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.

Thursday August 28th @ 12noon PST : Registration Link http://ow.ly/AHz00

Wednesday 9/3 @ 9am PST Registration Link http://ow.ly/AHz34

Monday 9/8 @ 11am PST Registration Link http://ow.ly/AHz6S

Tuesday 9/16 @ 4pm PST Registration Link http:/…

Coming Fall 2013PLAYGROUND SUPERVISION: A How To Guide For Playground Supervisors The book will include:

Chapter 1 includes Featured Articles on: Playground Supervision Reduces Injuries, People Make a Difference on the Playground, Playground Supervision Accident or Injury, The Effects of Peaceful Playgrounds on Injuries and Playgrounds Can Be Safe: Injury Reduction.

Chapter 2 includes Tip Sheets for playground supervisors to take to the pla…

Area district attorneys from MA find themselves inundated with calls following a South Hadley teen's suicide. The state legislature is struggling to craft anti-bullying legislation but concerned parents, school administrators and law enforcement are getting anxious about their role and responsibility in responding to bullying.

"It has been an explosion," Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said, referring to the number…

In what could turn out to be a landmark decision, a court ordered a school district to pay $800,000 in damages as a result of student who was bullied. The decision is unique as it was alleged that a student was bullied and harassed in both junior high school and the name calling continued until it escalated into pushing him into lockers at his high school.

This ruling puts schools and districts on alert that "it isn’t enough to simply stop…

Great anti- bullying video.

Other blogs and articles on the topic of bullying.

Why Bullying Programs Succeed or Fail.

Bullying Prevention: Life's Lessons in Good and Evil.


Kids Learn How to Play Nice.

With mounting lawsuits and tight budgets recess is again on the chopping block at some districts despite evidence of its importance.

Free play or free form play is a type of play that we support here at Peaceful Playgrounds. People often misinterpret the organization that we provide with our many game markings and choices as "structuring" recess and incorrectly assume that we recommend that schools require participation in one of our…

Current educational practice and policy focus overwhelmingly on academic achievement, but this is only one element of student learning and development. A child is more than a grade on a test. Given what we now know about learning and development, we can do better and we can do more.

Sign the ASCD Whole Child petition to tell your state board of education that they must do more to educate the whole child. Because when we can do more, then we shoul…

There's something that's supposed to keep children from fighting on the playground, reduce playground injuries, and a lot more.

What is this miracle?

Marana's Twin Peaks Elementary School is trying it, a program called Peaceful Playgrounds according to the news coverage from KOLD Channel 9 Tucson, Az.

What began with some paint, ropes, hoops and balls ended with students problem solving, gaining new skills and learning a thing or two…

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…

Introducing our next FEATURED ARTICLE.

Why is it that some schools have found the magic formula to orderly classrooms and a safe emotional and physical environment for learning, while other schools experience continuing discipline disruptions to the learning environment? We reviewed research for a list of prevention strategies including how to enforce school rules and being proactive in playground problems.

According to the research, sch…

The 2008 Carol White PEP Grant winners were announced in a press release yesterday by the Department of Education Safe Schools Office. Ninety-seven schools, districts, and organizations were selected in this first round of funding.

The purpose of the PEP Grant Program is to provide funds to local education agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve K-12 Physical Education Programs. The funding it to be used to …

CFF School Garden Grant Program
This program administered by the California Fertilizer Foundation (CFF) offers a $1,200 unrestricted grant, a $50 gift card to Home Depot, and age-appropriate educational materials to California schools for gardening projects. At the end of each year, winning schools can re-apply for a progress grant of $1,500 and a free agricultural field trip.
http://www.calfertilizer.org/grant.htm
Deadline Date:
06/15/2008

Capta…

Marian Wright Edelman wrote a great article for the Huffington Post on Bullying called "Let's Take it Seriously." She makes some compelling points in the post. Here's a few: "Bullying is the aggressive, intentional, physical, verbal or psychological abuse of a chosen victim carried out through a pattern of behavior that is repeated over time. It can take the form of violence, threats, name-calling or cyber attacks. Childr…

Tracy Bale, a new principal at Spencer County High School in Kentucky set out to make some changes to school culture. But unlike what most principals resort to in "getting schools back in control" (by adding new rules) he focused on building new relationships.

Bale's advice for other educators who want to build a school environment that supports learning: show you care. "A high-achieving school is a school where adults care…

When the Town of Riverhead was deciding what type of field to install at a new park in Calverton, officials first leaned toward synthetic turf, which would allow heavier use with lower maintenance costs than natural grass.

But questions about potential health risks from the ground-up tires that cushion the artificial turf led the board to select real grass instead. Some cities, parks and recreation departments and schools appear to choose the &q…

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 numbe…

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 ne…

It's not often that legislators in both parties agree. Even more rare is a bill with a unanimous outcome. But that is exactly what happen this week when Kentucky legislators voted on anti-bullying legislation.

The bill would prohibit bullying and harassment among students in Kentucky's public schools and require school districts to put procedures in place to handle reports of such behavior. The bill passed the House today by a vote of 9…

Now it is easier than ever to spread the power of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program!
A ground-breaking set of three DVD's and three accompanying Rules Guides is now available, that can be used by teachers and students alike, to easily learn how many exciting and constructive playground games are played!

Navigate the easy-to-use menus to select any of over 25 games actually filmed being played by real students, games for Pre-school and Kindergar…

A Florida judge over turned a jury's $4 million award to a elementary school age boy that was bullied at recess. The judge cut the award to $600,000.

Hillsborough County Circuit Judge William Levens wrote in his order that the boy's attorney delivered an "improper and unfairly prejudicial" closing argument. The attorney's words, Levens wrote, were inflammatory and focused on punishment rather than the facts of the case.

On J…