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Trash or treasure: Using recycled household and garden items in primary school playgrounds to encourage active, social and engaged play.

Telford, Amanda, Hyndman, Brendon, Benson, Amanda and Finch, Caroline (2011). Trash or treasure: Using recycled household and garden items in primary school playgrounds to encourage active, social and engaged play.. In: Promoting healthy eating and physical activity: The latest international research - 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physcial Activity, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 15-18 June 2011.

Document type: Conference Paper
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Author Telford, Amanda
Hyndman, Brendon
Benson, Amanda
Finch, Caroline
Title Trash or treasure: Using recycled household and garden items in primary school playgrounds to encourage active, social and engaged play.
Conference Name Promoting healthy eating and physical activity: The latest international research - 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physcial Activity
Conference Location Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, VIC
Conference Dates 15-18 June 2011
Publication Year 2011
Abstract Purpose
To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a school-based playground intervention on children’s well-being, social interactions, enjoyment of play and physical activity during lunch periods at school.

Methods
Over 13 weeks moveable recycled household and garden items (e.g. tyre tubes, tarps, rope, noodles, buckets, milk crates) were made available during all play periods at one primary school. This whole-school intervention program included all staff and 135 children within years prep to six. Children were not provided with any instruction about how to use the household items. During the process evaluation, teachers (n=9) participated in 50 minute focus groups which examined their perceptions of the program within the context of a social ecological framework considering intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational and environmental factors.

Results
Themes emerging from the focus groups suggested play within the playground was more active (exhibiting more lifting, carrying & jumping) displayed greater co-operation and engaged higher order thinking skills, negotiation and problem-solving behaviour among students. In addition, teachers discussed potential long-term changes to their school policy and physical environment within this forum. According to teachers children’s interest in the intervention was sustained over a nine month period well beyond the initial intervention delivery period of 13 weeks.

Conclusion
Teachers perceptions were that this inexpensive and feasible intervention program increased active, cooperative and cognitive play. This suggests that, with limited funds, the introduction of household and recycled items to a school playground has the potential to improve the policy, social and physical environments designed to promote children’s active and engaged play.
 
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Created: Sun, 07 Jun 2015, 21:14:41 CST by Brendon Hyndman