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Press Releases
Latest Press Releases
Playground Intervention Gets Florida First-Graders Moving
CANYON LAKE, Calif., July 20, 2011 - Impressive results of a Florida elementary school's three-year effort to combat childhood obesity through increased physical activity were recently published by the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO). The results* show a startling 96% of the school's first-graders in 2011 to be active at recess – up from 52% in 2008. As the tool of intervention, the study team chose Peaceful Playgrounds, a program specifically designed to promote active play and structured activities by employing a wide variety of multi-use stenciled shapes, grids and games painted onto the ground.
At the start, more than one third of the Martin County school district's first-graders were identified as overweight or obese. The study team, convened by The Martin County Health Department (MCHD), observed a combination of limited available playground equipment, and baseline data showing a high rate of sedentary behavior at recess, with 21% of kids who engaged in no physical activity at all. With lack of physical activity identified as a key risk factor, the team researched intervention options.
Peaceful Playgrounds, a low-investment structured system of stenciled games and activities, was implemented by the MCHD team. Nearly 100 different age-appropriate games can be played on the multi-use, brightly-painted shapes which include circles, letters, number grids, hopping and skipping lines. Detailed guides, training manuals and DVDs are included for teachers and school staff. The MCHD study findings also indicate that teacher, staff and volunteer participation in helping facilitate the activities enhances the program's success.
Peaceful Playgrounds is the brainchild of Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D, a former elementary school principal, physical education teacher and member of California's Task Force on Childhood Obesity. According to Dr. Bossenmeyer, "My goal was simple – get more children involved in physical activity without a huge investment in new playground equipment. A child who burns off energy not only reduces the risk for obesity, but increases their focus in the classroom, and helps create a more peaceful playground."
Today, Peaceful Playgrounds can be found in more than 8,000 schools nationwide with more than four million children exposed to the benefits of the program.
*Study results published by NACCHO, Peaceful Playgrounds: Using Evidence-Based Strategies and Quality Improvement to Address Childhood Obesity in Florida
Peaceful Playgrounds Participates in School Pride on NBC
Los Angeles, California (October 20, 2010) – Peaceful Playgrounds was proud to be a sponsor and participate in the makeover of Lanier Elementary for the filming of School Pride for NBC.
"School Pride" is a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restores its sense of value and school pride. Episode 2 "Follow the Teachers" features Lanier Elementary in Baton Rouge, LA. Volunteers came out to assist in transforming the 52 year old school site.
"We were so honored to participate in such a worthy project. We felt continuously inspired by the amount of volunteers that came out to help their children and community." said Andrea Bossenmeyer, Vice President. "This project exemplifies efforts that everyone can take nationwide to transform schools and playgrounds for children.” said Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, founder of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program.
Peaceful Playgrounds, the brainchild of award-winning educator and playground designer Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, is a system of fun and educational activities painted onto a schoolyard surface. The program has been proven to reduce bullying, increase motor skills, dramatically reduce injuries and maximize playground efficiency. Best of all it’s a lot of fun!
Watch the episode this Friday on NBC Channel 4. Check local listing for time slot in your area. To learn more, visit
School Pride
HEALTHY SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN RECOGNIZES PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS™ IN 2009-10
INNOVATION SHOWCASE
LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA (March 25, 2010) – Peaceful Playgrounds™ has
been recognized by Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), a leading authority on healthy
school environments, as a featured product in it’s 2010 Innovation Showcase.
The Peaceful Playgrounds Program kit is an environmentally friendly, low-cost program
that maximizes physical activity while utilizing existing blacktop and recess areas. The
kit offers a wide variety of activities to promote wellness in a non-combative
environment. By providing a blueprint that assists with measurements, layout, spacing
and placement, a structured optimization of the available area exists.
In 2009, HSC conducted a nationwide search for new and innovative products and
services that help create healthier school environments. The search focused specifically
on two areas: the environmental impact of a school, and the way that a school supports
healthy eating and physical activity for students.
“It makes recess more of a learning and creative experience for the students,” said
showcase judge Jay Snyder of the Association of School Business Officials International.
“It’s safe for the students and the environment. And it’s easy to clean, which is very
important to the custodians, directors of facilities, and to the school and school districts in
general.”
