Walden and Peacham
Today is National Walk at lunch day! We could not have asked for nicer day to get out and get walking. Walking at a 3mph pace regularly can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Try to take 30 minutes out of your day today top go out for a nice physical distancing walk or run!
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Here is a good video to watch with your kids about smoking and e-cigarettes.
https://jr.brainpop.com/health/drugs/smoking/ How important is sleep anyway?
Sleep is like food for your brain. While we sleep, our brains and bodies are doing some important work to refresh, reset, and repair. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many challenges such as: difficulty focusing, poor test scores, trouble getting along with family and friends, moodiness, acne, more susceptibility to illness, and decreased performance in sports. Sleep helps us to eat a more nutritious diet and manage stress better. During the teen years, sleep cycles change which can make it hard for teens to fall asleep before 11pm. It is quite common for teens to have irregular sleep patterns, staying up late and sleeping in on weekends which can disrupt their biological clocks and hurt the quality of the sleep they do get. What can we do to help? To ensure adequate quality sleep there are a few things you can do to. The first is to make sleep a priority. Make your bedroom a sleep haven, keep the light low and the temperature cool. Establish a bedtime/sleep routine and stick to it, keep regular bedtimes and wake times. Lastly, avoid caffeine, exercise, and screens before bedtime. While adults don't always think of childhood as a time of stress, the fact is, kids get stressed out too. Now, during this time of distancing and great disruption to their routines, is an especially stressful time for some kids.
How to recognize stress in kids? It can be challenging to recognize stress in kids and it doesn't always present itself the same way in all children. Mood swings, acting out, changes to their sleep, and inability to focus can be an indication that a child is stressed out. During times of stress, some kids become withdrawn, overreact to seemingly minor problems, and become clingy. They may also experience physical complaints such as headaches and stomachaches. Young children may start new habits like nose picking or twirling their hair. Older kids may begin to bully. Bullying can be just as harmful via technology as in person and during this time, when kids are spending much of their time on computers, virtual bullying may be most prominent. What can we do to help? Establish a routine and stick to it as much as possible, provide good nutrition, and set aside time to spend with your kids each day. Your kids may not always want to talk to you, or spend time with you, but the important thing as that you are available to them. Prepare your kids for stressful situations ahead of time whenever possible, talk to them about what may happen and answer any questions they may have. Remember, some level of stress is normal and even healthy. Let your kids know that it is OK to feel stressed or overwhelmed and that you are there for them if they need to talk it through. Remind them that they are strong and smart and that you have faith in their ability to conquer any problems. Sexual education is part of the National Health Education Standards that health educators are required to teach. Often, we do this in the Spring and unfortunately, we had not taught this sensitive topic prior to the school closure. Virtual Sexual Education is certainly not ideal, in an effort to help parents talk with their children about this topic, I wanted to offer some resources.
Sex ed topics are taught to all grades beginning with Preschool, as you can imagine, the topics and content vary depending on the grade level. PK- We discuss topics such as good touch vs. bad touch, private parts and other body parts such as skin, bones, and brain, and personal space. kidshealth.org/ K/1- Gender roles (all genders can do all things), consent, and possible body part review kidshealth.org/ 2/3 - This is when we really get more in depth about consent, we talk about personal space, and bullying, teasing, and harassment. kidshealth.org/ 4- We talk about puberty-we touch on menstruation, changes that occur during puberty, and hygiene. In addition we talk about your body/your rights, and healthy vs. unhealthy relationships. www.amaze.org 5/6- Topics may include reproductive health, HIV, changes that occur during adolescence, romantic relationships, hygiene www.amaze.org 7/8- In these middle school grades we begin to discuss birth control basics, we continue to talk about consent and making SMART choices, STD's and HIV, and gender issues and roles. www.amaze.org Self care is something that we do to take care of our own physical, emotional, and mental health. This simple thing is so important and so often swept aside due to lack of time or feelings of selfishness. Self care should be a priority! Taking good care of ourselves improves mood, decreases anxiety, and allows us to be more present and available to help and support others. Be sure to take some time everyday to take care of yourself, and encourage your kids to practice self care too. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
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AuthorMolly Brock, RN ArchivesCategories |
Photo used under Creative Commons from osseous