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Greetings!
This month's newsletter provides information on the role schools should play in the obesity crisis, PEP Grant changes for 2011, school nutrition (vending machines), exergames, playground surfacing and U.S. Map Stencil Contest winners.
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What role should schools play in the childhood obesity crisis?
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What can our schools do to create a healthy environment which combats childhood obesity? I explore some of our schools' false starts in tackling the childhood obesity crisis and conclude with the role schools can play in solving the problem in this month's featured article.
Additionally the article reviews The First Lady's "Let's Move" agenda, in which she outlined the Government Initiative to combat childhood obesity.
Peaceful Playgrounds March Featured Article link.
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PEP Grant Changes for 2011
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In an effort to streamline the Department of Education (USDE)'s programs and increase effectiveness, the President's FY 2011 budget contains major changes to the PEP grant program. According to the USDE Website, the President's budget proposes to eliminate six programs and consolidate 38 others into 11 new authorities. The PEP program, along with five other programs, would be consolidated into a new authority called "Successful, Safe and Healthy Students."
NASPE Press Release Feb. 2010.
Q. Is PEP being eliminated?
A. No. The program is being consolidated, along with five other national programs, into a new USDE authority, called "Successful, Safe and Healthy Students."
Q. Will there be money for PEP in FY 2011?
A. The President has proposed funding the new Successful, Safe and Healthy Students authority at an amount greater than all its components were funded in FY 2010.
Q. How does this affect the spring 2010 PEP grant application process?
A. It does not. The funding for new grants to be awarded in 2010 ($30 million) was already appropriated by Congress in the FY 2010 budget. USDE will open the requests for proposals for 2010 grants sometime this spring.
Q. What can I do to support the PEP program?
A. Contact your federal legislators asking for their support for the PEP program as part of the new Successful, Safe and Healthy Students authority within USDE. NASPE and its PEP advocacy partners are asking Congress to fund PEP at $100 million for FY 2011.
Need assistance writing your PEP Grant?
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Good bye candy bars. Hello fruit.
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The Obama administration began a drive last week to expel soda, French fries and candy bars from the nation's schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who add pounds during their school years, according to the New  York Times.
In legislation, soon to be introduced, candy and sugary beverages would be banned and many schools would be required to offer more nutritious fare. The announcement came on President's Day, from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He suggested filling vending machines with nutritious offerings.
It coincides with First Lady Michelle Obama's message given last week on her Let's Move Initiative to combat childhood obesity. Mrs. Obama said not to blame children or parents for the childhood obesity crisis. She said, "the healthy choice should be the easy choice for our nation's children."
I think this is wonderful! In high school I bought a green apple or an orange nearly everyday prior to an athletic event or team practice. The vending machine was in the girls' locker room and I assume the boys' had one too. No one is mentioning fruit vending machines that I'm aware of. I hope this spurs some folks to add them again.
Blogs posts on topic:
Schools Teaching Organic Gardening
Healthy Food, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
Countdown to Good Health: 5-4-3-2-1 Go
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Exergames. Do they equal exercise?
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For Christmas my daughters (25yrs & 27 yrs old) ask for the Nintendo Wii with the balance boards and fitness additional components. I figured it couldn't hurt. For my granddaughter I got a Smart Cycle. I don't ever endorse products but since these were so close to home I thought I'd share some research on these and other electronic games which aim to improve fitness.
Popular exergames include Nintendo Wii, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Below is a look at the evidence for those games that have been studied. Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) requires players to use dance steps to match images on the screen. Dancing becomes harder and faster as the player advances to higher levels. A 2005 study of 11-to-17-year-olds showed that even at the "easiest" levels of the game, players' heart rates increased enough to provide adequate cardio benefits. Another study of teenagers found that playing DDR doubled participants' heart rates and sustained an effective aerobic workout for more than 45 minutes. Yet another study of school-aged children in West Virginia found that many children lost 5-10 pounds after playing DDR every day for several weeks.
Exergames continued.
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U.S. Map Contest Winners- March 1st Drawing
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The following schools have won the free U.S. Map Playground stencil from Peaceful Playgrounds.
Please contact our office to claim your prize at 8770444-9888 or email us at info@peacefulplaygrounds.com.
School: St. Angela Merici
City: Brea, CA
Submitted By: Kelly Spies
School: Andrew Jackson Elementary
City: Philadelphia, PA
Submitted By: Jennifer Zanck
School: Raymond Elementary
City: Raymond, WA
Submitted By: Pebbles Williams
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Playground surfacing
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 The surface under and around playground equipment can be a major factor in determining the injury-causing potential of a fall.
It is self evident that a fall onto a shock absorbing surface is less likely to cause a serious injury than a fall onto a hard surface. Because head impact injuries from a fall have the potential for being life threatening, the more shock absorbing a surface can be made, the more is the likelihood that the severity of the injury will be reduced. However, it should be recognized that all injuries due to falls cannot be prevented no matter what playground surfacing material is used.
Check out the CPSC DOCUMENT Playground Surfacing Material for more information on selecting the appropriate surfacing for a play area.
For more information on keeping children safe of public playgrounds check out our playground supervision online course and our resource page for planning your playground.
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We hope you enjoyed this month's Play Nice Newsletter. Why not Sincerely,
Melinda Bossenmeyer
Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc.
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com
ADDRESS AND PHONE
951-245-6970
fax 951-245-6956
melinda@peacefulplaygrounds.com
17975 Collier Ave. Unit 5
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
Copyright Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. 2010 All Rights Reserved.
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