2. Bring them a Starbucks coffee. The power of coffee is unimaginable. Bring them a cup of Starbucks in the morning and i guarantee your job will be done quick and ASAP.

3. Never be rude. Having a positive attitude towards everything will ensure your success and persuasive mindset. The teacher shall approve and actually LISTEN to what you have to say. They will not give a crap about it if you are rude and ill-mannered.

4. Never be angry! If your angry with your teacher, do not and i mean DO NOT express your anger in anyway. This will be like Newtons law of MOTION!!!! For your action, your teacher will always have a reaction by neglecting your requests no matter what the case is !

5. Never try to correct your teacher. Teachers HATE to be corrected, especially the really mathematical and sci-ency ones! They hate it when kids tell them what to do… so no matter what you think, always speak in a kind manner and say “Miss, i think you have accidentally made a mistake” instead of saying “MISS YOUR WRONG. THAT’S THE WRONG WAY/ANSWER!!!”

6. Never try to CHALLENGE your teacher. Teachers HATE to be challenged. After all, teaching is their profession and they spent years getting the degrees just to have the privilege. THEY HATE it because somebody is questioning them about their work. Imagine learning something for 4 years and then specializing to find out that a 16 year old kid is questioning your intelligence. They hate it. Period!

7. Be Punctual. Being punctual to a teachers class shows that you actually care about the course. If you are a failure, then even the cheekiest tricks won’t help you a bit. The teacher will have a predetermined result or point of view of your question based on your past history. So it is important to attend classes and not be the bad boy.

8. Dressing Appropriately. It’s been many times when i used to get into trouble for wearing my baggy sweaters with my pants halfway down my butt. People do not appreciate the clothing of “gangsters” The really conservative teachers make fun of you inside their head and are more than sure that you are not going to go anywhere in life except through hardship and mooching.

9.Turn your Ipod off! Don’t have your music to full blast and expect your teacher to not care. The old teachers hate these listening devices and cannot believe that such a technological advancement should be allowed in a school. So when you talk to your teacher, make sure that your music is off and that your ears are wide open for attentive listening to no-one BUT your teacher!

10. Get good marks. None of the about will help you unless you learn to study and care about your future. It is only you that can determine what you shall be after high school. The teachers are just an obstacle in your way (or not). You have to learn to by pass them and the easiest suggestion would be to do your homework and actually pay attention in class by making an effort to LEARN. That is what school was meant for.

*P.S. The above may not apply to modern teachers that have recently graduated from teachers college and are totally bomb!

Storage and handling of  food

In The community we are very lucky because we have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables for most of the year. Many villages also have cows, pigs and chickens which they breed and share and there is good rainfall for fresh water and growing fresh food. Many villages are close to the ocean and can catch fresh food from the sea. In The community people look after each other and families join together to share the abundance of natural foods.

Foods in packages are easier to store than fresh foods but many do not have good nutritional value and they are expensive. Even food in packages has a ‘use by’ date it is not  always safe to use the food beyond the ‘use by’ date.

It is important to learn how to store fresh food so it stays fresh as long as possible.

Refrigeration is common in some towns and villages and it does keep food fresh for much longer periods of time. If a family has a refrigerator or can share one in the community they can store food longer. When storing foods in a refrigerator they should be kept separate and stored in clean plastic bags or containers. Wrapping goods in clean paper is also acceptable and minimises the use of plastic bags. Food that comes in jars should be resealed and kept in the refrigerator. Fresh food kept in the refrigerator can only be kept for a limited time as it will still go bad in time.

Freezers were invented to extend the storage time for fresh foods. Meat, fish, chicken and vegetables will keep in a freezer from 6-12months, and sometimes longer. Food kept in freezers also needs to be separated and stored in plastic bags or containers. If food has been defrosted once you must not freeze it again. This is because there may be bacteria in the food that will turn the food bad when it is defrosted again. We will be looking at how bacteria makes food go bad later in this section.

Refrigerators and freezers are only good if they are kept at the right temperature. This means a continuous power supply that operates 24 hours each day to keep the machines at the right temperature. 

Many people do not have access to a refrigerator or freezer and they must rely on traditional methods to store food. 

The first thing to remember is only pick or buy as much fresh food as you need to eat within 2-3 days. 

Food that grows on trees will remain fresher while it is attached to the tree when it is in season. As the season ends the food may go bad on the tree and it is not good to eat food that has gone rotten. We accept the seasons and eat fresh food that is ‘in season’ and readily available. This means we have a good change of diet with the seasons that provides variety and interest. It is always exciting to see the first pineapples or mangoes, or the first tomatoes and avocados. 

Sometimes we will have more food than we need and to help that food last longer here are some helpful tips: 

Hard vegetables – carrots, onions, taro, manioc and yam need to be kept in a basket that allows air to flow around the vegetable. They need to be kept cool and dry so they do not grow mould on them. If the mould starts to grow on them it will be eating out all the nutrients from the vegetable and turning it rotten. Hang the basket at least one metre above the ground in a shaded place. Inspect the food every 2 days to make sure it is still fresh and discard any food that has started to go rotten. 

