Summer Camp and the Great Outdoors
Consider a camp experience this summer to ignite or reignite a passion for the outdoors that is healthy for mind and soul.
Graduate students and children alike bond through nature
Transformation through nature and teaching experiences is the norm at IslandWood. Learn more about the University of Washington program that is reaching hundreds of students each year, including those in graduate school.
Bike Bus: Healthy and PLAYful
Children at East Nashville Magnet School now have the option to ride the bike bus to school. Kids learn the route and rules of the road for cyclists and are on their way – adding a fun, refreshing break from automobile-only transport.
Fuel up for Play in the National Parks
Fueling up for Play our National Parks just became healthier. With the addition of new food standards last week, parks across the country will be offering healthier food options. Time to go out to our parks and PLAY!
Kids (and Adults) Need Balance
‘Play Day’ at the European Parliament was not a day of play for parliament representatives, but rather a day to discuss the value of play to healthy childhood development. UK researchers are likewise reporting on the detriments of too little free play.
AARP features Play Ambassador Pat Rumbaugh
In this video, AARP features Play Ambassador Pat Rumbaugh, The Play Lady, who encourages older adults to achieve their daily play needs. Few people are as PLAYful as Pat and we are so glad to have her as a member of the Coalition.
The timing of recess makes a difference
For grades 1-5 in the Santa Ynez Valley, recess now comes before lunch. This simple switch delivered impressive results with students eating more of their lunches and returning to class more focused and settled.
Recess: More than Fun and Games
Improving classroom performance may be as simple as allowing more recess. Olga Jarrett, Ph.D. and a 2011 US Play Coalition research grant awardee, shares her knowledge of the importance of recess to success in school.
National Safety Month - June 1 to June 30 - Each June, the National Safety Council encourages organizations to get involved and participate in National Safety Month. NSM is an annual observance to educate and influence behaviors around leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
Great Outdoors Month 2013 - June 1 to June 30 - Excitement is growing across the nation about plans for Great Outdoors Week and Great Outdoors Month 2013. Great Outdoors Month celebrates a variety of important events and actions that occur during June, and highlights the benefits of active fun outdoors and our magnificent shared resources of forests, parks, refuges and other public lands and waters. Great Outdoors Week (June 1-8) showcases efforts enhancing outdoor recreation for all Americans in the 21st century through awards, briefings and other events in the Nation’s Capital.
Deadline July 24 – Call for Proposals on Public Health Law Research - June 12 to July 24 - The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released the 2013 Call for Proposals on “Public Health Law Research: Making the Case for Laws that Improve Health.” The program seeks to build evidence for and strengthen the use of regulatory, legal and policy solutions to improve public health. Policies about recess, physical activity, unstructured play, and liability statutes for schoolyard playgrounds might be possible play topics to tie into the call.
Vote now until July 15 - Win $100,000 from Coca-Cola for your favorite park - June 12 to July 15 - Having fun and getting fit outdoors just became a great way to win funding for your favorite park. Coca-Cola has kicked off the fourth-annual “America is Your Park” campaign where people can vote for their favorite park to win up to $100,000. What are you waiting for?