Posts Tagged ‘playground’

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How the White House Plans to Fight Childhood Obesity

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Did you know there was a Childhood Obesity Task Force? Their aim is to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. They have a new report and got  input from 12 federal agencies. Citizens also weighed in with 2,500 submissions  from parents, teachers, doctors, nurses and others. The Let’s Move program has a YouTube channel that you can check out.

Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity

The report makes recommendations on how to fight childhood obesity in 5 key areas:

  1. Getting children a healthy start on life which means good prenatal care.
  2. Empowering parents and caregivers with clear information to help make healthy choices for children
  3. Providing healthy food in schools and educating kids about healthy food choices.
  4. Improve access to healthy, affordable food and reducing hunger.
  5. Getting children more physically active which includes “improving access to safe parks, playgrounds, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.”

I’m impressed by the effort and involvement of citizens and we’re glad that you’re building playgrounds around the country where kids can be active.

Please tell us ways your community is getting involved or what you’re doing as a parent to prevent obesity. As for me – my son is so skinny that so far it hasn’t been a worry – I worry more about keeping him well fed!

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Report Gives America an ‘F,’ and that Stands for ‘Fat’

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

“Marx once predicted that the capitalist countries would become so bloated that the bourgeoisie would actually pay to lose weight.” – From a comment on USAToday

That prediction has come true – the rich and poor are paying to lose weight. Many people in America are not only overweight — we’re getting fatter. If they were being graded on it, we’d get an F. This is according to a report by the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Two-thirds of adults are overweight, which is double what we were in 1980. Too many of our children and even our pets are overweight. (see Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity)

Utah, Colorado and California, are doing better than the rest of the nation but are also gaining. Issues like  poverty, a sedentary work force and less time for recess and play at schools and child care centers factor in, according to Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health.

“Millions of Americans still face barriers, like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active, that make healthy choices challenging.” It’s worse for low-income Americans and minorities.

A 2008 survey in Utah found that 21.5 percent of elementary students were overweight. In this survey a sampling of students were weighed and measured —  unlike this national survey which was done by telephone. I find that a frightening number.

We spend a lot of time sitting in cars, then on couches and not nearly enough time in playgrounds, outside or moving around. Exercise was once built into our life but now we have to make time for it. Also, you have to go out of your way and it’s more expensive to eat healthy than it is to prepare food that is healthy.

Are we headed towards life like is shown on the movie Wall-e where we get so fat we are carted around all on a platform and have machines take care of us? What do you think we should do about the issue?

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Here’s an Idea to Get Kids Playing! Host a Play Day

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

We’ve been writing a lot about Michelle Obama’s efforts to get kids moving. Here’s a great way you can get involved and meet others in your community with similiar goals: Host a Play Day.

The nonprofit organization KaBoom! is organizing the day to get kids out and improve playgrounds.  You can organize efforts to clean up or do things like  plant flowers or trees, build new amenities like benches or picnic tables, paint murals, and more.

If you use the KaBoom Play Day Planner, you could also get some cash in the form of grants to help fund bigger improvement projects. They will give 5 Play Day grants: one $10,000 First Place, one $7,500 Second Place and three $2,500 Runner-Ups. You’ll also get access to the online Play Day tools, and ideas to make your event successful. Other participants will share ideas.

Get started now for this event that starts Sept 18, 2010. More at http://playday.kaboom.org/why

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How to Become a ‘Let’s Move’ City or Town

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Michelle Obama 2008-10-22 (1)
Image via Wikipedia

As part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, cities and towns around the country can join the effort to slim up America’s kids.

Mayors and Elected Officials can become a Let’s Move City or Let’s Move Town.

Here’s what to do – in 4 categories:
1. Help Parents Make Healthy Family Choices: Offer parents tools, support, and information to make healthier choices for their families.

2. Improve the Health of Schools: Promote healthier food in schools

3. Increase Physical Activity Opportunities: Promote physical activity in your schools, city, or town

4. Make Healthy Food Affordable and Accessible: improve the affordability of healthy food

Mayors and elected officials are encouraged to take action in each of the 4 areas.

