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…

Residents of Balfour Beatty Communities at West Point wanted to provide a wheelchair accessible playground for children with disabilities and to help wounded warriors play with their children. That is when GameTime a playground manufacturer and Boundless Playgrounds a non-profit agency, decided to jump in and assist them.

The smiles on the faces of the children at West Point show just how important it is to make certain the playground is accessib…

Although playground design and equipment has improved significantly in recent years, experts say safety concerns remain, USA Today reports. Annually, almost 200,000 children go to the emergency room with playground injuries, and 90,000 of the cases involve serious injuries such as fractures, concussions and amputations, according to Chrissy Cianflone of Safe Kids USA.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notes that most injuries occur whe…

Reinventing Playgrounds
© A Design Mafia.

Registration is now open for the School Wellness Conference in Anaheim, CA. The conference will begin on October 5 for a pre-conference event, Finding common ground: Collaborating to prevent childhood obesity which will explore the foundations of collaboration among schools, cities and others. Specifically, it will address strategies for collaboration around nutrition, physical activity, joint-use of indoor and outdoor recreational facilities…

I bet you're thinking the healthcare bill is strictly about insurance coverage. According to Jeffrey Levi director of America's Trust, you would be wrong. “This isn’t just about health insurance,’’ he said. “This bill is about creating a healthier country through building paths, playgrounds, and parks."

These proposed additions have been characterized as part of a broad effort to improve the nation’s health “infrastructure’’ - and …

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…

Do you think school playgrounds should be open after hours for public use? Does your community need more practice space for youth sports teams? Would you like to take your child/grandchild to the local school playground instead of across town to a public park?

If you support this type of change check out the new website and information on Joint Use Agreements where community agencies and schools share their facilities. Newsletter sign up for J…

The Rand Research Corporation released a study indicating that a "nearly free" resource in the childhood obesity crisis is the local school park or playground. The study found that "girls who live farther than a half-mile from a school playground have a 3-percent higher body mass index than girls who do have playgrounds within a half mile of where they live."

The impact of the built environment on helping children and youth…

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.

A study was released yesterday which presented findings which are contradictory to previous studies on physical activity interventions. Previously research has focused on the assumption that creating more opportunity for children to be active – by providing more playgrounds, sports facilities and more physical education time in schools – will mean more physical active children.

Scientists, who presented their research Thursday at the European Co…

If you are enjoying the Recess Blog feed from Peaceful Playgrounds then you should also check out the Nutrition and Physical Activity News Blog from Morten Copenhagen. He has an amazing blog with 10 topics merged into one Rss Feed. You can sign up for one of the feeds below or all 10.

1 News on Nutrition, obesity prevention, obeseogenic environments and related policies
1.1 Fruit and Vegetables
1.2 Whole Grains
1.3 School Nutrition
1.4 Food Servi…

Learning to play "differently" was the goal of the new playground in Tucson last week. Manana Elementary School installed a new Peaceful Playground complete with 13 new game markings designed to reduce injuries, get students physically active and reduce bullying.

Colorful lines, letters, numbers and shapes blanket the courts — all used in a variety of games, including bowling, dodge ball and a multi-use circle.

Research shows that the …

FREE WEBINAR- Friday, December 5 - 10:00 AM PST -
Free registration for this date!
A few brave principals across the nation are bringing a long standing school tradition to an end. They are advocating Recess Before Lunch. Recent research shows the number of schools implementing Recess before Lunch is rapidly growing.

Kids eat more, waste less food, return to class calmer, behave better and as a result, instruction time is increased. Sounds great…

Contrary to popular belief last fall, SF school playgrounds are proving to be safe public play spaces for children. For the past 30 years most California schools have closed their playgrounds and fields to the public fearing that the schools would be vandalized. In SF however, the pilot of 11 schools playgrounds open for public use for the past year is proving to do just the opposite. Participating schools so far say the extra traffic actual…

Your first webinar free through Dec. 31, 2008.


A Peaceful Playground? Sound Impossible???? It's not. With a few proven strategies we'll show you how to reduce bullying, and reduce playground conflicts, resulting in happy students and a thankful staff.

Our research indicates that 5 situations contribute to 95% of all problems on typical elementary school playgrounds. In this fast paced webinar we'll share those problem situations a…

Slyde the Playground Hound is loved by children and respected by adults for his “cool” and “careful” ways at the playground. With SLYDE by your side, children become aware of playground safety in a way that is fun, entertaining and easy to remember. Teachers can check out the SLYDE KID ZONE for coloring book activities, comics, games and other fun resources for students.

When a Philadelphia 4 year old feel off a cork screw while playing on an elementary school playground structure the case rested on three legal issues. 1. The depth of the surfacing, 2. in adequate supervision, and 3. age appropriate equipment. It was alledged that all three conditions contributed to the injury ( fracture of the child's left arm) according to attorney's involved in the case.

It seems the depth of the surfacing did not…

Goody’s Good Deeds for Schools grants help local schools pay for things they really need but can’t afford through regular education funding. Maximum award: $10,000.

Eligibility: schools in communities where Goody’s stores are located. Fifty schools will be funded in 08-09.

The classroom or school receiving the funds can spend $10,000 on their pipe dreams to whatever will improve the environment for learning including playgrounds, playground equipm…