Soft vegetables – island cabbage, bokchoy, beans, chinese cabbage and lettuce are very difficult to keep fresh in a humid climate. The best way is to wash the vegetables in fresh water and shake them dry. Use a clean cloth to wrap the vegetables loosely and place them in a cool dark place. Do not use plastic bags as they will make the vegetables ‘sweat’ (just as we do in the heat) and this will make them go rotten quicker. Plastic bags are only good for food storage if you have a refrigerator. 

Fruits that have seeds – cucumber, papaya, capsicum and tomato will keep better if they have had the seeds removed. They will not keep for more than a week after they are picked and should be eaten as soon as they are picked to obtain the maximum value from the vitamins and minerals they contain. 

Citrus fruits like oranges, limes, lemons and pampelmouse have a good hard outside skin and this skin allows them to be stored for longer periods of time. Passion fruit is also a hard skinned fruit that is easy to store. Place them in a basket in a cool dry place and use them as required. If they go soft and form a mould they are no longer healthy to eat. 

The hardest thing to store is meat, fish, chicken and pork if you do not have refrigeration or a freezer. The humidity and the abundance of flies and bacteria means that meat will go bad very quickly. If people eat meat that has gone bad it can cause a number of illnesses, including diarrhoea and food poisoning. Fish and chicken will go rotten very quickly and should not be kept without refrigeration. 

Fresh uncooked meat should be clean and wrapped in a very clean cloth or placed in a plastic bag with all the air removed. This will keep the flies from laying their eggs in the meat. If the meat is to be kept longer than 12 hours it should be kept on ice or in a container that has an ice pack. Meat can be kept under water in a plastic bag for 2-4 hours. Be sure to throw the water away on to the garden – do not drink or cook with the water. Fish needs to be cooked and eaten within 12 hours of being caught if there is no refrigerator to keep it cool. 

Cooked meat should be eaten within a few hours of cooking. If it is kept to be eaten the next day it should be placed in an airtight container, or wrapped tightly in a clean cloth, and put in a cool place. Do not keep cooked meat, fish or poultry if you do not have refrigeration. 

Activity 3.1 

Safe food storage:  Have participants work in small groups or pairs. They must design a poster that clearly shows how certain foods must be stored safely. Each group can work on a different food type. E.g. Meats; Fruits; Soft Vegetables; Hard Vegetables, Root Vegetables etc. The poster should end up being something to put up in the house, community hall or clinic that demonstrates a safe food handling to the rest of the community or family.

Bacteria and food handling

Activity 3.2.

Matching exercise. Participants need to draw connecting lines between what is said in the left column of the table and the reason from the right column of the table.

Bacteria and what it is and how it causes disease

Bacteria are tiny organisms that can not be seen, many of them will cause disease. They are the cause of most types of food poisoning. Food poisoning is sickness caused by food or drinks that have been contaminated by bacteria. Food can also be contaminated by chemicals. 

Not all bacteria are bad for our bodies and we do need some good bacteria to keep us healthy. Our bodies can deal with the healthy bacteria. It is the unhealthy bacteria that will cause us problems. Large numbers of unhealthy bacteria can cause us to become very sick. 

How does bacteria cause sickness? They can:

• affect the walls of the gut and this may result in diarrhoea
• cross into the blood stream and cause generalised infection
• produce toxic substances in food that cause us to get sick

Cooking food well will kill all the bacteria that are present, but it may not destroy any dangerous toxins. Thorough cooking is essential but may not always prevent food poisoning.

Bacteria can spread very easily and our aim should be to make sure we minimise the spread of bacteria.

Reducing bacterial growth will prevent them from reproducing. We can do this by freezing, oxygen free packaging, drying, salting, keeping hot (above 60C)  or keeping cold (below 5C).

It only takes a short period of time for bacteria to reproduce so keep in mind the ‘Five keys to safer food’ we have just learned. If you follow the five keys they will protect you from having bad bacteria in food.

The main mistakes that people make when handling food are:

• not washing their hands when preparing, serving or storing food
• preparing food many hours before it is eaten
• keeping food at temperatures that allow bacteria to reproduce
• not enough cooking or reheating of food
• cross contamination between foods
• poor food handling techniques

Food can also be contaminated by chemicals that are used when they are growing, or in the factory where they are processed, in a shop where they are stored and also in the home.

Care must be taken when growing food as some of the chemicals used as fertilisers and pesticides may stay in the food and cause food poisoning when the food is eaten.

Touching food after using chemicals for cleaning can contaminate the food. Food must not be stored in containers that have had chemicals in them – even if they have been washed thoroughly.

Flies and other pests are responsible for transferring bacteria. They leave bacteria wherever they go on surfaces, people, food and pets.

Activity 3.3 

Activity on how flies, cockroaches, mice and rats cause disease. Divide the class into 3 groups. Each group will discuss one type of pest:

Group :1 Flies           Group 2: Cockroaches        Group 3: Rates and Mice.

Each group must discuss how that pest transfers bacteria from one place to another and causes disease. Each person in the group makes a note of this information.

When this discussion is finished, divide participants into new groups. Each new group will have someone who has discussed flies, someone who has discussed cockroaches and someone who has discussed rats and mice. These small groups now make a poster showing how all the pests cause disease and then presents it to the class. 

