Move the desks aside, listen to soothing music, dim the lights and have children use imagery to calm their mind. Yoga teaches body awareness and helps a child regain a sense of calm and focus at the end of the day. In Tree Pose, for example, students can imagine themselves as a large oak tree with roots growing into the ground. Focus on what emotions emerge. Or set up a "feelings" box in the classroom where children can deposit their complaints or suggestions. The teacher reads the papers once a week, and students address feelings and address solutions.
Help children understand how the body works and what foods they need for a healthy diet. Introduce the USDA Food Pyramid with a project using poster board labeled with the five food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, milk and meat/beans. Students chart what they eat every day to see if they are getting the recommended amount of servings. Or teach children about pesticides and the benefit of organic foods. Grow a small garden where children can chart how organic food grows, what problems organic produce might present and the results of a taste-test comparison with the same non-organic food.
Invite a dentist or dental hygienist to visit the classroom. The tips and information given from professionals give credibility to parents' teachings at home about teeth and gum hygiene. Children take turns with the dentist and learn the proper ways to brush and floss. Or put on a personal hygiene exhibit where students decorate bulletin boards demonstrating the need for taking care of the body. Depict people flossing teeth, washing hands and grooming nails by drawings, photos and magazine cut-outs all around the school.
Engage children in a school-wide jog-a-thon. Students solicit pledges and collect money based on how many laps they finish. Before the event, go over warm-up exercises, a good running or walking pace and the correct way to jog. Or encourage students to turn off the television and their gaming systems for one week. What physical activity did they do instead and for how long? Discuss ways for getting the body moving, such as participating in organized sports, playing a simple game of tag in the backyard or going bowling.
Teach students about airborne germs by doing a glitter experiment. Each child holds a handful of glitter and blows it onto someone standing near her. Where did the glitter land? Which parts of the body and clothes were contaminated? Teach the importance of hand washing by pointing out that germs are not visible, even with a magnifying glass. Provide students with microscopes to look at small objects around the classroom. Draw conclusions about where germs live and the need for consistent hand washing.