Click here to download side 1 of PEP Brochure
Click here to download side 2 of PEP Brochure

Print PEP Order Forms

Click here for Long Order Form (includes PEP Kits)
Click here for Short Order Form (for Game Handbook(s) and Video(s) only)

Related Resources

Association for Childhood Education International

ERIC - Educational Resource Information Center

Education World

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Juggling Demonstration coming soon - check back.
Juggling has been a fun challenge for teens at middle schools where PEP volunteers come to the playground.

Make inexpensive and waterproof juggling balls for school playgrounds. Plan to make 15-20 balls at once (up to 3 per player usually). Take care that these weighted balls are only used for juggling in order to ensure student safety and to preserve the balls (the weight makes them easier to handle and roll less when dropped).

1. Acquire old tennis balls (call rec. centers or fitness clubs).
2. With the help of an adult, use a knife to make a 3/4 inch slit in a rubber seam of a tennis ball.
3. Fill the ball half full of sand (helpful to use a funnel).
4. Use a strong flexible glue (ie. GOOP) to seal the slit.
5. Wrap a strip of black or colored electrical tape snugly around the ball, to cover up the sealed slit. Add another strip of tape around the ball to provide more stability and visual interest as the ball spins in the air.
6. Let the balls dry overnight.
7. To juggle, look at the juggling demonstration above. Start by tossing only one ball. Refine the movement and rhythm of tossing two balls. Then three balls is easy. Have fun.

for numbered statements on our web pages
The web page source is <marked>

(1) <home> <intro> Please click on Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

(2) <intro> Please click on Effectiveness - see Related Research Findings.

(3) <intro> Please click on Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

(4) <intro> Please click on Effectiveness - see Related Research Findings.

(5) <intro> Book titles from nearly a century ago, such as "Education Through Play c.1915" and "Games for Child Development c.1920", reveal how games were seen as part of the school curriculum. Teachers used such books as part of their training so they could teach games to their students. The Playground Association of Association of America was working to ensure that children were not denied the privilege and benefits of play as a matter of well-being.

6) <intro> Please click on FAQ - see "Why Games?" and "Why PEP Games?".

(7) <intro> Common impressions are confirmed by research. Click here to see a U.S. study. Click here to see a study from England.

(8) <intro> A few key resources:
Book: "Peer Rejection in Childhood" by S. Asher and J. Coie.

Book: "Queen Bees and Wannabees" by Rosalind Wiseman

Website: jaredstory.com

Film: "It's a Girl's World" documentary about social bullying

Research articles and findings:
"Bullying, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Academic Performance in Elementary School" Gwen M. Glew, MD et al. in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2005;159:1026-1031.

"Of Bullies and the Bullied" by Psychology Today staff.

"Does Bullying Really Do Children Any Harm?" Dr. Ken Rigby.

(9) <intro> from Amer. Assoc. for the Child's right to Play

(10) <intro> See the following articles:
"Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say?" Jarrett, Olga. ERIC Digest. (2003).

"The Silencing of Recess Bells" Chaille, Christine. Childhood Education, 2001.

"The Role of Recess in Children's Cognitive Performance and School Adjustment" by Anthony D. Pellegrini and Catherine M. Bohn, Educational Researcher, Jan/Feb 2005.

(11) <intro> A CDC report: the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has increased sharply for children since the 1970's.

"The Role of Schools in Preventing Childhood Obesity"

"Recess for Elementary School Students". A Position Paper from the Nat.l Assoc. for Sport and Physical Education (May 2006).

(12) <intro> See reference #5 above

(13) <intro> Click on Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

(14) <FAQ page> Click Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

(15) <index> <FAQ> Please click on Products to learn more about PEP resources.

(16) <home> <FAQ> "Psychological Issue in Determining Children's Age Readiness for Competition" by Prasser, Michael in book: Children in Sport. Smoll, Frank, ed., Human Kinetics Books, 1988.

(17) <home> <FAQ> Click Effectiveness - see Testing PEP and Related Research Findings.

(18) <FAQ> Read about Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs.

(19) <FAQ> Click Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

(20) <FAQ> See reference #5 above.

(21) <FAQ> Click Effectiveness - see Testing PEP.

22) <benefits> See the following articles:
" A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement" from the Nat. Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education.

"Parent Involvement in Education" by Cotton and Wikelund.

(23) <benefits> Please click on FAQ - see "Why Games?" and "Why PEP Games?"

(24) <benefits> See reference #18 above.

(25) <home> <benefits> See the following articles:
Author's commentary bout the book A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity, & Free Time Create a Successful Child by Rae Pica 2006.

"Advocacy: A Case for Daily Quality Physical Education" by Jean Blaydes.

"Physical Activity and School Performance" a survey of research by anonymous.

"The Role of Recess in Children's Cognitive Performance and School Adjustment" by Anthony D. Pellegrini and Catherine M. Bohn, Educational Researcher, Jan/Feb 2005.

(26) <home> Weinstein, Matt and Joel Goodman. Playfair. San Luis Obispo, CA: Impact Pub., 1980.

(27) <home> Orlick,Terry D. and Anne Pitman-Davidson, “Enhancing Cooperative Skills in Games and Life,” in Smoll et al., eds, Children in Sport, 1988.