Other modules in this series:

Introductory Notes for teachers

Learning about personal hygiene

Teacher background notes: The teacher should read and understand the information provided in this section and then present it to the group in the most appropriate way. This may mean inviting a guest speaker, using a reference book, developing handouts, providing demonstrations etc. There are a number of activities in the section that will assist to reinforce learning.

Food and nutrition

Just as a truck needs petrol to make it go our bodies need food to provide us with the energy we need to work and play. Additionally food provides us with vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and all the things we need to grow and be strong. So food is very important and having the correct combination of foods each day will help prevent us from getting disease and also help us to be fit and strong.

Foods that give us energy are called carbohydrates and they are mostly sugary and starchy foods. Some carbohydrate foods are: banana, kumala, bread, rice, yam, taro, corn, peas and potato. If we eat a lot of carbohydrate and it is not burned up through work or play it is turned into fat in our bodies and saved up for when we might need it later. If we continue to eat too much carbohydrate and not use it up we will become fat.

Cakes, biscuits, two minute noodles, lollies and many snack foods are also energy foods but they provide energy that does not last very long in the body and is not the sort of energy we need to continue to play and work. These types of carbohydrates should only be eaten as special treats and not as a regular part of your diet.

Fats and oils also give us energy and provide some minerals that are essential for our health. Fats and oils help us to have healthy glowing skin and are essential to renew cells in the body, but we only need a very small amount each day. They give us twice as much energy as carbohydrates and can be easily stored in the body. Because they are stored in the body easily if we eat too many of them we will become fat and the stored energy does not get used up. Foods that have fats and oils in them are: coconuts, butter and margarine, peanuts, avocados and milk from cows. Snack foods that contain fats and oils are: chocolate, chips, twisties, sweet bars and lollies. However these snack foods really have more fat in them than we need and too much fat is not good for our bodies as it can collect in our blood and cause problems in our heart.

Proteins are essential for building our muscles and bones and keeping us fit and strong. Proteins make new cells in your body and they assist your body to repair injuries and fight off infection. Cells are dying in your body every day and protein is essential to replace the dead cells with new cells. Foods that have protein in them are: eggs, meat, chicken, fish, beans, coconuts and peanuts. Most snack foods have only a very small amount of protein so they are not good foods to make us strong and healthy.

Food also helps us to fight off disease. Vitamins and minerals boost our immune system which is responsible for fighting infection and illnesses. The best vitamins and minerals are found in fresh fruit and vegetables: pineapple, papaya, mango, pamplemouse, banana, island cabbage, any green vegetables, beans, tomato, and once again our friend the coconut is a food that is very good for vitamins and minerals. All other fruit and vegetables also have vitamins and minerals. There are no effective vitamins and minerals in most snack foods so they are not able to assist us to fight off disease or to remain fit and healthy.

The last essential element of diet is Water. Water is essential to keep all the processes in the body going and to keep us healthy. Water helps the body to get rid of waste and it contributes to the production of blood that circulates and keeps our organs working.

 Activity 2.1

 Divide the class into groups of four. In the groups of four make a list of all the different types of foods that are available at this time of year from the market or the gardens.

Have participants divide the foods they have listed into the food groups they belong in – energy foods (carbohydrates), strength and growing foods (proteins), protection foods (vitamin and minerals) and fats and oils.

Ask participants to identify which groups have more and where can you find foods that will fill the other groups?

Balanced diet

A balanced diet is one that has the right combination of all the different types of food. This pyramid represents the amounts of the different types of food we need to be eating to be strong, to grow and to fight off disease.

Your diet will depend on

§ your age – teenagers use more energy than babies

§ your work – a copra cutter uses more energy than an office worker

§ your gender – males use more energy than females , even if they are doing the same things

§ your size – tall people who have bigger bones need more food to be healthy

A balanced diet is one which contains the right amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat and vitamins and minerals to satisfy all the body needs of the person. A diet that is balanced for one person may not be balanced for another. The amount of food depends on the energy you use in a day. Young people who are growing also need to have a different diet to older people.

 Activity 2.2

Individual exercise

Ask the participants to look at the picture of a balanced diet and develop a balanced diet for one person for one day. Include breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 snacks. 

BREAKFAST

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

Mid Morning snack____________________________________________________ 

LUNCH

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

Mid afternoon snack__________________________________________________ 

DINNER

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________ 

Diet through the age groups

Babies

Breast milk is the best food for babies. The mother’s milk has all the requirements for the baby to grow in the first six months. Even if the mother is thin and weak she will be the best source of a balanced diet for her baby. The breast milk has inside it all the protection from diseases that the mother has and it will provide the baby with natural protection.

All mothers should be encouraged to breast feed their babies and only when there is a medical or physical problem should breast milk substitutes be used. There is nothing in a can or bottle that is as good for a baby as breast milk for the first six months. All the energy, strength, growing and protection parts of a balanced diet are contained in breast milk.

Children from birth to twelve months are growing quickly and using a lot of energy. They need extra protein in their food after six months. They also need additional calcium to make strong bones and iron for building blood. Their energy needs are high so they will need more carbohydrate. After the baby is about six months old the mother should offer breast milk first and feed additional food after the baby has finished at the breast.

