We know play and academics are both important parts of learning. A new study released over the weekend suggests merging the two could boost school performance.

In the study, a struggling elementary school in South Carolina expanded the amount of time students spent playing and exercising from 40 minutes a week to 40 minutes each weekday. But there was a twist. Students did exercises that combined rock climbing, treadmill running and other workouts with classroom subjects, according to a research summary.

For example, students ran on a treadmill equipped with a television that showed a scene they “ran” through and played geography lessons, according to the summary. The results, while not definitive, were promising.

“More studies are needed,” Dr. Carly Scahill, a pediatric resident at the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital, said in the statement. But “there is growing substantial evidence that this kind of physical activity may help improve academic behavior, cognitive skills and attitudes.”

In fact, the study reports “the percentage of students reaching their goal on the state tests increased from 55 percent before the program was initiated to 68.5 percent after.”

The Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research released the study at the 2011 Joint Meeting, and put their findings a different way.

“The study adds to growing evidence that exercise is good not only for the body but also the mind. It also shows that physical education and academic instruction need not be mutually exclusive.”

Check out the summary or the abstract for a more complete sense of the work.
               
Kids Escaping Car Seats: Children can get out of their car seats when they are as young as a year old, another study found.

I am sure plenty of parents will think about the findings next time they buckle up their toddlers.

The team found that 75% of children who self-unbuckle were age three and under, with an age range of 12 to 78 months. Unbuckling was reported as early as 12 months of age and was more common in boys than girls. Of the children self-unbuckling, 43% did so while the car was in motion. Twenty-nine percent of children who unbuckle are in a five-point restraint and do so more commonly from the chest buckle. The most common parental response to self-unbuckling while the car was in motion was "pull over, reprimand, and re-buckle the child." – “Little fingers, big trouble: Yale study sheds light on child self-unbuckling.” 5/1/11.

You can also read this Reuters story at MSNBC.com: “Kids only 12 months old can undo car seat restraints.”