Written by Zia Bossenmeyer, Vice President of Peaceful Playgrounds

School bullying is a topic that is getting lots of attention. According to the CDC it’s a major health problem. The CDC has designed tools for researchers, prevention specialists, and health educators. It appears their focus is to assist with measurement tools.
On the website you can download their guide called “Measuring Bullying Victimization, Perpetration, and Bystander Experien…

In celebration of the new Karate Kid movie coming out June 11, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and Sony Pictures Entertainment teamed up to create a FREE downloadable fitness program for afterschool programs.


It's called, Get Your G.A.M.E. (Get Active, Move and Exercise) On and the program provides lesson plans and materials that encourage kids ages 6-14 to be active for 60 minutes a day. The kit was develo…

May 3 was the Kick Off of the The National Physical Activity Plan which is a cross sector initiative to Get America Moving. The plan is based on incorporating movement into our daily lives as a key to staying healthy. The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that youth accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity into each day – 30 minutes for adults – yet up until now, this has been a concept easier said than done.

The National Coaliti…

Great podcast on the ASCD Blog. The topic is Eric Jensen's new book, Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It.

I met Eric more than 20 years ago when I picked him up at the airport for a conference in which I was on the planning committee. He was the keynote speaker at the California's State Summer PE Conference. Listening to him talk about brain research is a rare treat …

Children & Nature resources
Compiled by:
Amy Pertschuk
Managing Director
Children & Nature Network
avery@hookedonnature.org.


Links To Families & Nature Resources

Children & Nature Network
www.childrenandnature.org

Hooked on Nature
www.hookedonnature.org

Nature Circles
www.naturecircles.org

Nature Rocks
www.naturerocks.org

Passport to Adventure—REI
www.rei.com/passport

Green Spoken Here—ACA
www.campparents.org/nature

NWF's Green Hour
www.greenhou…

As a response to the reduction in physical activity opportunities, Dr. David Katz developed a manual which provides instruction for teachers to incorporate short bursts of activity at the beginning of each school day. ABC for Fitness can ensure that children obtain the level of physical activity that is essential for good health and well being according to the ABC for Fitness Teachers's Manual.

The ABC for Fitness Manual is free to download f…

I'm often ask if I have developed any games for snow activities. I must admit that I haven't. Growing up in Southern California the need didn't exist as snow days are non-existent in the Los Angeles area. However, I stumbled upon a website with some suggestions.

Check it out and take advantage of some free sports kits for elementary educators.

Download Canada's physical activity guides.

Resources include:
Family Guide to Physical Activity
Teacher's Guide to Physical Activity
Gotta Move! Interactive Magazine for Children.
Physical Activity Chart and Stickers
Let's Get Active Magazine