Contributed by JC BoushhSchools ban tag and dodge ball, Homeowner’s Associations forbid children from playing outdoors without adult supervision, and now British Police investigate the crime of drawing hopscotch markings with chalk on public sidewalks. When did children’s play become a crime? Many blame the death of children’s free-play on liability and the fear of litigation. While others argue that overprotective parents and sedentary lifestyl…

Contributed by JC BoushhResearch by Dr. Antonio Convit may link academic performance with child obesity. In a recent article in the Huffington Post he shared his findings on the possible negative effects of childhood obesity. Dr. Convit began his research studying childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, and soon began to see a possible correlation with obesity and cognitive learning. He used several research methods to test children’s performance…

by JC BoushhArchitect Gerald Reifert, who specializes in school design, writes in the Daily Journal of Commerce that early childhood outdoor environments need several key design elements. They need areas to test their limits, areas that create comfort, areas for developing competency, and areas for learning self-control, and exposure to nature. Each one of these design elements plays an optimal role in creating not only a great outdoor play envi…

Contributed by JC Boushh
A 2009 study by Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University researchers published in Pediatrics links recess with better behavior and increases in student’s ability to learn. The study looked at approximately 11,000 third grade boy and girl students, who were enrolled in the National Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. What researchers found was that children who had more than 15 minutes a day of unstructure…

Contributed by JC BoushhThe human brain is a miraculous organ, and over the last two decades we have learned more about the brain than we have in the entire history of the human race. Advancements in brain imaging have allowed researchers to discover a vital link between brain health and physical activity. The effects of physical activity increase the brain’s ability to learn and make vital neural connections throughout our lifespan and especial…

Contributed by JC BoushhAccording to the recent findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine researchers from the obesity center at Temple University are seeing an overall decline in childhood obesity in their study group of 4,500 students. Researchers followed students from sixth grade to eighth grade and half of the students in the study were involved in higher levels of physical activity and a healthier cafeteria diet. Preliminar…

We wish a warm welcome to JC Boushh a new Peaceful Playgrounds Blogger and social media consultant.

JC Boushh is a contributing writer for Peaceful Playgrounds on such topics as children’s play, recess, playgrounds, and child development. He is a play consultant and head playground designer for Design for Play, and has lectured worldwide, as well as authored numerous articles on play, brain development, and children’s play environments.

He is a…

Contributed by JC BoushhA recent article in Newsweek magazine blamed the decline of children's creativity on two likely factors. The numbers of hour’s kids now spend watching TV and playing video games and the lack of creativity development in our schools. The most optimal outdoor learning environment not only incorporates developmentally appropriate playground equipment, natural landscape features for exploration, but also the novelty and c…

Your school could be enjoying the benefits of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program. Why wait? Put an end to those playground hassles and headaches. Start planning now for the fall and a successful opening to the school year. Summer is the perfect time to paint over 100 permanent games and activities on the playground.

Peaceful Playgrounds is a "do-it-yourself" program which transforms your school into a variety of games and activities …

Rebecca Mead of the New Yorker explores the history and future of parks. She asks, "What would it look like if you decided to revamp the playgrounds from bottom up?"

Listen to her podcast.

Reasonable care does not require constant and undeviating scrutiny of a particular child on a supervised playground. Accordingly, a playground supervisor is not necessarily negligent if he or she fails to observe a particular child at the precise moment an injury occurs.

Read on to learn about teacher responsibilities in supervising the playground.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for the online Playground Supervisor Training Course and Certi…

Playworker Penny Wilson talks about flexible environments in play.

Other information on play

Why Play?

School Recess Before Lunch

Recess on the Upswing

Contributed by Andrea Bossenmeyer

Have you heard of Playreport? It's a new global research project on children and play. Ikea wants the world to play more so they sponsored and international survey of over 11,000 interviews in 25 countries.

The most notable discovery was that 9 out of 10 children would PREFER TO PLAY WITH PARENTS AND FRIENDS, rather than TV or Internet. The sad thing in the report was that parents reported they were too busy,…

Peaceful Playgrounds will release our new CD called Songs in Motion. It was designed to motivate kids to jog. Think of the songs as military cadences. A cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching.

Here's a preview of one of the new cadences on the new CD:

Up in the Morning at the Break of Day


Up in the morning at the break of day
Countin steps and loving play
Running on the …

Have you entered the U.S. Playground Map stencil Contest? It is not only the most popular playground stencil but also one with educational benefits. The large map is great for social studies lessons and large group instruction. The Peaceful Playgrounds U.S. Map Stencil comes with 10 map activities, a sheet of map terms and references and a reading list of children's books for map related activities.

Enter here.

According to the Voice of America news, childhood obesity is effecting the courses taught in school and a new offering is play. In fact, one school in Vermont is devoting one third of the school day to active outdoor play.

The idea of having to teach kids how to play outside leaves Anita Caldwell, a teacher at Calvary Preschool in Pittsford, Vermont, dumbfounded.

"You just kind of take for granted that kids want to go outside and play but th…