When the mother has only a small amount of milk allow the baby to feed more often and increase the mother’s intake of fluids such as water and juices. Breast feeding mother’s need a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals in their diet to pass on to the baby through their breast feeding.

Small children to ten years of age

Small children do not have teeth to bite food or chew it for digestion. Food needs to be soft so it may be necessary to cook it before mashing it. Add small amounts of fats such as butter, avocado or oil to help mash the food. Serve food at room temperature as it is very easy to burn the babies mouth with food that is too hot. If the mouth is burned the baby will not be able to suck at the breast or to take food in the mouth.

Children from 12 months to ten years spend a lot of time running jumping and playing. They are using a big amount of energy and at the same time they are growing quickly. At this time children require small meals frequently to keep up their energy levels. Fruit snacks are great for energy and coconut juice and other fruit juices are good to replace lost fluids from sweating. 

Children need to have a minimum of three meals in a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also need small snacks between meals. Be creative with the foods that children are given and try all different types of food. Even if you do not like the food yourself encourage children to try everything and learn about different foods and different tastes. Food should be interesting and fun and a pleasure to eat. 

Adolescents 10 years to 18 years

During adolescence there are many changes occurring in the body and bodies are continuing to grow. Girls do not stop growing until their early twenties and boys often keep growing until their late twenties. 

During this time teenagers are engaged in sport, education and social activities. They are still using a lot of energy and will require a diet that has a good amount of protein and carbohydrate. Vitamins and minerals will be helping them to build strong immune systems and prepare their bodies for reproduction. 

Girls in particular will need additional iron in their food as they begin to menstruate. Iron is found in red meats and also in green leafy vegetables. A balanced diet is important for creating balanced hormones in the body. A balanced diet has also been connected with being able to support young women to fight off hormonal mood swings and tiredness. 

Adults 18+

When people reach adulthood they stop growing, but they still need protein to keep their bodies healthy and to renew cells. Adults who do not do strong physical work can afford to reduce the amount of carbohydrate in their diet. This is because they are not using up as much energy as someone who is doing strong physical work. 

Office workers, teachers, managers and many people who work in doors in shops or offices do not use very much energy in their working day. Bus, taxi and transport drivers, tour guides and hospitality workers do not use a lot of energy. However a gardener, cane cutter or copra worker, construction builder or labourer will use a higher amount of energy. 

The amount of carbohydrate foods needs to be adjusted down in the people who use less energy in their work. Rice has become a regular source of carbohydrate for busy people in towns and villages in Vanuatu. This is because it is quick to cook and does not require peeling. However quick cooking foods like rice and instant noodles do not have many nutrients and have been responsible for many people becoming fat. These quick foods are also responsible for some people having diabetes and heart conditions.

It is important to look at the diagram of a balanced diet and ensure that the food for a day is only about 30% carbohydrates and that the snacks adults have during the day are not high carbohydrate such as cakes and biscuits. Fresh fruit is a preferable snack and will supply nutrients as well as protection against disease. 

Older people who are no longer working

People who are no longer working or growing still need to maintain their bodies in a healthy condition. Older people should ensure they still get 30 minutes each day of exercise such as walking, working in the garden, playing with younger children, swimming or any other activity they enjoy. 

The diet of an older person must remain balanced but older people can afford to have less food overall. Many older people prefer to eat a smaller amount more often. As long as they still eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, a small amount of carbohydrate and protein they should remain healthy and well. 

Older people tend to have urinary tract infections because they do not drink enough water. It is essential for older people to make sure they drink water frequently during the day. Boiled, filtered or bottled water may be necessary where there is no clean water supply. Always boil or filter water that has been kept in tanks or that comes from rivers if you are going to drink it.

People of all ages from children to the older adult need to drink plenty of water every day. Babies and small children need to be offered water to drink every 2 hours. Adults and youth need to drink 2 litres of water everyday.

Activity 2.3

Ask participants to work in groups of four to make a play about the following issue. The play should last for about 5 minutes. Then have the groups perform their small play.

In the village there is a young mother who is breast feeding her baby. Her name is Rona. Her mother, Julie, wants Rona to go back to work in the garden and leave the baby and stop breast feeding her. Rona is not happy she wants to continue to feed the baby at her breast. Rona is talking to her mother and the rest of her family about how this problem can be solved. Rona’s husband is Freddie and her sister is Mary. Mary is a health worker and she knows that breast feeding is best for the baby. Freddie relies on the vegetables from the garden to feed the family and make some money for school fees for their other children. Make a play about how the family comes together to talk about the problem and explore the many things that could happen. Consider all the issues the family will talk about and come up with a few different solutions to the problem.

Activity 2.4

Ask a Guest Speaker to come and talk to the class. The guest speaker should be someone who knows about nutrition to talk about the difference in nutrition of processed goods and fresh produce. Request that the guest speaker focus on traditional diet and how introduced foods have changed the diet of people living in Vanuatu. Positives and negatives of the impact of western foods

Here is a link to the Teachers Introductory Notes for this course

Here is a link to a previous lesson – Learning about Personal Hygiene

Body Hygiene

Good personal hygiene is a strategy we can use to help us to remain healthy. It is only one of the strategies we will talk about in this course. Good personal hygiene, healthy habits, a balanced diet and a clean environment are all things you can put in place for yourself and in your town or village to prevent disease.

