FEATURED ARTICLES BY DR. MELINDA BOSSENMEYER

A series of articles on children’s health topics such as physical activity, bullying, school playgrounds, school recess, nutrition, PE, childhood obesity, and play.


Physical Activity and Academic Achievement

Physical Activity and Academic Achievement The evidence surrounding the link  between physical activity, physical fitness and academics is growing stronger and more abundant.  This page of articles, research students and information on the brain and academic improvements serves to document this connect.   Catherine Davis - Georgia Regents University Speaking [...]

School Recess: Why some love and others hate this American tradition.

The School Recess Movement is Growing. The school recess movement in Orange County, Florida is growing and even received national attention yesterday when The Today Show put out an elementary recess survey. The national survey shows that 99% of adults participating in the survey favor elementary school recess.  End of the subject?  Not quite.  Parents [...]

By |2022-11-09T11:22:47-08:00January 15th, 2015|Featured Articles|0 Comments

Recess isn’t just play time for children it’s time well spent

Recess is Time Well Spent Recess is Time Well Spent School recess holds a special place in the heart of the American public school student, according to the editorial in today's Concord Monitor. To a child "recess is time well spent". Life Lessons Learned on the Playground [...]

By |2023-01-01T21:11:23-08:00September 23rd, 2014|Featured Articles, Recess|0 Comments

Playground Supervision: Ten Tips for Improving Playground Safety

Playground Supervision: Ten Tips for Improving Playground Safety. By Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. 10 Tips for Improving Playground Supervision Serious accidents which occur in schools typically happen on the playground, and often playground supervision is a contributing factor. In fact, approximately 200,000 accidents each year send children [...]

Discipline on the playground : A “how to” guide for supervisors

Discipline on the Playground: A "how to" guide for playground supervisors How to Discipline Children on the Playground Discipline on the playground is a challenge at most school sites. Most schools, however, strictly enforce classroom rules and procedures in order to maintain a safe classroom environment for [...]

Brain Breaks: Basic and Supercharged

Purpose of Brain Breaks Well designed Brain Breaks accomplish three purposes: 1) they refresh students, 2) they refocus students for learning and 3) they re-energize students. Every teacher has experience the glazed look from students who basically need a break.  When kids get tired or bored, they tend to check out.  Once kids begin to [...]

Why School Recess Makes Kids Smarter

Recess Makes Kids Smarter By Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. We Now Know Why Recess Makes Kids Smarter   Kids love recess. But until recently, we didn't know why recess makes kids smarter. According to a second grader, Allison Rincand, her favorite activity at school, “Recess because I get to play [...]

By |2023-10-09T21:15:44-07:00December 30th, 2013|Featured Articles, Recess|1 Comment

Five Tips for Making Your Playground Kid Friendly

5 Tips for a Kid Friendly Playground By Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer 5 Tips for a Kid Friendly Playground Peaceful Playgrounds shares Five Tips for a Kid Friendly Playground based on their research on playgrounds. These 5 easy to implementation tips can make a big difference in kids [...]

By |2023-05-16T12:12:10-07:00December 2nd, 2013|Featured Articles, playground|0 Comments

School Recess gets a dose of peace at Nottingham West in Hudson

School recess activities at Nottingham Elementary Hudson School implements new playground rules Photo by : William Wrobel  The Telegraph Jumprope at recess When one player made a mistake and wanted a “do-over,” others reminded him that was against the  new playground rules, and he quietly, if somewhat unhappily, returned to playing. And [...]

Physical Activity and the Brain

Active Kids Make Better Learners Active Kids Make Better Learners How does physical activity and the brain interact? According to a medical doctor he called it, "physical activity is like miracle grow for the brain". We will explore that statement and many other related questions in this [...]

Everything I learned in life I learned on the playground

I watched a less popular girl, Allison, walk up to a group of four girls who were playing a game of four-square. As she approached and asked, “Can I play?” she was quickly rebuffed. “The game is closed,” Janey, the ring leader, announced. Given the school is a Peaceful Playgrounds school, I was surprised at [...]

Physical activity : Making the case for kids moving more.

What is Physical Activity? Making the Case for Kids Moving More What is Physical Activity? You may be wondering, What is physical activity? PA is a bodily exercise that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health or wellness. We think of exercise as burning energy or calories. For [...]

School Tools for Creating a Culture of Wellness

  Schools play an important role in helping children to be healthy and fit.  A fast growing body of research indicates that student wellness and academic learning go hand-in-hand.  Put simply, the benefits that can arise from proper nutrition and physical activity are a prerequisite to optimal learning and to avoiding and preventing chronic diseases. [...]

By |2021-06-16T21:10:00-07:00April 2nd, 2013|Featured Articles, Schools|0 Comments

Playground Stencil Packages

  The playground stencil packages come with roll-out stencils which make application a breeze. No measuring! Just roll-out the full-size playground stencils, chalk, and paint. Brightly colored markings enhance motor skill development and provide activities for an outdoor motor learning lab or recess games.  The playground stencil package results in a brightly colored playground with lots [...]

By |2021-06-16T21:10:00-07:00March 13th, 2013|featured posts, PE, Recess|0 Comments

64 Alternatives to Withholding Recess

Given the value of recess in a student’s physical and social development, and the need for periodic breaks from classroom instruction, using recess as punishment is inappropriate. Listed below are some alternatives to withholding recess. ZERO-COST ALTERNATIVES 1. Sit by friends 2. Watch a video 3. Read outdoors 4. Teach the class 5. Have extra [...]

By |2023-09-14T11:45:31-07:00March 1st, 2013|Featured Articles, Recess|0 Comments