Tired of grant writing for your PE or recess equipment? Here's an opportunity using an e-script program to avoid those long hours of writing.

Fitness and good nutrition are important for a healthy life and a priority for Safeway.

With fitness and nutrition programs being reduced or even eliminated in schools, Safeway Inc. is asking that 20% of more than $20 million that it donates be allocated to fitness and nutrition programs.

Safeway's s…
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…
Wilson & Hartwell, ages 7 & 9, are taking action in trying to reduce childhood obesity in their state. Mississippi is known for having some of the worst childhood obesity statistics in the country.

Their idea is simple. Give every elementary age child in the state a ball.

Research has shown that giving children consumable equipment will endorse moment and physical activity.

They started their mission in January and have already donated over…
If you want your child to be more active, try throwing him a ball
Tara Parker Pope / The New York Times

Simple playthings such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops and riding toys do more for encouraging physical activity than swings, jungle gyms and other stationary playground equipment, according to a recent report in the ‘American Journal of Preventive Medicine’.
The findings are important because they show that schools and day-care centers don’t ne…
Getting preschool kids moving is simple. Give them a ball, hula hoop, or tricycle. The expensive play structures are not required when concerned about childhood obesity according to a surprised researcher. "We were surprised but encouraged to find that inexpensive equipment could add to kids' opportunities to be outside," says senior author Dianne Ward of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Public He…