Local school achieves Peace on the Playground

Given the jungle rules of some playgrounds, where the biggest and toughest tend to dominate, consider the scene recently at Washington Elementary School.

A recess came and went, with children running loose during a sublime afternoon, and nobody cried, got punched, got hurt, or got left out of a game.

Nobody got into a fight, got bullied or dragged back inside the classroom where the teacher had to settle a playground dispute.

Sound impossible? It’s not. With the implementation of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program such peace is no accident.

The anti-violence and playground organization program is called Peaceful Playgrounds and its aim is to topple the centuries-old Darwinian pecking order of the schoolyard.

The concept, developed by longtime teacher and Principal Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Los Angeles, Calif., is an affordable solution to playground woes. The program boasts increasing physical activity a much-needed intervention for the childhood obesity problem sweeping the nation.

To kids none of the above really matters. What they care about is best expressed by comments like, “It’s fun!” and “Now we have lots of choices of games to play.”

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 game markings include numbers, letter grids, and various geometric shapes, which delineate play spaces, 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 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 objectives. Being able to play and work cooperatively empowers children and crosses over into the classroom.
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 7000 schools across the country.