Hands on Health!

Our 1st/Kindergarten Health Unit has brought out my creativity. It has been a joy to compile, and it has been equally joyful watching the boys learn.

Introduction to the Body

One of the best parts of teaching young children about the body is that you can easily use one of the kids as a live diagram to point out the names of the outer body parts (e.g. shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles). 

The first day we reviewed the common body parts such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, legs, etc. The second day we covered smaller parts that the kids were less likely to have heard names for. Here's a list of those less-heard features:

• eyebrows
• eyelashes
• nostrils
• earlobes
• fingernails
• knuckles
• belly button
• ankle
• heel

We also discussed the purpose of some of these parts. For example, the eyebrows keep sweat from dripping into our eyes. Eyelashes help protect the eyes from dust particles. When discussing the nostrils, I explained that there are tiny hairs in our nose that catch dust particles. (My boys found this especially hilarious for some reason.) For the belly button, I was not hesitant to explain the purpose of the umbilical cord for unborn babies. (My boys found this quite interesting and asked good questions.)

Health-related Music

Introducing body parts to young children is especially easy because of the variety of fun songs out there. We started with Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes the first day. The second day I introduced them to the fun song The Hokey Pokey. In fact, we did our actions to the old version: 

Ray Anthony and His Orchestra

Other fun body-related songs include Do Your Ears Hang Low and Father Abraham. 

Fun Visuals

While there are plenty of great visuals you can purchase, if you have even a slight artistic ability you can easily create cutouts using construction paper. 

First, find a good diagram to copy. Google "heart diagram," for example and you'll find plenty of pictures to choose from. 

Second, use construction paper (or card stock and markers) to glue together a diagram of the heart. Laminate it for added protection and continued use. 

So far I've done this for the heart, brain, lungs and stomach as these are the 4 main organs we're going to learn about. 

In the following weeks, we'll go farther and break down the systems that these organs are a part of: Circulatory System, Respiratory System, Nervous System, and Digestive System, as well as other systems and health-related issues.

While I don't intend for the kids to remember the various lobes of the brain or the complicated medical terms for the lungs and the heart, I've created these organs in diagram form because I know they'll ask questions. Kids seem to be intrigued by the body and how it operates. Always use this opportunity to answer their questions, even if you think the concepts might be above their head.