bkimberly's blog

Earlier this year, parent and play advocate Chrysi Polydoros lead the charge that resulted in Houston Independent School District (HISD) recommending daily school recess.

Guest blogger Melodie Isgro is a part-time Urgent Care physician, full-time Mom to daughter, Lila, and a great believer that one individual can make a difference.

With one hula hoop and a group, try this week's game for smiles and team building. The Game of the Week is Hula Hoop Challenge!

I love the game of Ultimate. Ultimate’s foundational philosophy the Spirit of the Game is a code of conduct that encourages personal responsibility and honesty on the field. When I started working for Playworks, I realized that the play ethic we as coaches strive to instill in our students during recess and developmental sports leagues is essentially Spirit of the Game. In addition, the self-officiating in Ultimate promotes and utilizes the conflict-resolution skills that Playworks already teaches.

A Mathematica study found that transitions from recess to learning activities are easier at Playworks schools. In fact, schools that partner with Playworks spend 27% less time transitioning from recess to learning activities reclaiming valuable teaching time. Teachers report that students were more likely to come to class ready to learn because fewer conflicts carried over from recess.

Safety first. We hear it all the time in so many of our day-to-day activities, yet the playground is the number one place students are made fun of or called names.

*High Five!* Today is National High Five Day and we're  passing them out all day! The high five may only be 45 years old. There is speculation that its popularity began in the early 70’s as American baseball players used it to celebrate great plays. In the 40’s, however, the ‘low five’ was popular among African Americans.

Bullying has reached the crisis point in our schools.

Volleyball season has begun in our 23 cities with direct service programs. This is a time of great learning. Many third and fourth grade join the team barely or never having played the game before.