The products spotlighted in the Innovation Showcase were selected by a judging panel
with representatives from the Healthy Schools Campaign, American School & University
magazine, and the Association of School Business Officials International. The judges
selected products based on the creativity of the innovation and the potential positive
impact. To learn more, visit .www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/?innovation
“We are excited and encouraged to have been recognized by the Healthy School
Campaign as an innovator,” said Andrea Bossenmeyer, vice-president and sales manager,
Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. “Knowing that our efforts to promote and create healthy play
environments that increase physical activity while reducing injuries and bullying are
being noticed, strengthens our commitment and resolve.”
The Healthy Schools Campaign, an independent not-for-profit organization, is a voice for
people who care about their environment, their children and education. Their mission is
to advocate for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn
and work in a healthy school environment. For more information visit
www.healthyschoolscampaign.org
Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. is headquartered in Lake Elsinore, California and serves over
4 million students annually in over 8,000 schools across the nation. For over 15 years,
Peaceful Playgrounds has been providing a low-cost avenue for K-8 schools to organize
and manage their schoolyards and playgrounds. For a tenth of the cost of conventional
playground structures, schools can now have a structured play area that makes use of
more surface area than traditional equipment. With a simple goal to get more children
involved in physical activity rather than waiting in line for their turn or just standing
around talking, recognizing that a child who burns off energy, not only reduced their risk
for obesity, but they increase their focus on education when returning to class. For more
information, visit
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com.
URBANA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RECEIVES RECOGNITION FROM PEACEFUL
PLAYGROUNDS FOR “SAFE PLAY” VIDEO
FREDERICK,
MARYLAND (January 20, 2009) – Fifth Grade Computer Club members at
Urbana Elementary School recently were rewarded for creating an
informative video on playground safety. PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS, a
company devoted to reducing conflicts on the school yard, have
posted the video on their website and provided a free Program Kit
and site license the school.
“The children created the video
to spread the word about Safe Play,” said Andrea Bossenmeyer, Sales
and Marketing Director for Peaceful Playgrounds. “They initiated the
project themselves and are being rewarded for campaigning for the
cause of safer playgrounds.”
The two-minute video was filmed
and put together by fifth grade students Leah Borgsmiller and Thaina
Santos as part of their computer club activities. Nikki Cicerone,
teacher and technology coordinator at Urbana Elementary School said,
“The students were elated that their creativity has yielded such
positive results for the school.”
The playground is an
essential part of any school and every community. Children spend
many hours of their day occupying themselves with what the
playground has to offer. With Peaceful Playgrounds Program Kit,
plain blacktops can be transformed into a colorful arrangement of
games that kids love to play. These well marked activities provide
increased motivation for children to enter into an activity and
become engaged in purposeful play, thus cutting down on playground
confrontations. Peaceful Playgrounds activities include: hopscotch,
four square, basketball, and handball as part of nearly 100
activities available.
“Our plan is to integrate Peaceful
Playgrounds with our Physical Education program and enlist our PTA
to help implement the painting and working on the blueprint of
activities,” Cicerone said.
To view the video in its
entirety and for additional information on PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS,
visit
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com.
Playground Safety Student Puppet Show
Playground Safety - The Rules to be Safe!
Urbana Elementary School - Frederick, Maryland - 210 sec.
PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS OFFERS EDUCATION BUDGET CUT RELIEF
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (January 7, 2009) – Principals around the country are waiting to see how proposed budget cuts will affect them for this New Year. The prospect of further cuts is making it hard for school administrators to meet the needs of students and staff. PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS offers one alternative to making the most of these dwindling funds.
PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS provides a low-cost avenue for K-8 schools to organize and manage their schoolyards and playgrounds. Taking in considering that the cost of new playground structures run between $25,000 to $100,000, add in resurfacing and installation and the price doubles. For a tenth of the cost, PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS can provide a structured play area that makes use of more surface area than traditional equipment.
“The purpose of our program is to provide school children and staff to the wide variety of activities available on the playground and field area,” said Andrea Bossenmeyer, Sales and Marketing Director for Peaceful Playgrounds. “Our blueprint assists with measurements, layout, spacing and placement to provide a structured optimization of the available area.”
