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The article on physical activity improving individuals’ health from CNN explains the positive impact physical activity has on your mental health and heart health. Imaging of the brain revealed that individuals who exercise more had a greater reduction in stress related signals in the brain that can cause a reduction in heart disease risks and lowers depression rates. The article encourages individuals to participate in exercise, no matter what the exercise is because human beings are designed to move and is vital for our health. Walking, biking, and swimming are some examples of physical activity; however, there are countless ways to exercise, and everyone needs to find what works best for them. In the PK-4th Grade classroom teachers can assist students in finding different ways for them to be active and share what they like to do, and then expand their learning by participating in some of those activities as a class. The teacher can explain that physical activity is very important and has many benefits on the body such as making us feel happier, help our heart get stronger, and feel better overall. It is essential for teachers to know about their topic because it helps the students start healthy habits early on so they can stick with them in the future.

Holcombe, M. (2024). Exercise reduces stressful brain activity, which can lead to less heart disease risk, study shows. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/15/health/exercise-stress-heart-disease-study-wellness/index.html

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The article on personal health and wellness from Medline Plus highlights the importance of everyone, especially children, washing their hands frequently throughout the day. Children get sick very often as they do not take much notice when they use their hands to wipe their nose or rub their eyes and then proceed to touch toys or other individuals. Washing hands frequently throughout the day is a good preventative measure to reduce the spread of germs while simultaneously promoting good hygiene in children. In the PK-4th Grade classroom teachers can go over how to properly wash their hands and explain that they should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds (or singing the “Happy Birthday” song twice) scrubbing all parts of their hands. The teacher should explain different times when hand washing is required and have the students make a list of ideas on when they think they should such as after using the bathroom, before eating, etc. One was teachers can help students learn this is by covering their hands in a little paint so students realize they have to scrub everywhere and long enough so that their hands are spotless and clean(the paint helps them see the dirt that would still be left behind if they didn’t wash their hands properly)!

Reducing the spread of illness in child care. HealthyChildren.org. (2023). https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/prevention/pages/Prevention-In-Child-Care-or-School.aspx

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This article on mental and emotional health from Washington Post, focuses on the effects of bullying by telling the story of a young girl who committed suicide because of the intensity and continuation of being bullied at school and online. The young girl received cruel messages, repeatedly being excluded from sitting with girls at lunch, being asked “When are you going to kill yourself”, being called abusive names, and much more. The school district did very little to help, and the effect of bullying was very extreme. In the PK-4th Grade classroom, teachers can explain to students that their words and actions affect other people greatly and they must use kind words to each other so every stays safe. Teachers can have students share how they felt when someone was unkind to them or they felt left out so everyone can recognize that they do not like this feeling and should not inflict it on other people. An activity to promote positively, the opposite of bullying, is to have students write little notes or compliments to everyone in the room to practice being kind and also be able to read 20-30 things that people like about you to boost morale.

Somasundaram, P. (2023). N.J family reaches $9.1M settlement after bullied girl dies by suicide. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/28/mallory-grossman-bullying-lawsuit-settlement/

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This article on healthy eating from Science Daily, focuses on the benefits of healthy eating. The food we use to fuel our body has a huge influence on our functioning and health so children with healthier eating habits have showed greater cognitive development than other children with poor eating habits.  Children were also found to have better reasoning skills when they had a better overall diet quality, lower red meat consumption, and higher low-fat dairy products. When children participate in healthy eating, many benefits will come as a result. In the Pk-4th Grade classroom, teachers can explain to students that what they eat matters and when we fuel our body with healthy options, we will feel better compared to fueling our body with junk because it will make our bodies feel worse. Educating and helping students create a balanced diet earlier in life will help them throughout their lives so an activity that can be done in the classroom is make a T chart with different food and categorize them on whether they are healthy or not and talk about each one posing questions throughout such as “would I feel good if I ate ice cream for every meal?”. It is important to note that healthy eating does not mean you can’t have sweet treats or chips but instead you have to make it well balance and eat in moderation.

