Everyone knows children are getting fatter and that both a poor diet and a lack of exercise are to blame. But, what researchers have been unable to discover until now, is exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay.

Now a new report published in the journal PLoS Medicine, offers new hope for parents concerned about the growing obesity epidemic. It suggests that making even small increases to your daily exercise routine, such as walking your child to school each day instead of taking the car, could have dramatic long-term results.

Using the latest cutting-edge techniques, researchers discovered that doing 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise lowered a child's chances of being obese by almost 50 per cent. As long as the activity was at least of the level of a brisk walk - enough to make your child a little out a breath -- it seemed to be of benefit.

NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced a $600,000 grant from MetLife Foundation, expanding the MetLife Foundation Parks & Playgrounds Fund to $2.6 million. The grant will support creation of six new parks and playgrounds across the country, including three playgrounds in New York City.

The MetLife Foundation Parks & Playgrounds Fund was established in 2004 to support TPL's Parks for People Initiative, which is working to ensure that everyone -- in particular every child -- enjoys close-to-home access to a park, playground, or natural area. MetLife Foundation's renewed leadership support will help TPL bring new parks to underserved urban neighborhoods in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles.

California First Lady Maria Shriver and CaliforniaVolunteers Launch Effort to Build Community Playspaces that Honor Cesar E. Chavez

In celebration of Cesar Chavez Day, 10 playspaces will be built across California
in partnership with national nonprofit KaBOOM!

Celebrate the Spirit of NASCAR and the Importance of Play!
Sale of limited edition NASCAR Day pins at The Home Depot to benefit KaBOOM!

Kids ran victory laps during this year’s NASCAR Day, celebrated  May 18. NASCAR Day is a one-day celebration of the NASCAR spirit and its fans that raises money and awareness for important causes across America. The Home Depot, KaBOOM! founding partner and recently announced  "Official Home Improvement Warehouse of NASCAR," is donating proceeds from the sale of a special limited edition NASCAR Day pin at its stores to benefit The NASCAR Foundation and KaBOOM!.  Plus, learn about Racing to Play, a partnership that builds special racing-themed playgrounds and see photos from the kick-off build.

RALLYing for a new BellaVistaPark in  Oakland, California

More than half of the state's 180 public elementary schools do not have playground equipment appropriate for children between the ages of 2 and 5 — those in preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten — according to a Department of Education report released yesterday.

The report found 96 schools, 53 percent, do not have age-appropriate equipment.

The report also said that 28 of the state's public elementary schools have older playground equipment that could pose safety problems for children.

There’s a time for math and a time for play. Sometimes the two come together.

At Gideon Pond Elementary School in Burnsville, students are mastering math facts to raise money for new playground equipment.

The school will hold a Math Fact-a-Thon May 11. For purposes of the fundraiser, students will be tested on their knowledge of grade-appropriate math facts.

If mastering math isn’t fun enough, students are soliciting pledges to motivate their preparation.

LONG BEACH - Gov. Haley Barbour said Wednesday there continues to be a good stream of help coming to South Mississippi as he mingled with 250 volunteers building a KaBOOM! playground in Long Beach.

Barbour was on the Coast to see the playground being built by volunteers from the United Jewish Communities; Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish Fraternity of North America; Long Beach residents; and others who participated in raising the funds and in construction.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour joined 275 volunteers for a KaBOOM! Operation Playground build in Long Beach, MS on March 14. Despite a thunderstorm that left the builders soaked, the volunteers built a beautiful playground for the community.

Work is underway on Kelsey's Playground outside the Mifflinburg Intermediate School.  Kelsey Kuhns was a student in the district before she lost her battle with cancer in 2005.  Family and friends wanted to keep her memory alive.  Her younger sister Kylie came up with the idea for a playground and everyone jumped on board.

"The meaning behind it, I know that Kelsey would be excited that the kids have this playground to play on.  I just wish she could be here to see it," Kelsey and Kylie's mom Tina Kuhns said. 

There are two ways to look at the situation in our local parks and playgrounds. Compared to 13 years ago, at the beginning of Rudy Giuliani’s mayoralty, our parks and playgrounds are in far, far better shape. A majority have undergone major renovation, and several more are slated for renovation in the next year or two. This is in large part due to the funding efforts of Tom Duane, when he was on the City Council, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilmember Alan Gerson.

We have seen major new park space added as a result of the construction of Hudson River Park, including the water playground at Pier 51 (at Horatio St.) and the green spaces at Pier 46 (Charles St.) and Pier 45 (Christopher St.). We have seen ball fields created first on top of Pier 40 and then in the Pier 40 courtyard, adding over 225,000 square feet of much-needed recreational space for thousands of children and teenagers, and even adults. J. J. Walker Park, which many remember as either a dusty or muddy clay pit, has been covered in FieldTurf, an artificial-grass surface.

Chris Witulski said a second grade student at Lincoln Elementary School posed an interesting question recently. He wanted to know why other schools in the area had new playground equipment but Lincoln students were still using swings that were installed over 40 years ago.

The question made Witulski, a playground instructional assistant at the school, decide to take action. She recruited the help of fellow Lincoln PIA Gail Ratz, and the two ladies began a drive to raise nearly $20,000 for new playground equipment.