What's on the K-12 agenda for states this year?  4 Takeaways.https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/whats-on-the-k-12-agenda-for-states-this-year-4-takeaways/2024/01

A special Welcome to Guest Blogger Paul Rosengard.......

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

One of the nice things about getting older (yes, there are some positives...) is recalling the days when physical education (PE) teachers like myself smiled crookedly when asked about anything outside our locus of control (i.e., the gym and fields). We were so busy trying to do our jobs well: teach multiple classes at various grade levels, coach teams after school …

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Physical Education Physical education guidelines for healthier, happier, longer and more productive living http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-01-physical-guidelines-healthier-happier-longer.html

International Guidance: UNESCO Quality Physical Education Guidelin…

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…

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…

"[Classroom management] is probably one of the things that's least understandable and most complex about teaching. This is the hardest skill to master."

-- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, The Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2009.



Check out this week's LA Times article on : Controlling a classroom isn't as easy as ABC

NASPE provides many resources for principals and other school administrators including tools to observe and evaluate physical education programs and teachers, analyze the physical education curriculum at their school/school district, research their state’s physical education standards and strengthen school policies regarding physical education/physical activity. NASPE also provides a set of suggested job interview questions for prospective physi…

A mom is peeved at an Oklahoma school which reportedly punished her son by having him stand facing a wall at recess. The parent claims that he was told to stand close enough to the wall to touch it with his nose. The punishment was for failing to finish a homework assignment.

"I think it's a horrible policy. I think it's humiliating and I think it's disgusting," the parent reported to the school. "It was extremely tra…

The Express Star News
Story from the Chickashanews.com
October 30, 2009




Putting the Map on Grand

Teachers, students, and PTO members at Grand Avenue Elementary recently finished a Fifty Nifty United States project.

They produced a painted outdoor map of the United States.

The concrete was provided for this large outdoor map of the United States by the Grand Avenue PTO. Peaceful Playgrounds stencils and kit were made possible by the Chickasha School Fo…

Advocates for school-based physical activity programs argue that allocating time for daily physical education does not adversely impact academic performance. In fact, according to seven studies reviewed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and released in a policy brief called Active Education, the effects of physical activity on elementary students resulted in improvements in academic performace, focus and classroom behavior.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the 20th Anniversary of the school where I was principal. The school and community is similar in so many ways to school and community that I experienced. We were blessed with caring parents, dedicated teachers and wonderful students.

Curran Elementary holds a special place in my heart. I begin testing my playground theories, experimenting with playground improvements and looking at students interaction…

Image from Washington Post Oct. 21, 2009


The White House rolled out "The Healthy Kids Fair" this week in Washingtion DC with First Lady Michelle Obama jump roping her way to good health.

The First Lady has lead the way in promoting healthy eating and exercise for children. Remember the White House Garden? The event this week is part of a new initiative called, "The Healthier U.S. School Challenge".

And the goal of this chall…

Edible Gardens are all about teaching kids to grow and cook. On their website you can download a number of free programs, competitions and hot tips for developing your own edible playground. The initiative originated in the UK and is similar to the School Garden Movement here in the U.S.

Here is a couple of samples of some free information from the website:



Part of the sow it grow it set of activities, students grow grass seeds in a tube and me…

Physical fitness scores and academic achievement seem to go hand-in-hand in yet another study. Statewide testing in California and Texas indicated the important relationship between fit kids and higher test scores. Now New York City has been added to the rapidly growing list.

Physically fit students tend to outscore their peers who are less-fit on academic tests, according to a new report from New York City’s Health Department and Department of …

Boston’s public schools have failed to provide any formal instruction in physical education to about 25 percent of the city’s students, despite a state law that requires physical education be taught to all students in all grades.

Boston’s failure to provide physical education to all its students has prompted the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to order a “corrective action plan’’ from the city. The plan, approved last month…

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…

NFL Network is launching Keep Gym in School, a national initiative dedicated to supporting physical education in America’s schools and raising awareness about the importance of physical activity as part of education.

In its first year, Keep Gym in School is funding refurbishments for Physical Education programs at select schools, hosting NFL minicamps to get kids active and assess their fitness levels. Students will participate in follow up test…

When a Philadelphia 4 year old feel off a cork screw while playing on an elementary school playground structure the case rested on three legal issues. 1. The depth of the surfacing, 2. in adequate supervision, and 3. age appropriate equipment. It was alledged that all three conditions contributed to the injury ( fracture of the child's left arm) according to attorney's involved in the case.

It seems the depth of the surfacing did not…

It's hard to believe but true. A high school student from New Jersey is suing her high school claiming that she was hurt on campus during a 2006 game of freeze tag. The student claims she was pushed into a commercial lawn mower while playing tag during a cheerleading practice in the schools courtyard according to a suit filed in Flemington Superior Court.

The suit suggests that she received "severe bodily injuries". She is also s…

The beginning of the school year is a great time to consider a Box Tops for Education project. Box Tops for Education helps schools to earn cash for things that they need like computers, books and playground equipment. General Mills has donated over $250 Million to schools in the last 12 years.
For the simple act of clipping box top coupons your school can earn up to $20,000 per school year. Why not place this topic on the next PTA/PTO agen…