When you become an adult you are responsible for looking after your own body. Your mother and father no longer have the responsibility so you need to know how to care for your body to stop getting sick. A body that is hygienic (clean) will develop better resistance to disease and reduce risk of infections.

In addition to staying well, good personal hygiene will make you smell better, feel better and be a good friend to have around! It is important to get to know the parts of the body and where they are located.

 Activity 1.1.

Getting to know the human body 

Ask participants to identify body parts individually on the chart in their workbook. Then the class reviews the chart and talks about the parts of the body that are responsible for getting rid of waste.

 Activity 1.2

 What are some of the ways our body has of getting rid of waste and substances we do not need? 

Have participants brainstorm together as a group. There is a copy of this table in the participant workbook (Answers are supplied here for teachers’ reference.)

 When the substances are out of the body we need to clean the substances away and get rid of them. We do this by cleaning our bodies and our clothing to destroy the waste.

 Activity 1.3

 Why do we clean the substances mentioned in the last activity away from our bodies? 

Have participants work together in pairs to fill in the blanks and then come together as a group to discuss. There is a copy of this table in the participant workbook (Answers are supplied here for teachers’ reference.)

Activity 1.4.

 Match the pictures to the words by drawing a line to connect the picture to the words that describe it

Cleaning of clothes and bedding is very important. When washing clothing and bedding here are some very important steps to remember.

• Use clean water to clean your clothes, sheets, towels and pillowcases.
• Running water is best, but if you do not have running water change the water when it looks dirty.
• Use soap or washing powder if it is available.
• If you have no soap rub the washing with some clean sand or some smooth rocks to remove food spills and stains.
• Use a strong scrubbing action to loosen dirt and bacteria.
• Rinse in running water or clean rinsing water.
• Hang your washing in the sunshine to dry.
• If it is raining hang the washing where there is cover and plenty of air and wait until it is completely dry.
• When clothes are dry fold them and put them on a shelf or in a cupboard that is above the floor.
• If clean clothes become damp or smelly wait for a sunny day and hang them out again to freshen them up.

Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene means keeping the mouth, teeth and gums healthy. Keeping teeth and gums clean is important for many reasons.

• Good Health. Infection from a bad tooth can spread to other parts of the body.
• Good speech. Your tongue and lips touching your teeth help you to speak clearly.
• Good eating. Your teeth break food into small pieces so you can swallow and digest it better.
• Good looks. Healthy teeth make an attractive face and smile.
• Good breath. Food left on the teeth and in the mouth will make your breath smell bad.
• Healthy gums. Gums fit tightly around the teeth and keep them in place. You need strong gums to stop teeth from falling out.

Natural foods that are grown in the ground like vegetables and fruit are better for your teeth than processed foods that are bought at the shops. Many processed foods have a lot of sugar which is damaging to teeth. When sugar combines with the natural plaque that builds up on your teeth it creates a strong acid that can make a hole into the tooth. Plaque is that ‘furry feeling’ that is on your teeth when you have not cleaned them.

Small holes in teeth can be filled by the dentist but often there is no dentist or they are too expensive. The hole gets bigger and the tooth can become very sore. This is because the hole may go through the tooth and into a nerve. Sometimes the tooth will come out because it has become rotten, but the person experiences a lot of pain in a rotten tooth before it comes out.

Activity 1.5

Good dental hygiene

Ask participants to respond to these questions: (Brainstorm together) Discuss the answers.

•  How do we keep our teeth clean?
• If there is no toothbrush available how do we clean the teeth and also clean between the teeth?

Ask participants to, before the next lesson, purchase a tooth brush or make one from the natural things that are available in the bush. Ask them to clean their teeth each day and make a note of how their teeth feel different when they are clean.

Prevention of decay and gum disease

If you want your teeth to last for the rest of your life you must take care of them and prevent decay and gum disease. Here are some ways to help look after your teeth:

• avoid sticky sweet foods. The sugar turns into acid in the mouth and makes holes in the teeth.
• chew foods like sugarcane, coconut, pandanus and corn to clean your teeth
• clean your teeth well each morning and at night before you go to bed. Use toothpaste if it is available, but clean water and a good scrub is also very good.

 Activity 1.6

 Tooth disease and decay

 Discuss these questions in pairs and then as a class group

• Why would people living in town have more tooth decay than people living in a village?
• How does chewing corn help to clean your teeth?
•  Who has experienced a toothache? What did it feel like? Did it go away?
• What are the traditional remedies for toothache and do they work?

Image via Wikipedia

Still Life

Outcome: To understand what a still life is, a drawing or painting or other art form, created from observing ‘life’.  To practice the fine art of observation-to see what you are looking at, not what you expect to be there.  To introduce symmetry in nature and to link the art project to things they are studying in the classroom in the fall: i.e. sunflowers and apples. 

Art History

Show famous still life paintings and artists. (I always do Van Gogh, his sunflower paintings, Wayne Thiebaud for his wonderful paintings of food, Demuth for lovely water color, William Michael Harnett for super realism, and Georgia O’Keefe for her paintings of flowers).  Talk about the difference between a portrait and a self portrait.

