Right Moves: A LiiNK Center for Healthy Play Podcast

“We have forgotten that children are designed by nature to learn through self-directed play and exploration, and so, more and more, we deprive them of freedom to learn, subjecting them instead to the tedious and painfully slow learning methods devised by those who run the schools.” – Dr. Peter Gray

For decades, the American education system has prioritized standardized test scores by increasing “content” minutes and decreasing recess, physical education, and fine arts programs, despite numerous data showing us the harmful effects of this education structure on our students’ and teachers’ mental and physical health. Not to mention, test scores have only gone down! We can’t keep ignoring this. This week, Dr. Rhea sits down with Professor in Psychology and Scholar, Dr. Peter Gray, for an exciting discussion diving into these serious issues that they both have been fighting against for many years, as well as a common-sense approach to increasing play in schools called Let Grow Play Club, founded by Dr. Gray himself.  

Dr. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, editions 1-6), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. Much of his research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books), which has been translated into 18 languages. He also author of a Substack series entitled Play Makes Us Human.  He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. You can follow him on Facebook and find many of his published articles on his website .

For 13 years, LiiNK has partnered with school districts toimplement and assess the LiiNK Project, i.e., giving students four 15-minute, unstructured outdoor play breaks (recess) spread throughout each school day and a daily 15-min character lesson. This partnership requires an MOU between LiiNK and the school district, up to three full days of in-person training with all teachers and administrators of the targeted grade levels, and district policy changes to incorporate the outdoor recess additions. While this project has been powerful for the involved districts and brought us endless data showing the vast benefits of increased recess for both students and teachers, the full LiiNK Project implementation can often be difficult for districts with little funding or administrator buy-in. Through a recent BCBS-TX Blue Impact Grant, Dr. Rhea and team were able to launch a new LiiNK model, LiiNK “Lite”, which involves condensed training, loose parts equipment during recess, and two recesses instead of four. LiiNK understands most educators want better for their students, but don’t always have the resources to make it happen. We hope that LiiNK “Lite” will bridge that gap and bring more recess to more schools! If you are interested in implementing LiiNK Lite or the full LiiNK Project at your school or district, please contact us at [email protected].

Today’s students deal with a myriad of issues includinga rise in anxiety and depression, an ever-growing and often debilitating dependence on technology, and an education system that cares more for increasing standardized test scores than meeting the actual needs of its students. Programs like Young Storytellers are fighting the failing system with a creative approach to boost child interest in school and whole child health. Dr. Rhea brings back President – Head of Growth for Young Storytellers, Bill Thompson, to dive deeper into how the current education system has failed our students, and what his programs have brought to the table to change it. Bill also shares what trends they have seen in the stories his students have told over the years, allowing interesting insight into how today’s youth are really feeling and expressing themselves.Bill began his work with Young Storytellers as a volunteer in 2006. His time as a mentor quickly became the best hour of his week. He served as Executive Director from 2008 through 2023, leading an important period of growth and increased sustainability for Young Storytellers. He is now guiding efforts to scale and maximize impact nationally as the President - Head of Growth. He is a graduate of Yale University (MFA - Drama School) and the University of the Arts (BFA - School of Theatre). Bill has been a Fellow with City Scholars for the past 10 years, is a member of the Policy Council for Create CA, and is the beneficiary of many professional development programs with partners such as Executive Service Corps, the Annenberg Foundation, Hershey Cause Communications, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He was the winner of the Judge’s Award for Innovation at the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch and the recipient of the Megan G. Cooper Leadership Award from Executive Service Corps.Resources mentioned in this episode:

NRG Report: Growing Pains

Young Storytellers is a Los Angeles-based arts non-profit organization that has provided thousands of students with a unique, creative play opportunity since its inception in 1997. Through Young Storytellers, students are mentored to write a complete script over a 9-week process, then get to see their story come to life with real actors in an exciting showcase! Dr. Rhea sits down with President – Head of Growth for Young Storytellers, Bill Thompson, to discuss the importance of the programs they offer and the impact it has made, including creating a deeper interest in writing and expression of feelings, and an expansion of empathy among the students.Bill began his work with Young Storytellers as a volunteer in 2006. His time as a mentor quickly became the best hour of his week. He served as Executive Director from 2008 through 2023, leading an important period of growth and increased sustainability for Young Storytellers. He is now guiding efforts to scale and maximize impact nationally as the President - Head of Growth. He is a graduate of Yale University (MFA - Drama School) and the University of the Arts (BFA - School of Theatre). Bill has been a Fellow with City Scholars for the past 10 years, is a member of the Policy Council for Create CA, and is the beneficiary of many professional development programs with partners such as Executive Service Corps, the Annenberg Foundation, Hershey Cause Communications, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He was the winner of the Judge’s Award for Innovation at the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch and the recipient of the Megan G. Cooper Leadership Award from Executive Service Corps.

Hands-on learning is vital to increase our agility and flexibility in problem-solving, which may be just what students are lacking as technology and standardized testing continue to take precedence in our education system. Dr. Rhea returns with friend and colleague, Pete Silvius, to dive deeper into Seguin’s Irma Lewis Outdoor Learning Center and the ways students can thrive within the center. Pete describes the center’s offerings and opportunities, and the plans for growth in the years to come.

