Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.1B Grade 2 CPI 2

 

Standard: 2.1 - Wellness

 

Strand: B - Growth and Development

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 2 -  The student will describe how children are alike and how they are different.

 

Grade: 2

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        AS I GROW UP - Hang a clothesline from one end of the classroom to the other. Bring in clothing of various sizes from infant to adult and hang the clothes on the line in “chronological” order. Ask students: “What is different about the clothing? Can you tell how old the person was who wore the clothing?” Lead students to a discussion of growth and explain that all of us wore very small infant clothes at one time. Ask the students: “Do people change as they get older? How?” Again, focus the discussion on inside and outside changes that occur during the various stages of one’s life. Ask students: “How have you changed from preschool? From last year? From last month? Since yesterday?” Explain that as people change, they also learn new things that help them stay healthy and happy. Students write a brief prediction of how they think they will change by the end of the school year. Keep the predictions and use them to reexamine the topic of growth at the end of the school year.

 

      Variation: Students draw a family portrait and discuss family traits, such as blue eyes or being tall.

Variation: Students role-play (“dress up”) in adult attire and tell their classmates what they think they will be when they grow up. Students draw a “Then and Now” picture describing their predictions. Older students write a brief paragraph describing the portrait.

 

·        MUSCLE STRETCH - Children often have the mistaken belief that only strong people have “muscles.” Explain that all human beings have muscles that help us to do work. Demonstrate various important muscle groups using a chart or body model. After students have explored the purpose of muscles and how they work, explain that muscles need to warm up before using them. Ask if students participate in a warm-up before playing a sport or dancing. Tell students that warming up will give muscles a warning that harder work is coming. Demonstrate this by using two ropes of twisted licorice. Keep one rope in the freezer overnight (until class time) and keep the other in a warm place. Explain that the two licorice twists represent their muscles and that the licorice muscles are needed to run. Move the two sticks. The frozen one will snap while the warm one will remain pliable. Explain that the softer licorice stick was “warmed up” and did not break while the other rope was not ready for action and subsequently became “injured.” Ask students: “How do your muscles work best? What do you need to do to insure that your muscles do not get injured when getting ready for a run, a sport, or a game?” Lead the class in a brief stretching routine, performed to music. Include this as part of the daily routine and ask different students to lead the stretch. Emphasize the benefits of stretching to relieve stress when sitting in one spot for a long time or working on a difficult problem or assignment. Demonstrate mini stretching routines that can be done at one’s desk during the school day.

 

      Variation: Instead of licorice use rubber bands (be sure they have been kept at room temperature). Attach the rubber bands to a doorknob or other fixed object and show how the rubber band can revert to its original shape as long as it is “warmed up.”