Materials

White paper, 8 ½ x 11, colored pencils or crayons being sure to provide a variety of colors and 9×12 construction paper of various colors to mount the finished still lives on.  You will also need  apples of various sizes and types and colors, and a lot of sunflowers providing at least one for every two children, and various reproductions of still life work, preferably something with fruit and flowers for the teacher to talk about and the children to examine.  For the teacher, a white board and dry erase markers, or a large piece of white paper on which to create a sample still life with markers.

Finished Product

A still life that can be displayed and cherished, and a better understanding of the type of art known as the still life.

Time Table

Two sessions, one of making an apple still life and one of making a sunflower.

Steps

1. Show examples of still life and talk about why a still life is different from a landscape and different from a portrait.  Talk about the various artists and show examples.  Note how some things are painted to look super realistic, while other artists made things more stylized.  (Compare Harnett and O’Keefe)
2. Set up tables in advance with an apple on each place, or one for each child to share.
3. On a white board, or other large piece of paper create a still life looking carefully at the apple, noting the many colors, how it isn’t exactly round, where the stem is, etc.  Fill the page with the object and remind the children that they need to do the same.  No tiny little apples in a sea of white!
4. Pass out crayons, white paper, and mirrors to each child.  Write names on the back of papers and then flip over.
5. Encourage the children to look at the apples carefully, noting any flaws or color changes before they begin to draw. Walk around and help where needed, asking the children to work with mistakes rather than correcting or crossing out.  Mistakes are how we learn and in art they are beautiful!
6. When children are finished have them mount on colored paper and display in their own still life gallery before sending home. 
7. Repeat steps for the second session, but substitute the sunflowers for the apples.  Enjoy!

Related Lesson Plans

A Self-Portrait: Art Lesson Plans for Kindergarten through First Grade

Getting Kids in Touch: Texture Activities for the Young

An Art Lesson Plan for Kindergarten through Second Grade: Animal Pinch Pots

  If you want to know your child or teen is being bullied, you can observe their academic results. Basically, because they afraid of going to school and cannot pay attention on everything does the teacher say. As a result, you may be able to see that your child’s result dropped. And moreover, they may feel stressful, which may affect their health and daily living. You may observe they always have stomach pains and diarrhea due to the stress that came from being bullied. Also, a few studies show that people who are bullied by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety. They may also think about suicide more.

  Have you ever been a bullies when you have young? For me, I do not. Becoming a bully may have a few reasons. Most commonly, they have poor social skills and poor social judgment. They don’t know what is empathy or what is love. As a result, to make themselves look like more powerful and to attract the others, they force people to do somethings and they want to become a hot stuff in the school. Some bullies actually have personality disorders that don’t allow them to understand normal social emotions like guilt, empathy, compassion, or remorse. These people need help from a mental health professional like a psychiatrist or psychologist.

  If you are bullied, what can you do? You should tell the adults, it can be your parents, your teachers, and also for social workers, that there is bullying around the school. But some of the bullies may threaten the one being bullied that if they tell the adults, you will be in disaster! In fact, you shouldn’t worry! Once they are discovered, they will be immediately sent to police. Therefore, they are no reasons for you to afraid. 2 things you should do is to tell the adults and not to be threatened by the bullies. Of cause, you may ask if there are skills to help you escape from them immediately. And here you may follow:

  First I won’t tell you to run away, because you won’t have time to run away after you have caught! Therefore I would like to tell you a solution in a physiological way. Bullies always want to be the strongest and control the others. First and foremost, you should not be controlled. You shouldn’t tell your emotion. But you should hidden it. And on the contrary, you should use humor. It can throw the bully off guard. Secondly, you should be confidence enough. You should build up your self-esteem which you won’t be hurt by them anymore. Moreover, to prevent being bullied, you should be more stronger then them to make them give up teasing. For example, you can learn martial arts and you can be good at somethings to make them no reasons to hurt you. Last, you should have some friends to accomplish with you. First, you can tell your friends about bullying. And also, bullies won’t bully someone with another, which I mean is a group. They may attack you because you just have only one person, but if it is a large number of people they won’t!

  For you, if you are one of the bullies, what should you do? It’s never too late to change, but what you have to think of is that not only you will harm the others, you will harm yourself.  But unfortunately you are being bullied, what should you do? To make a harmonious school life, you can try to talk to the bully first. What you have to do is to point out all the things he did and the seriousness. Moreover, you should tell the adults about bullying. To let them know the seriousness of bullying. Last, You can organise an anti-violence program or, if your school doesn’t have one, to start one of your own.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Outcome:To practice and accomplish the correct placement of features onto a face.  To practice the fine art of observation-to see what you are looking at, not what you expect to be there.  To introduce symmetry in nature.  Art History-Show famous portraits and self portraits (I always do Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, da Vinci –Mona Lisa, and Whister’s Mother).  Talk about the difference between a portrait and a self portrait.

Materials: White paper, 8 ½ x 11, colored pencils being sure to provide many different skin tones and variations on hair and eye color, regular #2 pencils (preferably without erasers), one small mirror of reflective surface for each child, and 9×12 construction paper of various colors to mount the finished portraits on.  Various reproductions of portraits for the teacher to talk about and the children to examine.  For the teacher, a white board and dry erase markers, or a large piece of white paper on which to create a sample self portrait with markers.

