Print a diagram of the heart from the Internet. If possible, find a coloring sheet that they can color while they learn about the heart. Explain the heart is a muscle that pumps blood throughout our bodies, and in order for it to work properly, it needs to be strong, and the veins need to be clear.
Teach your children how a heartbeat works by talking about how the heart fills with blood between each beat. Make a fist with your hand to show what the pumping action looks like.
Show the children the atria and ventricles on the heart diagram. The atria are on the top of the heart, and the ventricles are on the bottom of the heart.
Point out the mitral, tricuspid, aortic and pulminary valves leading to the heart, talking about how they control the blood flowing back to the body from the heart.
Talk about how the left side of the heart sends oxygen-filled blood to the body, and the right side of the heart receives the blood that has been sent throughout the veins all over the body.
Use a stethoscope to listen to each other's heartbeats, and show the kids how to take wrist and neck pulses. Ask them to run and note the difference in pulse between running and resting. Talk about how the increased heartbeat during running helps to strengthen the heart muscle and keep it strong and healthy.
Discuss how fattening foods can clog arteries and make it harder for the heart to do its job--and for blood to get to and from the heart to all of the parts of their bodies. Show your home-schoolers healthy food choices such as fruits, vegetables and lean poultry. Bring them to the grocery store and let them pick out foods for a week's worth of heart-healthy family lunches or dinners.