Healthy living with kindergarten

We had lots of fun and great conversations with our healthy living month. I apologize for the extreme lateness in getting the blog posting completed. We worked together to complete several art projects, many stories read and whole group conversations about healthy living choices.

Some of the stories we read were What’s for Lunch? By Andrea Curtis, This is the Way We Eat Our Lunch, by Edith Baer, Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert, Lunch by Denise Flemming, D.W. the Picky Eater by Marc Brown, How Did That Get in my Lunch Box? By Lucia Gaggiotti, Spoon, by Amy Rosenthal, I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child, Gregory, the Terrible Eater, by Mitchell Sharmat and Little Pea, by Amy Rosenthal. I didn’t realize how many until listing them. It was a fun time reading serious books with informational text about other parts of the world and how and what they eat to silly books about what goats eat. It was enjoyable to read and also learn from the books about what other cultures do with food choices. Most of the books focused on healthy eating and our other conversations focused on exercise and other aspects of healthy choices.

We did an art project focused on the book Lunch. I found an outline of the mouse from the book. Students cut out the mouse and drew in the belly the foods that the mouse ate. I drawings are simple and focused on learning the colors of foods as well. Students added a front flap to the mouse to cover the belly. We added a pipe cleaner for a tail to add to the cuteness. We have enjoyed looking at them on the wall and reflecting on good food choices we can select on our way to lunch.

We discussed the process that should be used to properly wash your hands. Students used pictures clues to illustrate and write about the process. I was really impressed with their knowledge. I attached some illustrations the kids drew and they are really amazing. We read a poem together about loosing baby teeth and getting permanent teeth.

The students listened to information about fire safety and finding a safe spot outside their home if there was an emergency. We talked about dialing 911 for an emergency and that they would need to know their address. Several students already did know theirs and I encouraged the others to talk with their families. I had them illustrate ways to be safe around cars in roads and parking lots. They knew to walk in the crosswalk, wait for the light, and walk on the sidewalk. They also illustrated how to be safe in another situation. Some drew about hand washing after using the bathroom, cleaning a wound and bandages, keeping out of medications, staying away from the stove or things like the iron or a swimming pool.

The class discussed where foods come from. Wheat makes bread, oranges make orange juice, cows make milk and things like cheese, and corn can make popcorn. We discussed healthy food choices such as fruits and vegetables, proteins and dairy. Then moderating how much we eat of grains and fats.

We enjoyed several discussions about exercise, types and how important it is to keep your body all around healthy. I particularly enjoyed going through a variety of stretches and exercises and watching the students attempt them. Some were jump rope, squats, sit-ups, push-ups, running in place, marching and arm circles. Stretches included the hamstring, quads, arms, and big belly breaths.

Students saw pictures of the human muscular system, skeletal system and circulation system. They were able to see how the systems work together to keep us moving. Students identified ways to make their heart work hard and what exercise looks like. They made paper skeletons and put the major bones in the correct places to assemble the body. This was quite enjoyable and I was impressed at their ability to do this mostly accurately after our class discussion. I showed the students an activity pyramid. It is very helpful to show different activities and how often and long they should be doing them each day. It resembles the food pyramid concept. The top of the triangle is using the iPad, next strength activities, active activities like bike riding and jump rope and most often, playing with toys, friends and at the park.

The last thing we did was illustrate examples of anaerobic and aerobic activities. Many drew pictures of weightlifting, which the pictures are amazing and adorable. The aerobic activities are things like swimming, biking and frog squats.

I love healthy living month and the great discussions it promotes. I was pleased to hear from some parents that their child was wanting to eat healthier and was more excited to play outside or with toys rather than watching TV. I hope this continues to be a trend and lifestyle changes for them.

I am so sorry to be so late getting this posted. I have photos on my old phone I need to get sent and uploaded. I will get them added as soon as I can.