A study from Spain indicates that an afterschool physical activity program helped lessen the number of overweight and obese fourth- and fifth-grade girls, but not boys, and led to declines in cholesterol levels in girls and boys, report study researchers.

The MOVI program - 90 minutes of after-school games, dance, or sports such as soccer and basketball was held 3 days a week.


Grant Writing Webinar Today PST at 10. Wednesday, March 31, 2010 -��…

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Pepsi announced plans Tuesday to stop selling its sugary drinks in schools around the world by 2012.

Pepsi will sell water, fat-free or low-fat milk, and sugar-free juice.

For secondary students, low-calorie soft drinks like Diet Pepsi will be added to the mix.

Coca Cola announced earlier this month it would stop selling its products in primary schools, unless parents or school authorities requested it sell them.



Previous blog posts:

Nutrition in…

Two years ago, as Legislative Chairperson of the CAHPERD I worked with members to advocate for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign several bills into law to eliminate sodas and other highly sweetened beverages and restrict the sale of junk foods in all of California's public schools.

He did. And it appears to have worked according to a study by Sanchez-Vaznaugh and co-investigators which was published in the Journal of Health Affairs. The st…

Physical Activity Used as Punishment and/or Behavior Management

Children and youths have many opportunities to be physically active in the school environment, including physical education class, recess, and before- and after- school programs. However, some schools, teachers and coaches withhold participation or exclude students and athletes from physical activity as a punishment.

Core Issue
The core issue is that administering or withdrawing physi…

by Andrea Bossenmeyer



Google, one of my favorite companies, has a contest for K-12 students. They are inviting students to design their logo! Google believes in thinking big and dreaming big, so therefore their contest theme is, "If I Could Do Anything, I Would …"

The deadline to register is March 17th and the deadline for entries is March 31. Don't delay! The winning doodle will be featured on our Google.com homepage on May 27, 201…

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 but implementing Recess Before Lunch can be tricky.

Attend this free webinar where w…

Two recent studies emphasize the importance of fitness for brain health.

In one of the studies, published earlier this month in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 8,800 people who were 25 and older were followed for six and a half years. The study found that each hour of television they watched daily was associated with an 18 percent increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11 percent increase in mortality rates overal…

The American Academy of Dermatology's Shade Structure Program awards grants in the amount of $8,000 each for the purchase of permanent shade structures designed to provide shade and ultraviolet (UV) ray protection for outdoor areas. The AAD also provides a permanent sign to be displayed near the shade structure that promotes the importance of sun safety. The AAD receives support for this program from Johnson Johnson Consumer Products Company…

No balls at recess? Must be April 1.

In an elementary school in Ottawa, Canada it's no laughing matter. It seems the school principal banned balls saying they were dangerous and causing injury to students due to the snowy and icy conditions.

Students Moore and Lawlor have given the principal a copy of a petition to bring back balls at recess. Slater said she’ll talk with the students and their parents, but she said balls are still off lim…

Fiskars garden tools and materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. to eligible gardening groups. Maximum award: $1,000 in implements and materials. Eligibility: gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, horticultural education, and/or sustainable agriculture.

Deadline: February 19, 2010.
http://www.fiskars.com/content/garden_en_us/Garden/ProjectOrangeThumb/grantprogram

The makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings are now accepting applications for the 2009-10 Love Your Veggies grant program. The purpose of the program is to help schools execute innovative programs that will increase the access to, and consumption of, fresh fruits and vegetables in the lunchroom.

Ten $10,000 grants will be awarded to elementary schools across the US to support the development of a vegetable program offering fresh produce to be i…

The May issue of Educational Leadership is devoted to articles on teaching social responsibility. One might question if it is schools' mission to teach the practice of putting individual interests aside to work together for the common good?

Charles Haynes calls skills associated with social responsibility "the moral habits of the heart". What are your thoughts? Is it schools' job to teach about social responsibility?

When gui…

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…

An interesting situation is developing in North Carolina. Advocates say that if the playground is "safe enough" for children to use during the school day then afterschool programs should have the same requirements. As a result, they are pushing for a bill that would exempt public elementary school playgrounds from regulations that private child-care facilities that operate afterschool programs must abide by.

Savitt a lobbist disagrees,…

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…

Poll shows teachers want simple thank you.
Last year, NEA conducted an online poll asking teachers what kind of gift would most make them feel appreciated. The answer? A simple "thank you," according to nearly half (48%) of all respondents.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Unlike assembly lines that discard materials that can't guarantee a predetermined uniform result, public schools don't discard any child. Children can come hungry or fil…

An interesting case involving a student and teacher is unfolding in the Broward County School District in Florida. A student rant aimed at her english teacher on Facebook lands her on suspension with the threat of a blemished school record.

"You can express an opinion on whether someone is a good teacher," said Pamela Brown, assistant director for the Broward County School District, who oversees expulsions. "But when you start inv…

For the past few years the concern over childhood obesity has dominated school lunch discussions. But the economic crisis facing the nation is spilling over into schools. Susan Phillips, a teacher at Enfield Elementary School, in rural Enfield, New York, recently noticed that one of her fourth-grade students was always cranky and distracted at the start of the week but turned mild mannered by Tuesday.

The verdict, he was hungry. It wasn't a…

CA Superintendent of Schools, Jack O'Connell is appealing to the Federal Government to provide more funds for California's free and reduced lunch students. With CA's budget shortfall it is estimated that schools will run out of lunch funds by January 09.

Health advocates are concerned that the high cost of fresh fruits and vegetables will also result in serving canned fruits and vegetables which are less expensive.

"Without qu…