Teachers and 4-H members at W. W. Stewart Elementary School recently painted a United States map on the back patio of the school playground. A stencil was obtained through the Peaceful PlaygroundsUS Map Stencil Giveaway by Physical Education Teacher, Venessa Livingston.

Contributed by JC Boushh
There has been an enormous amount of research conducted on the important role recess plays in healthy child development, concluding that recess is necessary for a child’s: Physical Health, Mental / Emotional Health, Social Development, Cognitive Development, and Academic Achievement. An article titled “Even Turtles Need Recess: Many Animals -- Not Just Dogs, Cats, and Monkeys -- Need a Little Play Time” in Science Daily …

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…

Sharon Murray, the president of the Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education, pointed out that states with “health-supporting policies” – things like minimum health and physical education requirements, an emphasis on healthy nutrition standards, funding for school-based health clinics and other student services – tend to have higher test scores and lower dropout rates than states that don’t.

“So my recommendation for action is, …

Contributed by JC BoushhA new podcast by Susan Engel, PhD., Katharine Beals, PhD and Sarah Garland titled “Are Schools Effectively Teaching Collaboration?” on BAM Radio asks the question are schools spending too much time on academics and missing the boat on socialization. As schools focus on increased academic performance and standardized test scores many schools are eliminating or reducing student’s recess time, but in reality this is have a n…