections that lead to increased brain functions, and in contrast so do children’s play environments. As children become more exposed to the fast paced technological lifestyle of video games, they crave novel and complex play environments that challenge and engage them beyond what they can experience in the two dime…

by JC BoushhArchitect Gerald Reifert, who specializes in school design, writes in the Daily Journal of Commerce that early childhood outdoor environments need several key design elements. They need areas to test their limits, areas that create comfort, areas for developing competency, and areas for learning self-control, and exposure to nature. Each one of these design elements plays an optimal role in creating not only a great outdoor play envi…

Contributed by JC BoushhA recent article in Newsweek magazine blamed the decline of children's creativity on two likely factors. The numbers of hour’s kids now spend watching TV and playing video games and the lack of creativity development in our schools. The most optimal outdoor learning environment not only incorporates developmentally appropriate playground equipment, natural landscape features for exploration, but also the novelty and c…

Educators and neuroscientists are beginning to understand the importance of recess. Years ago kids went to recess as it was good for their health to get outside, experience the fresh air and get a break from sitting inside classrooms for extended periods of time. Today we are beginning to recognize the many other benefits of recess as well.


Sutapa Ray, a neuroscientist with the Bellevue children's software company Neuropath Learning identi…

For some time, researchers have known that exercise changes the structure of the brain, resulting in improvements in concentration, fidgeting and creates new brain cells.

The body-mind link is well documented. But current thinking and actions (like eliminating recess and physical education) leads me to question if some decisions reflect the cliché that "our bodies exist to carry our heads around."Current thinking on the topic however, a…

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 …