Recently during a physical education class, my college students were teaching at an elementary school, and data was collected on the physical activity levels of some of the students (2nd grade). As a researcher, I have been involved in more extensive data collections in the past, so had some idea about what to expect in regard to the movement intensity of the children. My students (first-year students in an Introduction to Physical Education class) were probably quite unaware of what the findings would be.

Child activity levels were observed over a 20-minute period, and documented using very simple classifications: three categories were used (standing, movement intensity similar to that of walking, movement intensity similar to that of running) and child behavior was recorded every 30 seconds. This observation task was solely undertaken to provide information to my students on what physical education teachers have known for a while: children spend only a small portion of lesson time involved in high intensity physical activity. The majority of the lesson did indeed involve activity of only low to moderate intensity.

I contrasted these observations with what I observed when I took my four young children to a 'playscape' playground later that afternoon. For a good half-hour my children, as well as other children at the playground, seemed not to stop running, climbing, swinging, sliding, and scrambling. There were no teacher interruptions for classroom management; no time spent on developing skills such as throwing and catching; and no episodes of instruction. There was only time for the children to 'run wild' and play.

I offer these thoughts in the context of some of the demands placed on physical education teachers. Specifically, PE teachers are burdened with decreasing child obesity as well as improving (perceived) low levels of child fitness. However, the more structured set-up of a physical education lesson, the essential need to help children learn skills such as throwing, catching, and striking, and the time spent on classroom management, all combine to produce a lesson time-period far less suitable for achieving goals of improving fitness and lowering body fat than does a period of play at a local park.

In the physical education lesson my students observed, the children spent less than 2% of the lesson time doing vigorous activity. Nevertheless, it was a very good physical education lesson with a strong focus on movement concepts and motor skills. Physical education teachers should reject the notion that their PE lessons can help "cure" childhood obesity: elementary physical education should be about skill improvement and the discovery of fun and challenging ways to move with grace, speed, and style.

Darren Dale
Health & Fitness Section Editor

Marion Nestle's recent book 'What to Eat' is a tremendous read, comprehensive in scope and highly informative. Nestle provides the reader with important answers to interesting and commonly asked questions (examples: "Is yogurt a health food or a dessert?" 'Is organic meat a better choice than natural meat?"). Nestle uses the framework of a supermarket shopping tour to do so, and it works well. School health teachers should read this book.

A PBS Frontline interview with the author provides a good starting point for anyone unfamiliar with what Nestle has to say on the healthy eating, food safety, and food politics.

Michael Pollan's The Omnivores Dilemma has received a lot of media attention, and deservedly so. Pollan's text focuses on the way Americans eat, and the way in which food is produced. The insight into the predominance of corn and oil in the American diet is fascinating, and his thoughts on large health food stores like Whole Foods makes intriguing reading.

Equally interesting was an online "debate" between Michael Pollan and John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods. It is well worth the time to read the different perspectives on the table here. It is a fascinating and lively discussion.

Providing advice to parents on the number of hours sleep children should be having is an important goal for health educators. Many parents have children involved in activities that begin in late afternoon and can run long into the evening. These activities, in combination with the horrible early start times in place at many schools, make it very difficult to accomplish the goal of ensuring children get sufficient, quality sleep.

The recommendations on the number of hours sleep are listed above. It may well be that parents need to make lifestyle changes (i.e., scheduling changes, reducing evening commitments) in order to abide by guidelines put forward by experts studying the importance of children's sleep. Additional guidelines on how to help children get to bed early and receive quality sleep once they are in bed can be found at webmd.com.

For parents who have concerns about specific sleep problems with a child, the American Academy of Pediatrics is a good place to begin looking. Excerpts from an chapter covering information on sleep issues, published by the AAP can be found at The Medem Network, an internet site connecting physicians and patients.

Sleep Patterns in Children
Children who get enough sleep are less prone to behavior problems and moodiness. They often develop better memory, concentration, and longer attention spans. With plenty of sleep, they may also recover from illness faster. Growth spurts occur during sleep as the human growth hormone is released. Behavior problems can even result from lack of sleep. Find out more.

What do I need to know about school-age children and sleep? - School-aged children still need somewhere between 9 and 12 hours of sleep at night. At this age, kids usually start a trend toward becoming more and more sleep deprived. As the parents, you will need to help figure out how much sleep your child needs. You'll find some new, and very through information here.

