We were asked to pass on this information for Shane's Inspiration. They are a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities through building accessible playgrounds. They are conducting a contest which results in supporting 6 communitites in building accessible play spaces.

Retiring teacher leads effort to combat bullying and obesity by organizing playground.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Let's Move in School (LMIS), a national initiative to increase physical activity before, during, and after school, was introduced by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and its National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) on February 1, 2011.

Take a look at the LMIS Promotional Video!

In support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, the initiative helps yo…

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…

Colorado lawmakers are starting work on mandatory recess / physical activity requirements for schools.

The measure approved in committee Monday afternoon requires all elementary school students to receive 30 minutes a day of physical activity. It now goes to a vote in the House.

House Bill 1069 would allow physical education classes to count toward the requirement, but recess couldn't replace P.E.

Nine states and the District of Columbia enact…

The latest news supporting recess comes from a survey of 1,951 principals or deputy, assistant, or vice principals polled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It found that:

* Recess has a positive impact on academic achievement.
* Student listen better after recess and are more focused in class.
* Recess has a beneficial effect on children's social development.
* Recess improves children's well-being overall.


Find out more…

Ohio leave no child inside video urges teachers and parents to see to it that all children play outside at least once per day.



Need some outdoor game ideas? Check out the Peaceful Playgrounds instructional games DVD's.

For those of you who read this blog for recess information, I discovered a new website full of interesting information about recess.

It was started by a handful of parents in the Beacon City School District who have children in all four of the elementary schools in Beacon. Each parent individually had become concerned with the number of days our children spent inside a classroom rather than going outside for recess.

The website is called a plac…

A Chicago group is organizing about 300 parents for a task force to address the issue of reinstating recess in hopes of overcoming past hurdles according to the Chicago Tribune. One parent, Lori Morton has been working on it for nearly five years as a member of a larger effort organized by Chicago's Community Organizing and Family Issues group, or COFI.

Her efforts appear to be paying off.

From parents to principals, teachers, Chicago Publ…

A quick review of Peaceful Playgrounds Featured articles shows that the
Right to Recess Tool kit and the National Recess Campaign Information is the most viewed resources for featured article visitors.

You can have the Peaceful Playgrounds Right to Recess Campaign Toolbox sent directly to your email box. The campaign toolbox contains a full PowerPoint presentation and speakers notes along with all research and documents to support daily, unstr…

Physical Activity Used as Punishment - This position statement addresses the inappropriate use of or withdrawal from physical activity as a disciplinary consequence, both within and outside of the school environment.


Arizona HB2037 - Minimum Recess and Lunch Periods - Requires school districts to provide 30 minutes of recess daily in addition to a minimum 20 minute lunch period to each pupil in grades one through six.


Michigan Board of Education L…

Sixty Alternatives to Withholding Recess is the third most viewed Featured Article.

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.

For more information on improving recess and recess research download the Right to Recess Tool kit.

The January Play Nice Newsletter has been released.

Topics include:

Top Ten Activities for Indoor Recess

Update: Parents in California Can Sue District for not Providing Physical Eduction

Winter Olympians Speak Out on Fair Play.

Head Start Body Start: the National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play has developed a great movement and nutrition resource for teachers and parents called Healthy Home. Healthy Homes is a downloadable, reproducible resource designed to promote healthy lifestyles for young children and their families. Healthy Homes includes a fun movement activity, nutrition message, and healthy recipe. The downloadable resources come in English a…

Students at Pablo Elementary School compete in the Henkel Helps Kids Get Fit contest to win $25,000 to improve health and fitness education, equipment, technology, resources and services for its students and the community. Physical education teacher Darci Nice hopes to use a portion of the award to implement a Peaceful Playgrounds Recess Program which will encourage the student’s to be more physically active during recess. Of Pablo Elementary’s …

Contributed by JC Boushh Research published in the American Society for Microbiology indicates that dirt as actually beneficial for children and can affect then cognitively in a positive way. In the age of hand wipes and Purell parents and teachers can finally let their children experience the value of playing the dirt. The research indicates that children who play outdoors can inhale a soil-borne bacterium that has positive effects on cognition…

Each year since the inception of the Champions for Healthy Kids program, the General Mills Foundation has awarded 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups like this that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle.

Deadline for Applications: December 15, 2010

Application link.



Remember to include Peaceful Playgrounds in your grant application as we were selected as a model program.

Peaceful P…

Contributed by JC BoushhLast week I attended the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference and had the opportunity to not only lecture on the value of free-play for children, but to also here many fellow advocates who share my beliefs in the importance of children’s play. I also learned that NAEYC is in the process of organizing a panel to prepare an official position on children’s play, and in NAEYC’s infinite w…

Kudo's to Parenting Magazine and the November issue in which they made the case for school day recess.

We've all heard of "the three R's": reading, writing, and arithmetic. The latest issue of Parenting School Years magazine is adding a fourth "R" to that list... RECESS!

What advice to they give for parents facing recess elimination? Contact your state recess advocate or visit www.Peacefulplaygrounds.com.

Than…

An article with resources on How to Establish a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program in Your District was recently released and supported by the California School Boards Association, California Project Lean, Successful Students and funded through the California Endowment.

The identify the following five areas are critical components in a comprehensive program:

1. Quality PE

2. Physical Activity During the School Day including recess and c…