Rubberecycle enrouages communities to join the effort to get our kids moving. Part of that is taking them to the playground. We’re proud to contribute in a small part by creating safe and accessible playgrounds with a rubber mulch surface like the one found at the White House playground.

More at http://www.letsmove.gov/cities_and_towns.html

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Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity

Monday, June 14th, 2010

This information about childhood obesity comes from the Get Moving! web site and is Michelle Obama’s initiative.

The childhood obesity problem
Here are some facts about childhood obesity:

  • Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled
  • Nearly 1 in 3 children in America are overweight or obese
  • 1/3 of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives
  • Other chronic obesity-related health problems include heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma
  • A recent study put the health care costs of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion per year.
  • Obesity is now one of the most common reasons people are disqualified for military service.

The Let’s Move! campaign aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. The idea is to come up with common sense, innovative solutions that empower families and communities to make healthy decisions for their kids. One of those is taking the kids to the playground this summer.

Try getting the kids to a playground. When I was little I played ‘kick the can’ almost every night. We also played badminton in the back yard until it was so dark we couldn’t see the birdie anymore.

This web site has some other games you could play: http://www.playgroundfun.org.uk/

The next few posts will have more ways to get moving with your kids and how to encourage your community and schools to join in. Please tell us your favorite playground game.

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Missing the Merry-Go-Round?

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

It’s not very often you see a merry-go-round on a playground anymore. That fact has many children and adults pining for one. In Texas at a playground, they are especially missed. They playground had a pair of enormous merry-go-rounds.

These were pretty amazing merry-go-rounds too. Just one could hold 30 children. They were likely build during the Great Depression and have become part of the history of the town.

Last year the school expanded, taking over part of the playground. Then came new, handicap-accessible playground equipment. But they’re not giving up. There is a request for bids on the antique merry-go-round and there are already offers coming in.

There were some concerns about playground safety — more than one child has fallen off the toy. Which is part of the experience. We say, it’s not if they fall it’s when they do. In most cases, it’s not so much the fall, but what they land on that matters!

Do you have nostalgic feelings for a particular toy on a playground that you grew up playing on?

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Reducing Playground Injuries

Monday, May 3rd, 2010
User:Squishy Vic's son on a swing
Image via Wikipedia

I just saw a news report about how many children get hurt on playgrounds each year.  Rubber mulch is one way we contribute to help make playgrounds safer for kids.

Schools hire playground inspectors to look over the equipment for potential problems.

Here are some other interesting facts about playground injuries:

  • 2,300 kids are injured every year on school playgrounds
  • 5th-graders sustain more injuries than any other group
  • Falls are the #1 cause of injury

What to check :

The inspector checks the nuts, screws, bolts and other hardware to make sure it hasn’t come loose. He checks the slides, and pushes on the joints to see if they are solid. Even a hole in the equipment can be a hazard.

Another important spot to check is under the swings. Lots of children fall off swings, so what kind of a surface will they hit? In this picture it looks like the child would fall on hard concrete. There must be something to cushion the fall. Rubber mulch can do a lot to prevent injuries. At Rubberecycle we’ve tested dropping eggs from the top of the playground’s highest point. The egg didn’t break when it hit the rubber surface.

Playground safety should be a top priority at school and at home. Even playground equipment in your backyard should be tested. Parents can look over the set to make sure it’s held together well. Besides these suggestions, parents should watch their kids.

Check out our 7 PlayGround Safety Tips.

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School Lets Students Design Playground

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

At Grace Best Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colorado students are designing their future playground. Here’s what one 5th grader wants: “I want a tire swing, and slides, I like slides that go up and down and are curvy,” he said. Another says he wants a tire swing and big slide.

Whatever the final design, students will feel ownership. Rubbercycle applauds these efforts to involve students in the success of a new playground for their school. We recommend that the students think about the playground surface and consider the long-term benefits of rubber mulch.

Many students weighed in on the design and features of the playground. They’re also voting on the name of  the school. The school is being transitioned from an elementary school to Creekside Middle School. Teachers said they want Grace students to feel like they are a part of their new building, and added they also want to boost school spirit.

Another part of the motivation is to get the community involved, not only through donations but in building a playground that they can be proud of.

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