ScienceDaily. (2023, August 17). A healthy diet, reading, and doing sports promote reasoning skills in children. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230817164006.htm

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Safety and Preventing Unintentional Injury 

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Safety and Preventing Unintentional Injury 

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This article on safety and preventing unintentional injury from CBS News, focuses on the injuries and dangers that occur on the playground as the weather gets nicer and the playgrounds become more populated. Common unintentional injuries include sprains and strains, fractures, cuts, bruises and much more. Some important tips to keep in mind to ensure safety of children while they play on the playground include never standing or jumping off the swing, always watching the monkey bars, don’t climb over the safety rails, go down the slide feet first, hydrate, and be mindful of the temperature and the effect that could have on the equipment. In the PK-4th Grade classroom, it is very important to keep this information in mind because the students are using the playground almost daily for recess and it is crucial to keep the students safe. Teachers can go over general information that the article listed as well as more specific guidelines to the school playground with the students at the beginning of the school year and periodically throughout the year when teachers see fit so students are aware of the rules and can be more mindful and avoid unintentional injuries. It is also vital that this information is shown to other adults and parents so they can be mindful with the children and keep everyone safe.

Minnock, C. (2023). Tips to avoid injuries on the playground. CBS news. https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/video/tips-to-avoid-injuries-on-the-playground/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

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The article on preventing alcohol use from CBS News, examines the effects of participating in dry January where you do not drink any alcoholic beverages for the entire month of January. This allows people to examine alcohol and its role in their lives and the study found that 71% slept better, 67% had more energy, more than half lost weight, and 54% saw their skin improve. Alcohol is a depressant and can negatively affect mood and anxiety levels when drinking consistently. In the PK-4th Grade classroom, teachers can talk about the effects drinking has on the body and the benefits of not drinking has such as better sleep, more energy, improved skin, and much more. Teachers can talk about different topics related to drinking such as cost, effect of the body, true stories of people who drink too much, and many more topics so students are educated and hopefully stay away from alcohol.

Mitchell, K. (2024). Good question: What are the benefits of participating in Dry January?. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/good-question-what-are-the-benefits-of-participating-in-dry-january/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

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This article on preventing tobacco use from NBC News, explains that the nicotine in vapes and use of vapes by children are both increasing.  More than 2.5 million kids used e-cigarettes in 2022 and children are becoming more addictive and reliant on vaping without fully knowing all the long-term health implications. E-cigarettes can cause damage to the lungs, heart, and other organs, negative effects on the brain, and contain harmful chemicals. While there has been some action taken to try to limit the use of e-cigarettes, very little has been done as the use of e-cigarette continues to rise and poorly affects everyone who uses them. In the PK-4th Grade classroom, teachers can teach students about the negative effects vaping and help provide them with useful tips on how to avoid peer pressure and overall use of e-cigarrettes. As students get older, it becomes more common and they might be peer pressured into trying it; however, providing your students with facts about why they shouldn’t do it and ways to avoid uncomfortable situations with them can greatly help them make smarter choices and not vape.

Szabo, L. (2023). Sales of E-cigs packed with nicotine soar as regulators try to crack down. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/sales-e-cigs-packed-nicotine-soar-regulators-try-crack-rcna90222

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This article on intentional injury and violence from 6 ABC (Philadelphia) discusses topics of child abuse prevention and awareness as April 2023 was declared Child Abuse Prevention Month in Philadelphia. Abuse and neglect harms thousands of children each year with more than 1,800 children dying from it, 600,000 children were victims of maltreatment, and more than 502,000 children were abused by parents. The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA) is an organization that works to prevent child abuse across Philadelphia and help bring light to the topic so people can be more aware and help reduce the number of children who fall victim to child abuse. In the PK-4th Grade classroom, instead of teaching specifically about child abuse educators can talk about how to be kind to one another and that we do not know what is going on in everyone’s life so it is important not to judge, always use kind words, and focus on building a classroom environment that feels like a home to them. It is essential as educators to know about this topic because teachers are mandated reporters, and it is their job to report any information that may suggest child abuse or neglect. Being more educated on the signs of child abuse and keeping a close eye on the students’ behaviors or any changes can be very helpful to making sure all our students stay safe and get the help they need.

Thomas, T. (2023, April 14). Philadelphia declares April “child abuse prevention month” to raise awareness, prevent abuse. 6abc Philadelphia. https://6abc.com/abuse-child-prevention-month-in-philadelphia/13123475/