Key Stage 2 Skills for Active Citizenship
Year 3 and 4 Healthy & Safe Lifestyles
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Lesson Plan
Teachers Notes
What does 'being healthy' mean?
Background Notes
Nowadays, it is important for children to start thinking and learning about the different factors that can affect their health and it is important that they start to understand some of the implications of these:
Eating Habits
Many common health problems are linked to what we eat. Healthy eating is, therefore, one of the most important ways that we can help to keep ourselves safe and well.
Exercise
As well as our eating habits, our health can be affected by the exercise that we undertake. Being active can make a beneficial contribution to a healthy lifestyle.
Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs
Smoking, alcohol and drugs affect many parts of the body both inside and outside. Some of the effects are immediate and some take longer to emerge.
Suggested Teaching Activity
CD Rom Activity
The Food and Drink Federation have designed 'The Activaters' (www.foodfitness.org.uk) an interactive CD- Rom aimed at promoting enjoyable healthy eating and physical activity.
Information and Resources
Galaxy-H (www.galaxy-h.gov.uk/) has been designed especially for KS2 and includes interactive stories and games covering health topics and is set on an imaginary space station
Further Information
The Wired for Health website (www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk/) includes background information, facts and resources and is the main online information source for the Government's Healthy Schools programme. It also includes information on:
- National Healthy School Standard
- Healthy School, Healthy Teachers
- Safer Routes to Schools
- Cooking for Kids
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How can I get a balanced diet?
Background Notes
Eating a range of different foods can help us make sure that we get all the nourishment that we need. The different foods that we need to make up a healthy diet are:
- Bread, other cereals and potatoes
- Fruit and vegetables
- Milk and dairy products
- Meat, fish and alternatives
- Foods containing fat and foods containing sugar
Food labels can also help us to ensure that we have a healthy diet. There is certain legal information that a food label must contain.
It is not only eating habits that can affect our health, but also the way in which we store and prepare food. Poor food hygiene can cause serious illness and can sometimes lead to death. The foodlink website (www.foodlink.org.uk/) has more detailed information on:
- Food poisoning
- Food hygiene
- Food storage
- Food preparation
The Food in Schools website (www.foodinschools.org/curriculum/index.php) contains information for teachers covering all aspects of food and nutrition including worksheets.
Suggested Teaching Activity
Information Booklet for Children
Cyril the Circus Seal and Sidney the Lunch Box Detective (www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/glos/cyril.htm) is an amusing and informative booklet about balanced nutrition. The booklet has been developed by Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire Trading Standards Services and is intended for use with KS2 pupils. The booklet aims to provide children with basic information on eating a balanced diet.
Class Participation in Food Safety Week
Your class could get involved in National Food Safety Week (www.foodlink.org.uk/nfsw.asp) organised by Foodlink. Each year Food Safety Week provides a nationwide focus for communicating messages designed to help people understand and carry out basic precautions which can be taken to avoid suffering from food poisoning.
Poster Competition
Every year Food Link runs a poster competition (www.foodlink.org.uk/poster.asp) on different food issues with entrants accepted from all Key Stages.
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Why is smoking bad for you?
Background Notes
Smoking is one of the greatest causes of ill health as it has a number of harmful effects on health such as heart disease, lung cancer and wrinkled skin. It is also causes short term health effects such as smelly hair, shortness of breath and stained fingers.
Cigarettes contain a range of chemicals and poisons such as tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide.
Suggested Teaching Activity
Visual Resources and Publications
The GASP website (www.gasp.org.uk/) offers a wide range of colourful and readable publications covering every aspect of tobacco control and smoking education.
Further Information
The Action on Smoking and Health website (www.ash.org.uk/) offers lots of information and provides links to almost all other smoking websites around the world.
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How can I keep myself safe?
Background Notes
Every year thousands of children are harmed or put in danger. Unfortunately, nowadays, nearly everywhere we go and everything we do has an element of danger to it.
It is, therefore, important for children to understand the wide range of safety issues that exist, understand the times that they could face danger and be able to avoid potential areas of danger in order to keep themselves safe.
Examples for discussion
| Places that can be dangerous if you are not careful | Items that can cause injury if care is not taken |
|---|
| On the Road | Cars
Bicycles
Lorries |
| In the Home | Scissors
Poison
Hot Liquids
Matches
Cookers |
| In the Playground | Swings
See-saws
Slides |
| In the Park | Lakes
Rivers
Dogs |
| Firework Night | Fireworks
Bonfire
Matches |
Home Safety
CAPT (Child Accident Prevention Trust) has published an information sheet on Home Safety. Click on 'Home Accidents' from their list (www.capt.org.uk/FAQ/default.htm)
Road Safety
RoSPA has published an information sheet on Road Safety (www.rospa.com/roadsafety/index.htm). It has also produced an information sheet which provides ideas you can use to plan School Assemblies
(www.rospa.com/safetyeducation/atschool/assembly.htm)
Firework Safety
The UK Firework Safety (www.fireworksafety.co.uk/) website has produced an overview chart setting out ideas for how firework safety education can be linked to different areas of the curriculum.
RoSPA has published an information sheet on Firework Safety
(www.rospa.com/homesafety/advice/fireworks/index.htm).
Suggested Teaching Activity
General Safety
Project and competition on Toy Safety
Playsafe (www.btha.co.uk/value_of_play/playsafe.php) has been designed by the Trading Standards Institute in conjunction with the British Toy and Hobby Association to encourage a greater awareness of safety features in the design of toys.
Playsafe provides a vehicle not only for worthwhile study information but also the opportunity for innovative individual or team project work in a classroom situation and is suitable for students aged 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17. Further information about this competition and toy safety factsheets (www.btha.co.uk/about_us/toy_safety.php) are available from the British Toy and Hobby Association website (www.btha.co.uk/).
Take part in Child Safety Week
Child Safety Week (www.capt.org.uk/csweek/default.htm) is an annual initiative of the Child Accident Prevention Trust (www.capt.org.uk/) aiming to increase the awareness and understanding of children's accidents and their prevention.
Further Resources
The Children's Safety Education Foundation (www.csef.net/) designs and develops child safety resources for teachers. The Foundation works alongside the Emergency Services and child protection specialists in order to provide materials that cover all aspects of safety including First Aid, Fire Safety and Personal Safety
Home Safety
Factsheets and Project Work
RoSPA (www.rospa.com/index.htm) provides a range of home safety information. It produces a number of fact sheets that contain useful information and suggestions for teaching activities in areas such as:
Water Safety
(www.rospa.com/leisuresafety/water/)
Toy Safety
(www.rospa.com/productsafety/factsheets/toysafety.htm)
Road Safety
Classroom Activities
The Department for Transport produces a wide range of resources about many different areas of Road Safety. They also produce specific Activity Books and Resources on child road safety
(www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/catalogue/ctrs.htm) .
Factsheets and Project Work
ROSPA provides a range of safety factsheets that contain useful facts and advice as well as suggestions for projects aimed at schools:
Road Safety
(www.rospa.com/roadsafety/index.htm)
In Car Safety
(www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/incarsafety/index.htm)
Cycle Safety
(www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/cycling/index.htm)
Firework Safety
Class Talk
Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards Service has developed a Firework Safety Talk that is suitable for children at Key Stage 2.
Resources suitable for use with firework talks are available to order from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) Firework Safety website (www.berr.gov.uk/fireworks/index.htm)
Advice and Information
The UK Firework Safety site provides advice and information for schools (www.fireworksafety.co.uk/schools.htm) on all areas of Firework Safety.
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