A new law that will take effect in 2017 will require all Oregon schoolchildren to work toward physical fitness at school.
Once taken for granted as a by product of children's playtime, physical fitness is now a state mandate for school kids through eighth grade.Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a bill last week requiring 150 minutes of physical education a week for grades kindergarten through 5 and 225 minutes a week for grades 6 through 8 in an att…

According to Fisher Price, it’s a stationary bike, a learning center, and an arcade game system—all rolled into one! Smart Cycle plugs right into the TV and take kids on "learning adventures". As they pedal, characters guide them through learning discoveries, games, and races. Targeted at ages 3-6 with a price tag of approximately $100 is it the tot answer to the childhood obesity crisis?

Musical Hokey Pokey Skirt (Acting Out, $32): The skirt has a hidden pocket that holds a music box; movement keeps the hokeypokey playing.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The movement started with Dance Dance Revolution, a video game that inspired youngsters to give up their joysticks and boogie with abandon in front of the television. Electronic-toy makers, often denounced for fostering laziness, have discovered that fitness sells.Some are creating produc…

by Emily Graham PTO Today Magazine
Recess is meant to be a break from the classroom, a time for making friends and make-believe. But in reality, recess often involves intense competition, playground bullying, and conflicts that carry over into the classroom. As enrollments have risen at elementary schools across the country, playgrounds have become crowded, increasing the risk of accidents and hot tempers sending children to the principal’s offic…

S.C. schools are ‘Making the Shade' By Stephen Milligan
The Walton Tribune
Published August 26, 2007SOCIAL CIRCLE — On a sweltering day, a playground slide can feel as hot as a burning grill.

“We did some tests at an elementary school playground and they got readings on metal playground equipment of over 100 degrees,” said Dale Higdon, senior forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission. “They got a reading on a metal slide of 160 degrees.”

To…

NASPE is pleased to help promote the new tool kit, “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sport”, produced by the CDC that will help identify signs and symptoms of concussion and ensure that coaches, parents and athletes know what to do if an athlete has sustained a jolt to the head. Information in the tool kit will include signs and symptoms of concussion or head injuries that can be observed by coaches, athletes and parents, steps that each can tak…

A good start in life and school depends on good vision.

Think about all the developmental activities that depend on a child’s good sight—recognizing faces, reading letters on a chalkboard or catching a ball—and it’s easy to see why treating kids’ sight problems and protecting their eyes from injury should be a top priority.

Vision problems affect one in 20 preschoolers and one-quarter of school-aged children, according to the American Academy of O…

The President's Cancer Panel calls for U.S. leaders to "summon the political will" to reduce Americans' cancer risks. It's the panel's job to tell the president how the nation's war on cancer is going. According to this year's report, it's not going very well at all.

Research continues to move forward — but thwarting major progress is the unhealthy lifestyles of millions of Americans.

Among the panel's re…

As most of the nation heads back to school facing triple digit heat schools face the challenges associated with outdoor recess and overheated classrooms.

Parents and schools working together can mitigate this problem and keep kids safe.






Parents can send their children to school ready to deal with the heat by:
sending students in light-weight, loose-fitting, cotton clothing
make sure kids have a caps with brims that protect the facesend child with …

Check out the Back 2 School Blog moderated by National PTO. One of my favorite sections is 5 school lunches that kids will love. The website promises, "Here are five ideas for health-conscious meals that are easy to prepare and fun for kids. Whether your child is a try-anything eater or has the pickiest appetite ever seen, these lunches are sure to please."


Some of the topics they've covered include:
Counting the Days New…

Kids who bully others and kids who are victimized by bullies each face an increased risk of psychiatric disorders by early adulthood, according to a study recently published in the journal Pediatrics. According to comprehensive study data, frequent bullying behavior in childhood reliably predicted antisocial personality, substance abuse, and depressive and anxiety disorders. Frequent episodes of victimization predicted future anxiety disorders…

A new website is a must for teachers, want-ta-be teachers and those who appreciate teachers.

TeachersCount.org has three main sections: I’m a Teacher, I Want To Teach, and I’m a Teacher Booster. You’ll also notice that on the left side of many pages on this site are images from our “Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher” Campaign, an ad series in the Time Inc. family of magazines that depicts celebrities with their favorite teachers. …

The school playground is the hot spot for school injuries but good supervision can make all the difference. Download the free Peaceful Playgrounds Supervision Training Program and train your supervisors today.

