Non-Competitive Play Leads To More Physical Activity In Children

A new study from Pediatrics June 08 found that non-competitive games resulted in more physically active children when compare to competitive games. It seems that most competitive games (included in the study) involved games of elimination which limited participation time. More students reported enjoying participating in games of elimination however.

"This study highlights the importance of quality over quantity in a physical activity sessions for children," Researcher Bruggeman said. "It is important to promote non-elimination games to increase physical activity participation, but also important to monitor levels of enjoyment to foster a healthy, fun environment in youth."

More on physical activity and games of elimination......

Playworld System swing sets recalled

WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Playground Swing Sets made by Playworld Systems Inc. of Lewisburg, Pa. No injuries have been reported but the clevis that holds the swing can wear down, causing the swing to detach, creating a falling hazard, a CPSC statement said.

The swing sets were sold through authorized dealers from January 2007 through February 2008 for between $770 and $3,100.

Consumers are advised to immediately remove the swing from the frame until a repair kit is installed.

Consumers can call Playworld Systems at 800-233-8404 for further information.

About 17,300 swing sets were sold, CPSC reported.

AZ to Mandate Recess

AZ lawmakers to decide if recess should be mandatory By Howard FischerCapitol Media Services Tucson, Arizona |

PHOENIX — State lawmakers are weighing whether to elevate recess to the same level as readin’, writin’ and 'rithmetic as required subjects.
Legislation awaiting state House action this week would require schools to provide at least 30 minutes of recess each day for students in grades one through six on top of the minimum 20 minutes they now get for lunch. But the fate of the measure is uncertain. It has drawn objections from some school officials who insist there isn’t enough time in a day to teach kids what they need, without adding a mandatory.HB 2037 cleared the Senate last week. But the 17-10 vote showed several senators are siding with the districts.

A good reminder: Drawstrings a choking hazard

Boston apparel maker Life is good Inc. has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle claims that it distributed children's sweatshirts with drawstrings that could be hazardous and failed to notify government regulators about it according to the Boston Globe.

The drawstrings have caused injuries and even death when they have gotten tangled on such items as playground equipment, bus doors, and cribs, regulators said. No one was reported injured by the Life is Good sports wear according to authorities thanks to a prompt recall. However such events serve as a timely reminder to school personnel that they should be aware of the danger of drawstrings in kids sweatshirts and remove them if necessary.

"The apparel industry needs to get in compliance across the board with these guidelines. ... The impact of not complying with it can be deadly," according to a CPSC spokesperson.

A Winning Strategy behind Rock, Paper, Scissors Game

When it comes to the Rock, Paper, Scissor game,
it's all in fun but still a little strategy never hurts.
Scientists in the UK have "studied" this popular playground game and concluded that one should start with scissors as it has a psychological advantage.

Research shows that a rock (or stone) is the most popular of the three possible moves in the game of quickfire hand gestures.
If your opponent expects you to pick stone, they will choose paper to outwit you.
Therefore, by going with scissors, you will win, because scissors beat paper. Who knew such strategy would prove helpful?

If you find this intriguing, read on to find out how a 10 year old girl advised her father and successfully secured Christie's auction house of a $10 million deal in 2005.

Recess Before Lunch Schedule Podcast

As you may know I’m a retired principal but I’d be the first to admit that changing the education system is a lot like turning around a huge cruise ship in a small harbor. Possible but not probable and it requires lots of maneuvering.

However, a few brave principals across the nation are doing just that and bringing a long stranding school tradition to an end. They are advocating recess before lunch.

And in doing so they are getting some amazing results. Kids eat more, waste less food, return to class calmer, behave better and as a result instruction time is increased.

Listen to this weeks PodCast Program -
Recess Before Lunch Schedule

Support Materials -
Recess Doctor Powerpoint Presentation
Recess Before Lunch Program Brochure

More Information -
Recess Before Lunch Guide to Success Site

Recess Before Lunch: Breaking with Tradition

As an educator, I'm the first to admit that getting things to change inside the education system is like turning a huge cruise ship around in a small harbor. Possible but not probable and it requires lots of maneuvering. However, a few principals across the nation are doing just that and bringing a long standing school tradition to an end, they are advocating recess before lunch.

In doing so they are finding some amazing results: kids eat more, waste less food, return to class calmer, behave better and as a result instructional time is increased.