Pete Silvius is the Director of Whole Child Initiatives for Seguin ISD in Seguin, Texas. This is Pete’s 28th year working in public education.  He has a background in Physical Education and Special Education but his passion is Outdoor Education.  Pete is honored to work for Seguin ISD going on 23 years and is especially thankful for support of innovative programing including the LiiNK Project, Adventure School, The Irma Lewis-Outdoor Learning Center, and Adventure Camp Summer Programs.  

Pete is active within the Seguin community serving on the board for the Guadalupe County Children’s Advocacy Center, Parks and Recreation Advisory, Planning and Zoning, and the Guadalupe Appraisal District.  Pete is a founder of the newly formed Community Cycles non-profit organization in Seguin.  Pete is married and has two grownchildren.  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⁠Irma Lewis Outdoor Learning Center

Will Smith Zoo School San Antonio

Are we truly meeting the needs of our students by spending most of our time in the classroom? Dr. Rhea brings in long-time friend and colleague, Pete Silvius, to share how he evolved in his role as Director of Whole Child Initiatives in Seguin ISD. He has advocated for outdoor opportunities throughout his career in Seguin ISD and especially with his newest opportunity to build many different programs at The Irma Lewis-Outdoor Learning Center. He discusses the importance of recognizing opportunities for growth and not waiting for them to just happen. Otherwise, the pressures of standardized test scores will win out over whole health and resilience in children, adolescents, and adults.

Pete Silvius is the Director of Whole Child Initiatives for Seguin ISD in Seguin, Texas. This is Pete’s 28th year working in public education.  He has a background in Physical Education and Special Education but his passion is Outdoor Education.  Pete is honored to work for Seguin ISD going on 23 years and is especially thankful for support of innovative programing including the LiiNK Project, Adventure School, The Irma Lewis-Outdoor Learning Center, and Adventure Camp Summer Programs.  

Pete is active within the Seguin community serving on the board for the Guadalupe County Children’s Advocacy Center, Parks and Recreation Advisory, Planning and Zoning, and the Guadalupe Appraisal District.  Pete is a founder of the newly formed Community Cycles non-profit organization in Seguin.  Pete is married and has two grownchildren.  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Irma Lewis Outdoor Learning Center

We are BACK with another exciting season of the Right Moves podcast! Dr. Rhea shares what you can expect to hear from the show this season as we dive even deeper into our whole health and finding ways to live our best, healthiest lives. She also explores what’s on the horizon for LiiNK this fall, including new workshop opportunities and publications in the works, different ways to connect and advocate for play, and a first look at the topic of her upcoming new book!

Visit https://liinkproject.tcu.edu/ for more information.

The GLP-1 market has significantly grown in recent years, with medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro marketed specifically for type II diabetes treatment and weight management. With this growth, researchers are now considering GLP-1s to treat a wide range of conditions including cardiovascular health, kidney disease, inflammatory diseases, and even neurological disorders. Dr. Rhea brings back fellow colleague and researcher, Dr. Ryan Porter, to share details on his upcoming GLP-1 research which looks at natural methods of boosting GLP-1 production in the body, as opposed to current medications using an agonist approach which means the medication binds to and activates the GLP-1.

Dr. Porter holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Brigham Young University - Idaho and a master’s in Health and Human Movement from Utah State University. He completed his doctorate in exercise science at the University of South Carolina and post-doctoral training at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. His research interests are in the areas of adaptation of lipoprotein subfractions in response to exercise and lifestyle behavior change (physical activity and healthy eating) and their effects on community health in terms of biological markers, physiological outcomes and behavior change.

Getting in shape fast sounds too good to be true, because it is. Rapid weight-loss endeavors such as fad or exclusionary diets, GLP-1 medication, or most trends seen on social media may give you results for now, but you will most likely gain that weight right back as soon as you stop the medication, diet, or trend. If you truly want to lead a healthy, happy, physically-functional life, you need to create behavior changes that will actually last a lifetime. Dr. Rhea sits down with fellow colleague and researcher, Dr. Ryan Porter, to discuss the importance of behavior change prior to any long-term health success can happen.

Dr. Porter holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Brigham Young University - Idaho and a master’s in Health and Human Movement from Utah State University. He completed his doctorate in exercise science at the University of South Carolina and post-doctoral training at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. His research interests are in the areas of adaptation of lipoprotein subfractions in response to exercise and lifestyle behavior change (physical activity and healthy eating) and their effects on community health in terms of biological markers, physiological outcomes and behavior change.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Exercise is Medicine Greenville

For the 2024-2025 school year, Dr. Debbie Rhea received a BCBS-TX Blue Impact Grant to fund a lite version of LiiNK in 10 South Texas schools from one school district. The purpose of this project was to train teachers and administrators on recess, defined as unstructured outdoor play, and why having this type of recess more often in the day is important for adults and children, then introduce loose-parts play equipment to the children for one of their recesses daily, followed by collecting some data about how well this model works. All 10 schools have been allowing the children to play with the loose parts since launching a 2nd recess in February. This week, Dr. Rhea and LiiNK’s Program Manager, Connor Lazenby, travelled to these 10 schools to observe the grant in action and talk with the teachers, principals, and administrators of these schools. The positive feedback we received and the incredibly valuable play we observed was too good not to share! Listen as Dr. Rhea and Connor share stories from this impactful trip, and discuss just how simple and gratifying it can be for other schools to make these changes too.