Finished Product: A self portrait that can be displayed and cherished, and a better understanding of the type of art known as the ‘portrait’.

Steps

1. Show examples of portraits and talk about why a portrait is different from a landscape and different from a still-life.  Talk about the various artists and show examples of self portraits and well as others, and talk about how photographs are portraits. 
2. On a white board, or other large piece of paper create a self portrait looking at a mirror.  Have the children look at a neighbor and note the shape of the head is not a circle, the eyes are more like footballs, everyone has pinkish lips (not just girls), and there are many different skin tones and eye colors.  Show the children the placement of the features on the head, including ears and eyebrows.
3. Pass out pencils, white paper, and mirrors to each child.  Write names on the back of papers and then flip over.
4. Encourage the children to look at the mirrors before drawing and begin with the oval of the face, making it large on the paper.  Walk around and help where needed, asking the children to work with mistakes rather than correcting with erasers.  Mistakes are how we learn and in art they are beautiful!
5. Talk about where the nose goes on the middle of the face next, having the children touch their nose and talk about the shapes and that we all have nostrils.
6. Repeat for each feature, checking for understanding and helping where needed.  Encourage them to look often at their mirror, noting colors and shapes as they go.
7. Pass out colored pencils for details.  Note how one color is close to someone’s skin by holding the pencil up to it.  Do this a couple of times.
8. When children are finished (may take more than one session) have them mount on colored paper and display in their own portrait gallery before sending home. 

Other lesson plans:

Getting Kids in Touch with Texture: Activities for the Young

Lesson Plans for Kindergarten: Art Clay Incense Burners

http://quazen.com/kids-and-teens/school-time/art-lesson-plan-for-kindergartners-learning-about-still-life-with-apples-and-sunflowers/

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Why does someone bully?

The reason why some one bullies another person is to hide his or her inadequacy. Bullies can be of any age. There are bullies in kinder-gardens, high schools, workplaces, clubs on the Internet,etc. It often happens that bullies attack a person which is just a little bit different than them. For example you wear glasses or you are better in mats or you don’t smoke. However sometimes there are no significant differences, perhaps you might be younger and small and so they might think you are an easy target. 

The last thing a bully want to admit is that she or he is weaker or incompetent concerning their school work or with other things. To take the attention away from their inadequacy they have to make a diversion, this is where you come in. Bullies always get a lot of attention and have generally many followers. The more followers they have the more important they feel. Being the leader of a group makes them feel powerful. A lot of people join the bully because they are afraid of being bullied them self. When you talk to each individual separately they usually admit that they actually don’t want to bully but are only in the group to protect themselves.

Who do bullies pick on and what can you do?

As said earlier bullies pick on any one who they think is an easy target. They only pick on a person over who they think they have power. Bullies enjoy getting a big reaction out of a person. Shouting, screaming, crying. Yes crying is the best. The stronger the reaction the better. OK this is all very simple to solve if there is only one bully, you just stop reacting that way. However bullies generally come in packs, like wolves. When words are not enough for a bully and his pack, you will sure lose. What can you do about this? Before a fight starts there is often a change of words between the bullies and you. Don’t reply with cursing or other foul words. Carry a pepper spray can with you, so you can use it when necessary,  and than run as fast as you can.

Don’t provoke a group

When you are not on the school property and alone with a group of bullies, don’t provoke them. If they want any of your possessions give it to them, don’t make a fuss about it. This is better than be beaten up. The best way to avoid a fight is to stay cleer of the bullies and if possible walk home with someone else or choose a different rout. The golden rule is: don’t be pushed  in a corner. What I mean by this is; always have an escape route available. So make sure you never end up in a corner or somewhere where there is no way out. It often happens that a victim of bullying stands on his/her own against a wall. You can pick them out without even knowing the history of the kid. So stop doing that and mingle in with the crowd, you might have something interesting to add to some of the conversations. Make friends, don’t be a sore thumb that stands out.

Other things you can do

• Get self defending classes

There are plenty of self defending sports like karate, judo, taikwondo etc.  to choose from. On the contrary what some people believe they are not violent sports.  They aren’t only good for you psychical well being  but especially karate is calming and relaxing, it also helps you with concentration and coordination. The three above named sports will gain you confidence and friendship.

• Assertiveness training.

Assertiveness training or anger management will teach a person how to deal with difficult situations in a civilised manner. You will practice how to deal with real live cases from your daily life. You will also learn how important body language is. Your body language can tell another person that you are afraid or not at all. This is a tool that you will benefit you for the rest of your life. So it is not a waste of time or money. People who are bullied in school will be potential victims in the work place, not because the are stupid, small, fat, smart, tall or wear glasses; they are bullied because they don’t assert themselves.

• Ask the bully to repeat what he/she said

Touch one of your ears with your finger and ask them to repeat what was said. In most cases the bully will not exactly repeat what was said but tone it down into a milder version. This way you take control over the situation. You can reply with a counter question or joke. Which you have learned in the assertiveness training.

• Keep a diary

Write down your feelings and the incidents when and where it happened and who was there. When you decide to tell an adult what is happening in will be easier to prove what  has been going on.