It seems to be working for middle schools and elementary schools alike. “We’ve been doing it for three years, and it has made all the difference in the world, especially in the afternoon classes,” said Kim Anderson, principal of Central School, a grade 5 to 8 school in Whitefish, Montana. “They used to come in [from recess] hot, sweaty, and fired up. It would take teachers five or six minutes to get them back to a teachable mode. We’ve reclaimed five to ten minutes of instruction time every day.”

Two elementary schools that switched recess and lunch also reported healthier, happier students. Post-recess ailments were among the reasons North Ranch Elementary School in Scottsdale, Arizona, changed its schedule. “We got the idea [of recess before lunch] from the school nurse who had been to a conference,” said principal Dr. Sarah Hartley. “It gets very hot here, and the kids were eating and then playing in the heat. The nurse was reporting a lot of headaches and stomachaches after lunch.”

North Ranch was the first elementary school in its district to make the change; now 16 out of 31 elementary schools have switched.

Katie Bark, a dietician who is a member of the Montana Team Nutrition Program, said her group has been researching the affects of holding recess before lunch for several years. The project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture; one of the directives from the USDA is for schools to develop a healthy nutritional environment.

The team developed some guidelines for schools interested in changing their schedules, called Recess Before Lunch Policy: Kids Play and then Eat!

Click for complete Education World Article.

Ten Alternatives to Tag

Robyn Hooker, principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean, Va., added her name to the list of principals last week when she eliminated "tag" as one of the recess game choices. Hooker explained to parents in a letter this month that tag had become a game "of intense aggression," and it seems the kid's tag game turned into a game of "pile up" instead.

See a great animation of the game of tag from the Virginian Pilot Newspaper!

Since tag continues to get unsatisfactory reviews from some schools and some principals, I put together a list of 10 activities that provide alternatives to tag. Click for the rules to the games list below as alternatives to tag.

1. Jumprope
2. Jogging-set up the field for laps and have children run and gather Popsicle stick per lap.
3. Hopscotch
4. Kickball5. Catch
6. Cat’s in the Cradle
7. Chinese Jump Rope
8. Telephone
9. Follow the leader
10.Keep Away

Blog topics in which we presented alternatives..............
Alternative fundraisers to unhealthy food
Alternatives to withholding recess.
Alternatives to tag.

Should tag be allowed in elementary schools? What are your thoughts?

SOPLAY instrument for Observing Kids At Play

At Peaceful Playgrounds we often receive phone calls asking for an instrument that schools and/or researchers can use to assess physical activity. We most often refer these folks to Thom McKenzie Ph.D. at San Diego State University (CA) and his SOPLAY Instrument which is a system for observing play and leisure activity in youth.

SOPLAY is a validated direct observation tool for assessing physical activity and associated environmental characteristics in free play settings (e.g., recess and lunch at school).

SOPLAY provides objective data on the number of participants and their physical activity levels during play and leisure opportunities in targeted areas. Separate scans are made for males and females, and simultaneous entries for contextual characteristics of areas including their accessibility, usability, and whether or not supervision, organized activities, and equipment are provided. The predominant type of activity engaged in by area users is also recorded (e.g., basketball, dance).

Spring into a Safe Playground

Winter was officially over and Spring is here so it's time to think about sending kids out to the playground. Here's some tips for making the playground safe.

1. After snow, rain or other elements the playground surfacing may be in need of refilling or loose fill ( wood chips, pea gravel, sand etc.) needs "fluffed up" (raked and groomed after a winter compacting). A 12" minimum an fill evenly throughout the play structure area.

2. Check the sandbox area for broken glass or sharp objects that may have ended up there over the winter.

3. Think about re-training your playground supervisors by providing a quick overview on playground rules and safety.

4. Have a short assembly and remind students of behavior expectations especially outdoor behavior that can lead to conflicts.

5. Replenish recess equipment carts. Throw away flat balls and order replacements.

Download our 10 Tips for a Peaceful Playground and spring into a safe playground season.

Research on Recess

Rachel Sindelar wrote an article entitled, "Is recess necessary in the 21st Century?"

In her report she talks about the trend to eliminate recess and the debate over whether or not recess should remain a standard part of the elementary school daily schedule. The report also identifies the major issues surrounding this debate, summarizes some of the literature relating to the topic of recess, and guides the reader to additional resources on recess.