Three out of four playground accidents occur on public playgrounds, including school facilities, as opposed to backyard play equipment. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issues guidelines for playground surfacing and age-appro…

For children, play is easy. You can do it anytime, anywhere, with anyone, and it’s fun. For adults, play is hard. They want to know if it’s safe for their kids, if it’s educational, if it promotes motor coordination, if it’s environmentally friendly, if it will look good on a preschool application.

The tension between how children spend their free time and how adults want them to spend it runs through Howard P. Chudacoff’s new book, “Children at …

Overweight and ill-fitting backpacks are blamed for more than 7,000 injuries in emergency rooms across the country last year alone, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Backpacks can range from less than $10 to over $100. But a higher price doesn't necessarily mean a better backpack. It's all about proper fit.

"You want the pack to be securely on their back, distributing the weight. You would like it to be at least one…

October 3, 2007

Communities around the country will join nearly 40 countries to celebrate walking and bicycling to school. Walk to School organizers can register for a chance to win prizes for students and gain access to a variety of downloadable items, including certificates, printable sticker templates, media materials and more. An e-newsletter with tips and resources for walk to school events is also available.



http://www.walktoschool.org/abou…

It comes as no surprise (when you consider obesity related illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease) that obese children miss more school. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests a link between childhood obesity and school attendance.

The study, which was published the journal Obesity, studied fourth- to sixth-grade students at nine inner-city Philadelphia elementary schools. Based on the children's BMI (body ma…

McDonald's Corp.'s packaging makes preschoolers think its Chicken McNuggets, hamburgers and french fries taste better, according to a Stanford University study aimed at reducing childhood obesity.

"Specific branding can alter young children's taste preferences," according to an article in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Thomas Robinson, the author and a pediatrician at Stanford's…

The first day of school isn’t until Wednesday, but in his first year as principal at St. Helena Primary School, Rob Grace has already embarked upon a project to keep students active and help them learn basic math and reading skills — all at the same time.

Last week Grace invited parents to help paint designs on the primary school’s cement playground to allow kids to take part in a variety of educational activities.The project is part of Peaceful …

The American Academy of Pediatrics study (2006) found that American children need more creative free-play time, fewer ''genius'' toys and a sharp cut in hours spent watching TV and computer screens.

Increasingly, children are spending more time indoors. Their parents played baseball on a large grassy field during their youth most likely. Today's children are more likely to swing their bats on a $345 Nintendo Wii video game sys…

Log onto www.RescuingRecess.com and complete the online registration for your school. Upon successful completion, Cartoon Network will automatically send one free Rescuing Recess Kit to your school while supplies last.
Hurry. Quantities are limited. Registration opens tomorrow Aug. 8, 2007. Don't miss out. http://www.cartoonrecessweek.com/index.html

Children just don't play as much as they used to,'' says Elkind, the author of a new book called, The Power of Play. 'They love it,'' says Elkind, also a Tufts University professor emeritus of child psychology.

His new book, The Power of Play (Da Capo Lifelong Books, $24) underscores a disturbing fact of modern childhood: America's children enjoy less time for creative play than their parents' generation. And that …

Hawaii companies are recognizing that it's cheaper to keep employees healthy than hire new ones.

More and more Hawaii businesses have come to realize that fit employees make for fit companies. There's a growing recognition among Hawaii companies that obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, sleep disorders and anxiety prevent employees from doing their jobs, as well as raise insurance premiums and health-care costs. Island compani…

State Joins Fight Against Child Obesity

San Antonio Business Journal, July 24, 2007
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs is releasing $20 million from the state's coffers to help public and charter schools fight childhood obesity. The new Texas Fitness Now grant program will support in-school physical education, nutrition and fitness programs for students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
The grant program will be available over the next two years…

The debate continues on the impact of media violence on children.......

The American Psychological Association (APA) told the Senate Commerce Committee that there is ample evidence of the harmful effects of television violence on children. Jeff McIntyre of the APA's Public Policy Office said studies have shown that repeated exposure to violence in the media places children at risk for desensitization to acts of violence and increases in aggre…

A London doctor whose family practice has been full for a decade is taking on new patients.

But he expects any he accepts now to be motivated to be healthy -- and to stay that way.
As a doctor who has worked closely with athletes -- including the University of Western Ontario's men's soccer team, the national rowing team and "weekend warriors" -- Shin encourages physical activity in his family practice, too. He sometimes gives…

In the five years since a federal law (No Child Left Behind) mandated an expansion of reading and math tests, 44 percent of school districts nationwide have made deep cutbacks in social studies, science, art and music lessons, physical education, recess in elementary grades and have even slashed lunchtime, a new survey has found.

The Center on Education Policy found that 36 percent of school districts surveyed cut elementary class time for social…