Health for 2nd grade

[Anonymous]

Left MCPS for "home instruction." There is a checkbox for health during the review. Anyone know what constitutes health for a 2nd grader?

[Anonymous]

Our kids that age help with meal planning. They help cook and taste various healthy foods and learn what they like. They begin to understand some of the practices that keep our food safe (e.g. milk goes in the fridge). They are learning to take responsibility for their own hygiene routines, like brushing their teeth, or showering, without needing reminders or supervision. They understand the importance of regular exercise.

For the younger kids for health, and art, and PE, and music, we just document the things we are already doing. Things that they'd do whether they attended school or not.

[Anonymous]

I always start with the state standards and then find resources to fit. Here’s what I found for Maryland:

http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarhtml/13a/13a.04.18.01.htm

For a second grader:

(1) Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health, including:

(a) Mental and emotional health;
Stress and lack of sleep make you grumpy and prone to bad decisions, so sleep adequately every night and don’t worry about things out of your control. These are the emotions you may feel, and these are appropriate ways of expressing them.
(b) Substance abuse prevention;
Don’t take medicine without an adult’s knowledge and approval. Don’t eat or drink anything that isn’t a food.
(c) Family life and human sexuality;
Families are all different. Here are some examples of families. How are they the same as yours? How are they different? How boring would it be if every family was the same?
(d) Safety and violence prevention;
Fire safety, water safety, street safety, bully awareness, awareness of size and strength relative to others, don’t talk to strangers without a known adult present, don’t go with anyone else (even a known adult) until you confirm with a parent, etc.
(e) Healthy eating; and
These are healthy foods and these are not, let’s separate them into anytime, every meal and sometimes categories. Satiation vs eating too much or too little, don’t stuff yourself just to have a sometimes food like dessert.
(f) Disease prevention and control.
Cover your mouth when you cough. Use a tissue and wash your hands when you sneeze or blow your nose. Use a mask to prevent transmission of covid. Wash your hands when you come inside. Use hand sanitizer when water and soap aren’t available.
(4) Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
Advocate for your own health. Tell someone when you think something is wrong, or when you don’t feel good.
(5) Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
Stop eating when you start to feel satisfied. Play until you start to feel tired. Go to bed early if you’re tired. Stop using screens for the day if your eyes are feeling strained.
(6) Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
Make a goal for something you want to accomplish, then follow through. That may be learning to jump rope three times in a row, bounce ten times on a pogo stick without falling off or running a certain distance at a certain speed. If it may be remembering to cover your mouth every time for when you cough.
(7) Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
Stay 6 feet from a there and wear a mask. Brush your teeth. Eat sometimes foods in moderation. Use screens effectively and efficiently, reducing eye strain.
(8) Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.”
Remind others to wear masks, cover their mouth and wash hands. If you see a need, bring it to an adult’s attention.
(4) Disease Prevention and Control.

(a) Students will demonstrate the ability to apply prevention and treatment knowledge, skills, and strategies to reduce susceptibility and manage diseases, such as infections that are sexually transmitted, including HIV.
(No hiv in 2nd) Distinguish between contagious (covid) and non-contagious (diabetes) diseases. Wash hands, mask, 6 feet, cover mouth while coughing, use tissue while sneezing.
(b) Students shall complete instruction in oral health that includes oral disease prevention and dental health promotion.
Brush your teeth, floss and use mouth wash. Get your teeth cleaned 2 times per year (1 during covid).
(c) The local school system shall include age-appropriate lessons on diabetes and its treatment and prevention.
Understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes (ie. no prevention for 1, control for 2). Eat in moderation. Exercise.

I would definitely do 1 week packets for each safety topic, then do a packet each on dentists and oral health, optometrists and eye health, and doctors and overall health. I definitely do a unit on food choices and sorting into categories.

But that’s me. You can do anything, as long as you document.

[Anonymous]

For our 2nd grader, we are primarily focusing on

1. Healthy food options. This includes explaining protein, carbs (simple and complex), and fat and their roles in keeping us healthy. He keeps up with menus and we are teaching him how to cook some stuff

2. How exercise keeps us healthy

3. Disease prevention and control. This is a bit of a 2 parter. 1 part is just about hygiene and the like (hand washing, not touching things on the ground, etc. The 2nd part is how making healthy choices can help prevent some diseases

4. Substance use prevention. Very basic stuff about smoking and drugs.

5. Big section on emotional health.

[Anonymous]

I like the Oak Meadow book called Healthy Living from the Start. There’s a weekly topic to read aloud and talk about and then projects to choose from for every grade level from K-3. For example, last year my second grade DS used some scrap fabric to sew an ice pack cover during the unit on injuries. We still use it and he remembers the information really well.

[Anonymous]

I'm the first PP to respond to the OP. I think this thread is a good example of how each homeschooler does things differently, and yet we all achieve the same long term goals. It's really about figuring out what works for you.

[Anonymous]

Kidshealth.org has lesson plans by grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the first PP to respond to the OP. I think this thread is a good example of how each homeschooler does things differently, and yet we all achieve the same long term goals. It's really about figuring out what works for you.

Second responder, and I agree completely!

[Anonymous]

All of you are so awesome. Thanks for sharing. -OP