Most importantly; don’t keep it a secret that you are bullied.

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The end of summer is quickly approaching and with that the back to school sales are in full swing. Walk through my house and you’ll see lists of school supplies that have to be purchased, piles of old clothes to be given away and a dozen other odds and ends.

My oldest has already begun to lament the end of summer and is openly plotting how to get out of going back to school. It is kind of a funny thing. What he doesn’t know is that even though it has been decades since I was a full time student I still mourn the end of summer. But the primary source of my sadness is not what it once was.

These days it is financial in nature. These days it is a growing anxiety about how to continue to pay for a private school education for my children. If you had to rank various things that cause me stress this would be somewhere close to the top.

So the obvious question here is if paying for private school is so stressful why do we continue doing so. I often ask myself the same thing. As the product of a public school education personal experience proves that it is possible to get a very fine education from an institution that isn’t pushing my retirement out a full decade.

But the rub here is that we do not believe that our local school will meet our needs. When we first evaluated it there were a number of factors that we were seriously concerned with. 

• PTA- Participation in the parent/teacher association was lower than we wanted. We felt that a successful school had to have great support from parents or it would have trouble. I can’t tell you why it is low and I am not going to speculate about it. But without parental involvement I am concerned.
• English as a second language- The ability to speak English has nothing to do with intelligence. In fact we are proponents of being multilingual. However when more than 50% of the class comes from an ESL home there is concern about how much English the students speak and whether the parents will be able to help the students.  I don’t want my children held back because of language issues.
• Test scores- The test scores at the school were low. I don’t think test scores are the sole metric to use when evaluating a school, but they do say something about it.

Once we determined that we were not happy with the local school the next step was trying to determine if it was possible to enroll the children in another school. We explored several different options including moving, charter/magnet schools, open enrollment and homeschooling.

The funny thing about moving was that our house was purchased as a starter home. Our oldest was only ten months when we moved in and we never thought that we would live here long enough for him to school here. The plan had been to live here for two or three years and then to move to a largest home in a different neighborhood.

That plan was shaterred by the explosive growth of the real estate market. Housing prices shot up exponentially and our ability to find a bigger home was severely handicapped by this. So even though we looked for a new place the cost

of the new mortgage was prohibitive. On a side note, we very much like our neighborhood, it is just the school that is an issue.

We have had no success with charter/magnet schools and or open enrollment at other schools that we think are better. That is not to say that we have tried and are not playing the game, we are, but it just hasn’t worked for us.

Home schooling is a hot button issue these days. I know several parents who swear by it but I have a number of concerns. I think that there is great merit and benefit to being around other students. You learn from them. Some of them do a great job of helping to push you to work harder. I know, some of you will say that the exact opposite can happen too, they also be detrimental to your education.

Let’s agree to disagree about that point and move on to the next concern and discuss teaching qualifcations. As a former teacher I am confident in my ability to teach English, History, Government and social sciences in general. But I am not an expert in math and science. While I did well in those subjects, I want my children to have access to educators who are experts at teaching those things.

Home schoolers don’t necessarily have access to those experts and that bothers me.

All of this brings us back to the place we started at. Private versus public school. It is a tough choice. I am like every parent. I want my children to have the best. I don’t want them to succeed in spite of the challenges they face. But at the same time I have to look at the costs both financial and otherwise to educate them.

So while I have no problem saying that education is priceless I still have to say that there is a price to pay for it. The real question is how long we can keep paying for it and the answer is that I am no longer sure.

But there is good news mixed in with all of this. I couldn’t be happier with their education and I don’t have to worry about tuition for the next school year until January 2010. And now that we have enjoyed this brief walk through the confines of my mind I am off to pour myself a stiff drink.

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It’s time to buckle down and get back into the swing of things. Yep, school time is here again. That also means homework, projects, and tests. Here is a list of easy ways to flunk your next test.

1. Don’t study! Why waste your time when you haven’t got a clue what your instructor is talking about.
2. Draw creative images on your test. Explore your artistic talents. “No Mr. Davis, this isn’t garbage. You are witnessing the latest Picasso.”
3. Make sure you answer every question as being true. After all, it isn’t polite to lie.
4. Write a response on a multiple choice test that it is all the above on each question. Hey if you’re going to flunk, why not go out in style.
5. Write that your name is Michael Jackson. Put on the test that your answers are Bad but that it has been a Thrill to take the exam.
6. Write notes on your arm in bright red marker. Make sure that your teacher notices you as you look at your arm. Explain that these are not notes but a sign of a severe sports injury.
7. Laugh out loud throughout the test. Also, clear your throat constantly. Draw images of happpy day smiles. Go wild and crazy. You’ll have a fun time as you are escorted to the principal’s office.
8. Rip up your paper in protest. Complain that tests measure nothing. Stick out your index finger in salute.
9. Look over at another student’s paper constantly. Explain to your teacher that you have a nervous tick. Jump up and down in class and holler, “My name is Barack Obama. Long live public education.”
10. Scratch your head. Scratch your arms. Scratch everywhere. Tell your teacher that you are allergic to tests. Start sneezing constantly. Drive everyone in the room nuts. Congratulations on a job well done.