This report is a great overview of recess research. Recess Necessary Report.......

Running : Miracle-Gro for the Brain

On many elementary school campuses in San Diego, California children run for 15 or 20 minutes each morning to fight childhood obesity with before-school running clubs. An additional bonus that has received much attention in the last few months is the theory that running also boosts brain development.

The importance of physical activity was also documented by the California Department of Education study that showed a correlation between the number of state physical fitness standards children meet and how well they scored on reading and math tests.

Classroom teachers insist there is an instant payoff to a few laps. Children who get off to a running start take the momentum into their first class where they seemed to arrive without the usually wiggles that can interfere with learning.

John Ratey of Harvard Medical School and author of “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” said exercise increases the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor that helps the brain do its job better.

“That is what I call Miracle-Gro for the brain,” Ratey said.

The protein encourages brain cells to sprout synapses, which contribute to learning.

Rene, a fifth-grade student in San Diego has already learned an important life lesson.
“I'm trying to live a better life by running,” Rene said. “The more you run, the healthier you can be.”

Pedometers are another way to motivate kids to run. The We Count Program includes step charts and stickers for getting kids moving.

Bringing peace to the playground

BY CHRIS WIEBE
The Leader- Burbank, CA
March 6, 2008

MAGNOLIA PARK DISTRICT — During a game of four-square at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School Wednesday, second-graders Luis Reyes, 7, and Cassidy McNeill, 8, reached an impasse over a point.

“It was in,” Luis said.

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“It’s out!” Cassidy fired back.

But before the conflict escalated any further, the two broke out into a spontaneous game of rock-paper-scissors and Luis — losing his paper to Cassidy’s scissors on the first throw — skipped away without further debate to join the other students in line waiting to play.

The episode is an everyday occurrence at Roosevelt, where the school’s “Peaceful Playgrounds” program sets explicit rules and dispute resolution activities to help children get along during lunchtime and recess.

The program, which has operated informally for the past year, will receive a boost from the Burbank Kiwanis Friday, with the donation of $1,000 that enables Roosevelt to contract with the countrywide Peaceful Playground program. The national affiliation will put the school in a network of thousands of schools privy to updates on and ideas on how the program is run, Roosevelt Principal Betsy Quinn said.

“The purpose of it is to solve a conflict quickly and keep playing, maximizing the time that children have to play so they’re not fretting or arguing about it,” she said. “And quite frankly problems on the playground have gone down dramatically.”

To carry out the program, Roosevelt officials first marked the blacktop with game boundaries — for everything from traditional games like basketball and four-square to newer games like long ball and extreme dodge ball.

Then a 3-inch-by-5-inch rule booklet governing the games was distributed to students, parents and yard monitors, which also covers safe and proper use of slides, monkey bars, jump ropes and other playground equipment, Quinn said.

“It’s a matter of teaching children what the rules are for each of the games,” she said. “And they can’t make up games, and they can’t make up rules for games.”

Playground conflicts often germinate from more aggressive children taking advantage of the others, or changing the rules midstream to benefit themselves or their team, she said. But having a system of explicit rules in place puts everyone on common ground.

“With basketball, for example, no matter what grade, there are the same rules and one of the bottom-lying premises of the program is that everyone plays or no one plays,” she said. “So you can’t exclude people.”

And the idea is ingrained in the children, who eagerly recite the precepts of the program.

“You get to play more than you’re arguing,” Cassidy said.

Roosevelt parents report seeing tangible improvements in schools as a result of the program.

Burbank resident Jane LeGate-Clarke has noticed the impact of the program on her children, Carson Clarke, 7, a second-grader, and Cole Clarke, 11, who graduated from Roosevelt last year.

“I think it’s been fabulous because when my older son went through he had lots of issues with kids changing the rules when you get up to play a game and who was supposed to set the rules,” she said. “And it kind of got to be not fun for him. And I’ve noticed a huge difference with less complaining and, especially with my younger son, they even solve the problems on their own.”

And conflict resolution techniques have also spilled over into the home, where Carson and Cole sometimes decide things like who gets the bathroom first in the morning with a game of rock, paper, scissors, she said.

“I just have definitely seen a huge difference and I feel better,” LeGate-Clark said. “I feel more rested and at ease about knowing that there’s not going to be something bad happening [at school].”