Schools not only benefit from stretching their budget dollar, but the residual affects of structured play pay off on the schoolyard and in the classroom. PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS reduces playground conflicts, bullying and obesity while promoting healthier children and improved learning.
Proposed budgets usually come out towards the end of January. Most schools fiscal year begins April 1, so by then they will know how much they’re losing from their budget and will also have a good idea of how much they’ll receive in funds.
For more information on how PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS can assist, visit
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com or call 877-444-9888.
FREE WEBINARS OFFERED ON PEACEFUL PLAGROUNDS WEBSITE IN JANUARY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (December 15, 2008) – Peaceful Playgrounds, a recognized expert in playground activities, announced today it would be hosting several free webinars during the month of January. There are three specific webinars designed to assist educators attain Grants, improve recess time, and reduce conflicts on the schoolyard.
• Grant Writing for Beginners will focus on the dos and don’ts of grant writing. It will go over the critical elements necessary for getting you grant funded as well as strategies and support for not only writing a successful application but also more importantly, implementation. Webinar will be held Friday, January 23 at 10:00 am (PST).
• Recess Before Lunch – 5 Steps to Success will focus on the importance of providing activity before lunch break. Research shows that kids are calmer, better behaved and eat properly after activity. This increases instruction time as a result. This webinar will provide the 5 crucial steps needed to better prepare staff, students and parents for successful implementation. Webinar will be held Friday, January 16 at 10:00 am (PST).
• How You Can Have a Peaceful Playground will provide strategies to help reduce bullying and playground conflicts. It will address the 5 situations that contribute to 95% of all problems a typical elementary school yard face. This webinar will give you the tools to happier students and thankful staff. Webinars will be held, one on Friday, January 9 at 10:00 am (PST) and another Wednesday, January 21 at 12:00 pm (PST).
Peaceful Playgrounds webinars are 45 minutes long with a 15-minute question and answer session. No special software is needed and there is no need to set up teleconferencing. System requirements for PC-based Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, and Vista. Macintosh®-based Mac OS® 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer.
Space is limited so potential participants are encouraged to act fast and sign up by registering on line at www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/webinars.htm or calling 877-444-9888.
For more information on Peaceful Playground visit
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com.
PEACEFUL PLAYGROUNDS PRESIDENT TO SERVE ON HEAD START BODY START
BOARD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (October 14, 2008) – Peaceful Playground Inc.
President and CEO, Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer has been selected to serve as
a Board Member for Head Start Body Start: The National Center for
Physical Development and Outdoor Play. The National Center is a key
component of the Surgeon General’s Childhood Overweight and Obesity
Prevention Initiative and is organized and managed by the American
Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) and the
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).
“I am excited and encouraged to bring my experience and understanding to
the Head Start Body Start board,” said Dr. Bossenmeyer. “The
future of our nation’s children, their health and well-being, relies on
supporting daily, structured activities that create a healthy learning
environment. By promoting an environment of mutual cooperation and
increasing physical activity helps to decrease childhood obesity.”
The 16-member Advisory Board is comprised of professionals from a range
of cultural, linguistic, geographic, and economic backgrounds that will
provide guidance on the direction and progress of the project. AAPAR and
NASPE, as national professional associations, have a proven track record
of providing resources and trainings that are based on current research
and best practices. They are committed to identifying and promoting a
full range of high quality resources and partnerships in order to
provide state-of-art information and services.
Dr. Bossenmeyer
brings years of experience as an educator, principal, playground
inspector, administrator and author of six books. “When I started
Peaceful Playgrounds more than 10 years ago, it was my goal to get more
children involved in physical activity rather than waiting in line for
their turn or just standing around talking. A child who burns off
energy, not only reduced their risk for obesity, but they increase their
focus on education when returning to class.”
Head Start Body
Start comes out of the largest AAHPERD award ever received, a $12
million, four-year grant to the NASPE and AAPAR from the federal
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS). This grant will help prevent overweight
and obesity among young children in Head Start programs nationwide.
The National Center will help Head Start evaluate its play spaces and
educate children and their families about the value of physical activity
and healthy eating. In addition, the Center will assist Head Start
programs in creating healthy learning environments, both in and outside
the classroom, through structured and unstructured physical activity
that leads to the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development
of young children.