Stay informed about Sports Conditioning

For teachers and coaches wanting to stay up-to-date on the latest information on sports conditioning, the National Strength and Conditioning Association website provides comprehensive and accurate information for athletes of all ages, across a wide range of sports.

Stay informed about Health

The website of the Mayo Clinic remains one of the most informative sites on a range of health-related issues including food and nutrition, disease prevention, food safety, and healthy cooking.

Type 2 Diabetes - What is It?
Let's find out about type 2 diabetes, a health problem that affects kids and adults.

Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes
Insulin resistance is a silent condition that increases the chances of developing diabetes and heart disease. Learning about insulin resistance is the first step you can take toward making lifestyle changes that will help you prevent diabetes and other health problems. The good news is that insulin resistance is reversible.

Insulin Resistance - The Basics
Insulin resistance is a condition characterized by an inability of the body to utilize the hormone insulin properly. Insulin, produced by the beta cells of the pancreas, is responsible for 'unlocking' cells to let glucose inside to be metabolized for energy. Find out more.

Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes shouldn't be taken lightly. It means that you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Read this multi page document. Very thorough information.

RitalinDealth.com - Psychiatrist are misdiagnosing many children with ADD and ADHD. See real conditions that mimic behaviors often called ADD or ADHD. And, read this info. Thousands of children have suddenly died over the years, as a direct result of using psychotropic drugs used for ADD and ADHD. Read some specific cases.

A Rush to Medicate Young Minds
The writer of this article is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in California, and the author of "Should You Medicate Your Child's Mind?"

I have been treating, educating and caring for children for more than 30 years, half of that time as a child psychiatrist, and the changes I have seen in the practice of child psychiatry are shocking. Psychiatrists are now misdiagnosing and over-medicating children for ordinary defiance and misbehavior. The temper tantrums of belligerent children are increasingly being characterized as psychiatric illnesses.

Using such diagnoses as bipolar disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger's, doctors are justifying the sedation of difficult kids with powerful psychiatric drugs that may have serious, permanent or even lethal side effects. Read the rest...

When dealing with spirited children, the problem usually does not lie with the child but with society's perception of what normal childhood behavior is. Many normal children, according to some people, display ADHD behavior not because they are hyperactive or lack sufficient attention spans, but because the person forming the opinion has unrealistic standards of how a child should behave. Read these other great points at Focus Adolescent Services.

United Nations Steps into Child Drugging Controversy, Warns Against Psychiatric Labeling and Harmful ADHD-drugs. Separately, FDA orders black box warning on ADHD-prescribed drug. Read this information from the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Sleep Deprivation And ADHD
We know, based on common sense, that inadequate sleep makes kids more moody, more impulsive, and less able to concentrate. We've known for more than 20 years that sleep deprivation makes it difficult to learn. Recent research has verified that chronic poor sleep results in daytime tiredness, difficulties with focused attention, low threshold to express negative emotion (irritability and easy frustration), and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions. These are the same symptoms that can earn kids the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, popularly known as ADD).

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes: Turn over a new leaf and say good-bye to over-indulgent turkey-day celebrations! Put an end to starving yourself before and after the big day to make up for all the food consumed! With a healthful menu like this one, you'll keep high-fat foods at bay and have no need to feel guilty for overindulging friends, family, or yourself. Go ahead and celebrate with this colorful and tasty menu!

Better Recipes - This site has Thanksgiving recipe categories such as dinners, deserts, appetizers, diabetic-friendly recipes, healthy recipes, and low carb Thanksgiving recipes. There's a menu list of other recipe categories, so this looks like a site worth bookmarking! Pictures included.

Thanksgiving Recipes
From the main course to dessert and drinks, give your guests a meal beyond the traditional fare by mixing time-honored favorites with unexpected delights. Pictures included.

Celebrate Thanksgiving - Get ready for Thanksgiving with a feast of fabulous recipes, terrific turkey tips, step-by-step menus and more!

Kraft Foods - 239 great recipes from Kraft Foods. Mouse over the links to each recipe, and you'll get a great picture of what the dish looks like prepared. You'll want to try them all, but since that's just not possible, make sure to bookmark this site!

Thanksgiving Recipes database - Another great site for Thanksgiving recipes, with pictures.