Studies show that children who consistently have negative experiences on the playground tend to be withdrawn and uncommunicative in the classroom, said Roosevelt parent Laura Anderson, who has helped organize the Peaceful Playgrounds program.

“I feel like it’s a great, positive tool to empower kids,” she said.

Say Yes to Recess

Ed Week ran a story called, "Say Yes to Recess"
The following is a response from a CA Physical Educator who addressed the many benefits of recess.

Being free to make choices and to play is absolutely necessary to children as they develop social skills, which todays children seem to lack, as well promoting creativity. Only play/exercise truly develops these skills, at a young age.

The neuro-scientists have been telling us, for some time now how fundamentally important play and exercise are to neurogenesis, brain health and cognitive development. Paying attention to the science is something long overdue.

There are two things that elementary teachers, supervisors, administrators should be doing during recess: 1. seeing that relative safety practices are in place. That means bullying, in particular is not allowed to take place. 2. They should encourage children to find some activity that they can do. Something vigorous is good~~it puts students into an improved state of learning readiness, but even walking and talking for 20 or 30 minutes is valuable, and should be promoted.

Physical education classes should focus on teaching individual skills, health and fitness, lifelong activities. Team sports should be included, but teams should be small so that everyone is active the entire time, and the question(s) at the end of the period shouldn't be "Who won?", but "Did you get a good workout" and "Did you have fun?"

Joe Herzog, Fresno California
Retired after 36 years of being a physical educator (not a "gym" teacher, thank you!)

A Peaceful Playground. Isn't that the dream.......

An updated playground is more than play space
Boeckman - Fitness and creative play are emphasized with the school's improvements
Thursday, February 21, 2008
CATHIE ERICSON
Special to The Oregonian

A peaceful playground -- isn't that the dream of all students, parents and educators? Where recess is a time of socialization, fresh air and physical activity, rather than a period marked by conflict and bullying.

That's the concept behind the new playground at Wilsonville's Boeckman Creek Primary School.

The improvement project began in November 2006 when several parents indicated an interest in updating the playground. Ten parents and four staff members volunteered to form a committee and established the goal of a space with activities that would develop fitness and allow for cooperative, imaginative play.

As they researched physical and social education and development, they were drawn to Peaceful Playgrounds, a program developed by a former teacher and elementary school principal in 1992 to address discipline problems and advance social and motor skills.

Peaceful Playgrounds takes a resource most playgrounds already have -- space -- and transforms blacktops and fields into play areas with activities and games. With more choices, children are more likely to engage in physical activity.

More than 8,000 schools nationwide use Peaceful Playgrounds. It has been recognized by groups including the National School Safety Center for increasing physical activity and decreasing bullying and injuries.

Boeckman Creek's new playground is being phased in as funds become available. A PTA auction last year raised $14,000, and at last fall's PTA-sponsored Fun Run, students helped raise $24,000.

Over the summer, games such as four square, hopscotch and alphabet leapfrog were stenciled onto the blacktop. New equipment, including 10 swings, two tire swings, a wall ball area and a remodeled fitness area, arrived during winter break.

More games and activities will be introduced this spring when painting weather arrives and the school can round up parent and community volunteers.

Morris said the new playground offers the students many more choices for activity. As a result "they are spending time in play and learning to cooperate with others," she said. "Each day is another opportunity to develop not only physically, but also as the person they want to be with a strong moral character."

Deets said the staff saw fewer "behavior discipline referrals" during recess last month, the first month the new playground has really been up and running.

He also said instructional assistants have noticed fewer students wandering around with "nothing to do."

"Many students who were frequently engaged in loosely structured chase games have found new activities to participate in," Deets said. "All in all, we see the kids being happier, with more smiles, as they enjoy the new playground."

Recess Discussion: Should it be mandatory?

Should Recess Be Mandatory?

Remember recess? Kids playing kickball or tag, hopping on the swings or skipping rope. Recess is endangered at many schools. To meet the demand for better academic performance, schools are cutting back on recess time. In some schools recess is more like study hall in a classroom. Is the decline of recess contributing to childhood obesity? Does recess help kids get along? Should the state make recess mandatory for all schools? Or is recess just fooling around?