The nation’s 900,000 Head Start children, as
well as their families and staff, will benefit from the Center’s broad
range of services aimed at increasing physical activity, outdoor play,
and healthy eating. Programs will be supported with training, technical
assistance, and grants of up to $5,000 to local Head Start centers to
improve their playgrounds and outdoor play spaces. Head Start Body Start
will also provide information and support to ACF’s Office of Head Start
for setting national priorities and developing policies.
Visit
Peaceful Playgrounds
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com, the NASPE
www.naspeinfo.org and AAPAR
www.aahperd.org/aapar
websites for more information and to follow the Center’s newest
efforts.
Peaceful Playgrounds
Are Sweeping the Nation
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (October 1, 2008) – Peaceful Playgrounds, the brainchild of award-winning educator and
playground designer Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, is a system of fun and
educational activities painted onto a schoolyard surface. The program
has been proven to reduce confrontations, increase motor skills,
dramatically reduce injuries and maximize playground efficiency. For
children in kindergarten through sixth grade, it’s a lot of fun too!
As a long-time teacher and principal in the Southern California
public school system, Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer saw more than her share of
injuries, problems and violence in the schoolyard. Often a state of
controlled bedlam, children swarmed on limited play equipment, created
chaotic versions of competitive sports that usually lead to heated
arguments, or just wandered aimlessly. After recess, teachers too
frequently found themselves wasting precious class time settling battles
that began out on the playground.
Dr. Bossenmeyer saw a dire need for more non-competitive, structured
games that would limit physical contact and make better use of the
entire playground area. She found an affordable solution in the creation
of her Peaceful Playgrounds concept. According to Dr. Bossenmeyer, “The
program is intended to maximize the number of students involved in
physical activity rather than waiting in line for their turn or just
standing around talking. Burning off energy, makes kids more focused
when they return to class.”
Drawing on a strong background in playground safety and design, Dr.
Bossenmeyer created a series of age-appropriate games, and learning
activities to be painted onto existing playground surfaces using her
blueprints and pre-fabricated stencils.
The Peaceful Playgrounds program consists of five main components:
- A blueprint for game markings – The first objective is to
disperse children evenly across the play area. Colorful,
strategically spaced markings including numbers, letter grids and
various geometric shapes delineate play areas, creating a cheerful
amusement park look
- A consistent set of rules – The second objective is to foster
consistency and training for kids, teachers and aides. Rules for
each game are taught, posted and regularly reviewed. As games are
learned, new rules are introduced for more advanced levels of play.
- Conflict resolution strategy- Children learn to resolve their
own conflicts. Various effective options for working out
disagreements are taught to the children, freeing up supervisors to
do their job- looking after the safety of all those on the
playground.
- List of required equipment- Game markings and rules are useless
without ample and proper equipment to play the games. To allow for
budgeting and purchasing, a detailed list of a year’s supply of
equipment (various sized balls, beanbags, etc) is provided
- Consistent expectations and training- It is paramount to the
success of the program that each staff member understands and
supports the program’s objectives. Being able to play and work
cooperatively empowers children and crosses over into the classroom.
In 1995, then Principal Melinda Bossenmeyer put the first Peaceful
Playgrounds program into practice at the E. Hale Curran Elementary
School in Murrieta, California. It was hailed as an overnight success.
Teachers and monitors immediately saw the whole tenor of the playground
change from one of chaos to calm, with almost a total student
involvement in the games. An unexpected bonus, a dramatic decrease in
playground injuries, is attributed to the relief and stress of
overcrowded areas on the playground. With activities spread out,
children were making use of the entire play area.
The success of Peaceful playgrounds brought accolades and
recognition. In 1999, E. Hale Curran Elementary was honored with the
State of California’s Golden Bell Award in the school-safety category
from the California School Boards Association.
Through mostly word-of-mouth among educators who’ve been exposed to
Peaceful Playgrounds, the concept is sweeping the nation and can now be
found in over 8,000 schools across the country.
For more information, please contact Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer,
877.444.9888 or visit the Peaceful Playgrounds Website at
www.peacefulplaygrounds.com
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