Saturday, August 23, 2008

Science Saturday: A Healthy Body

This unit is loaded with possibilities for science activities. Here are a few:

Nutrition
Teach the basic food groups and the recommended servings. Also include serving sizes, which can be found here
-Food group: bread, cereal, rice and pasta ; vegetables; fruits; dairy; meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts; fats, sugars, and oils
-Recommended servings (you can find the numbers broken down by gender and age here)
Bread, cereal, rice and pasta: 6-11 servings a day
Vegetables: 3-5 servings a day
Fruits: 2-4 servings a day
Dairy: 2-3 servings a day
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts: 2-3 (5-7oz total) servings a day
Fats, sugars and oils: use sparingly

Some activities to enforce this concept are menu planning; using shopping ads to make collages of the various food groups; or make people out of food (you are what you eat) using cut up magazines.


Anatomy
Learn the names of basic muscles: biceps (outer, upper arm); triceps (inner, upper arm); Gluteus Maximus (backside)

Learn that the heart does not actually look like the heart-shape we are familiar with and that its main function is to pump blood through the body; it needs to work for us to live; proper diet and exercise help to keep it functioning properly




Learn that our lungs help us breathe; our bodies need oxygen (a gas found in air) to work, so we need our lungs to work; discuss dangers of smoking, importance of exercise to keep lungs healthy


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