Related Links:
* 'Should Recess Be A Required Course?' Everett Herald

* 'School Recess Gets Smaller; Adults are Dismayed,' New York Times

Alternatives to withholding recess

QUESTION FROM A KDG TEACHER:
“I am looking into alternatives to taking away recess as a form of
punishment. At our elementary school, the children have a 30 minute recess
period every day. However, if a child does something during the day (hitting,
biting, etc.) the punishment is usually missing recess. Our board has determined
that this is not in keeping with our new wellness policy. I am researching
alternatives.”
ANSWER:
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.
Download 60 Alternatives to Withholding Recess and do your part in getting
kids active at www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/recess-alt.htm

Zero Cost Alternatives (Positive think "earned as opposed to taking away")

1. Sit by friends
2. Watch a video
3. Read outdoors
4. Teach the class
5. Have extra art time
6. Extra music and reading time
7. Homework coupon
8. Coupon for prizes and privileges
9. Enjoy class outdoors
10. Play a computer game
11. Read to a younger class
12. Get a no homework pass
13. Make deliveries to the office
14. Listen to music while working
15. Play a favorite game or puzzle
16. Earn play money for privileges
17. Walk with a teacher during lunch
18. Be a helper in another classroom
19. Eat lunch with a teacher or principal
20. Dance to favorite music in the classroom
21. Get “free choice” time at the end of the day
22. Listen with a headset to a book on audiotape
23. Have a teacher perform special skills (i.e. sing)
24. Have a teacher read a special book to the class
25. Recognition with morning announcements
26. Chat break at the end of class
27. Taking care of the class pet

More alternatives to withholding recess.....

The Importance of Recess

Posted on The Elementary Educator - Written by blogger Mark Pullen a third grade teacher from Michigan.


Amid all of the current pressures to get students to achieve on standardized tests, school administrators in some districts around the United States have created extra academic time for their students by getting rid of something that they feel no longer is useful: recess.

“There’s too much to do,” says Rosemary Agneessens, principal of Creighton Elementary School in Phoenix, where morning and afternoon recesses for even the littlest kids were eliminated two years ago.

The same sentiment was put even more bluntly by Benjamin O. Canada, superintendent of schools in Atlanta, when he told The New York Times, “We are intent on improving academic performance. You don’t do that by having kids hanging on the monkey bars.”

Or do you?

Stewart Trost, assistant professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, asserts, ”Kids who have recess display an improved ability to stay on task, are less fidgety in the classroom and are better behaved…movement is essential to the physical and social development of all children.”

Echoing those sentiments is Olga Jarrett, a child development specialist from Georgia State University: “An experimental study found that fourth-graders were more on-task, less fidgety and less disruptive in the classroom on days when they had recess, with hyperactive children among those who benefited the most. Breaks are helpful, both for attention and for classroom management and discipline.”

Ask any teacher after a rainy day where the students had to stay inside, and I guarantee you’ll get the same response: recess matters. In a country where nearly 20% of our children are obese, 4.4 million children are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, and after-school time for children is frequently hyper-structured, does anyone who’s worked with kids really think that banning recess is a good idea?

Get the children outside. And while they’re there, maybe we adults should try it as well. Maybe it would clear our minds so we would quit trying to implement such horrible ideas on our children.

Washington to Legislate Mandatory Recess

The Washington Kitsap Sun ran an article recently on a state legislator wants to make recess mandatory in the state of Washington. Below are the comments I posted in response to the article. I hope that you will take a minute and post comments as well.

Check out the article and comments at....

Posted by recessdoctor on January 21, 2008 at 5:07 a.m.

Of course kids need recess and a "kid break." It is sad that we need legislation to make it happen.

I wonder how many adults would stand by and let their "work break" go by the wayside so that they could be "more productive."

Let's let "kids be kids" and release them for some break time with peers and to get out and get a little fresh air.

Recess is a research based intervention for the childhood obesity crisis. Check out:www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/research.htm

We should all be thanking Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma, for the mandatory recess bill.

Eight states have mandatory recess: Number growing

Wanting their children to receive mandatory recess time every school day, a group of township parents repeatedly approached the township board of education last year to see what could be done.

Soon, lawmakers took notice.

Pointing to their concerns as a motivating factor, Assemblyman Joseph Malone III, R-30, is sponsoring a state Assembly bill to establish a task force on public school student recess.

If adopted, New Jersey would become the ninth state to have a recess policy. At the present time, only California, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin have enacted such a measure.

The idea for the task force came partly in response to Howell's ongoing debate of whether there should be mandatory recess time set aside each school day.

More on NJ push for mandatory recess....