“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” ~Hippocrates, ancient Greek physician
Health, Safety, Nutrition, Physical Education
Bayer Diabetes Simple Wins – Nick Jonas has teamed up with Bayer Diabetes Care as a diabetes ambassador for young people.
Department of Health and Human Services – Information for parents, children, and teachers on a variety of health related issues and topics.
Diabetes Risk Test – Answer simple questions about weight, age, family history, and other potential risk factors for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Preventative tips are provided for everyone who takes the test, including encouraging those at high risk to talk with their health care provider. Click here to print out a “Lower Your Risk” Fact Sheet.
Environmental Protection Agency – Click on the “Kids” page for games and simulations to explore various environmental issues: air, plants & animals, garbage & recycling, water, and more.
Food and Drug Administration – Click on “Kids” for the FDA Kids’ site with activities, news, and links.
Getting Healthy – The American Heart Association’s Getting Healthy website has information on nutrition, physical activity, weight management, stress management, and how to raise healthy kids. Learn how to lose weight, lower stress, eat healthy, stop smoking, get more exercise and teach kids how to stay healthy. Download Elementary and Middle School Lesson Plans for the classroom, and get ideas for activities and games for the gym.
Health and Exercise Blog – This guide to home based learning about healthy and active lifestyles would make a great do-it-yourself unit study on health, nutrition, and exercise. There are 5 homework assignments, most of which have student and parent components. The first assignment focuses on eating a well balanced diet that includes whole grains, vegetables, fruits, calcium rich foods, and healthy protein sources, and gives parents an opportunity to plan healthy meals with their children. The second assignment teaches students how to read nutrition facts labels on most food items sold in the United States, giving students the ability to choose healthy foods. The third assignment helps children explore their own body images, and gives parents the opportunity to discuss the important difference between healthy and perfect. The fourth assignment discusses exercise, and will help parents and students design a plan to incorporate the appropriate amount of exercise into their child’s life. The last assignment focuses on media time such as television watching, video gaming, and computer time.
Health World – Health World is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting a comprehensive digital curriculum for health and safety education. Health World’s e-Learning program brings the most current content-driven courses, assignments and activities directly into your home or classroom.
Kids Health – Organized, accurate information about growth, food, fitness, childhood infections, and treatments. Interactive games.
Activity Sheets for Kids – Fun coloring and activity sheets that can be used as handouts, from the American Dental Association.
American Dental Association – Tips for parents and teachers; resources for students; classroom ideas; activity sheets and interactive games for kids; view several public service announcements.
American Dental Hygienist’s Association – Tooth facts, common questions, and interactive games for kids.
Dental Health Information Center – Informative site for learning about dental anatomy, procedures, specialties, and other dental topics; includes a dental dictionary.
Colgate Kids’ World – Colgate Kids’ World has answers to child-related oral health questions, and interactive activities for kids.
Crest Kids – A fun “Eggsperiment” for kids from Crest.
Crest and Oral-B Dental Education Program – The Dental Defenders program provides materials that make it easy for first-grade teachers to educate their students about the importance of oral care. Includes a printable educator’s guide, lesson plans, demos and videos.
Dental Health Month Activities and Games – Coloring pages, word searches, printables and worksheets.
Healthy Teeth – From baby teeth to braces, Healthy Teeth is all about what goes on inside your mouth. Produced by dentists for elementary aged kids curious about the “why?” of oral health.
Johnson & Johnson – Toothsome terms, tooth timeline, & teaching techniques.
Mouth Healthy – The American Dental Association’s new website for consumers has answers for every life stage featuring healthy habits, top concerns, nutrition, and fact or fiction information. Search A-Z topics and the Top Ten Dental Symptom slideshow to learn about different dental issues and discover how you can prevent and/or treat these issues. For Kids! has online activities, games, and quizzes for kids and preteens to help them learn the importance of good oral health care, plus printable PDF handouts and presentations for educators.
Smile! It’s Dental Health Month – 10 Tips for Taking Care of Teeth, Toothsome Trivia, Test Your Dental IQ, and Fun Activities.
Tom’s of Maine – Virtual factory tour shows how toothpaste is made.
Tooth Fairy Trivia – Tooth Fairy talk about baby teeth, children’s teeth, and oral hygiene for kids.
American Red Cross – News, safety tips, first aid/CPR information, disaster, and a virtual museum.
Be the Beat – The American Heart Association’s online Sudden Cardiac Arrest awareness initiative to teach teens all across the country the simple steps that can save a life—and create the next generation of lifesavers.
Family & Friends® CPR Anytime® Personal Learning Program – Anyone can learn the core skills of CPR in just 20 minutes! The personal learning kit contains everything needed to learn basic CPR, AED skills and choking relief anywhere, from the comfort of your home to a large group setting.
Kid Safety – Slide-show presentation focusing on handling emergencies at home and at school.
Learn CPR – All the information you need to learn the basics of CPR. Includes self-quiz and FAQs.
National Bicycle Safety Network – Information about bicycle safety.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control – Information and statistics on violence, fire safety, and leading causes of death. The NCIPC works to reduce morbidity, disability, mortality, and costs associated with injuries.
National Safety Council – Safety, health, and environmental resources.
Fire Prevention Week – Fire Prevention Week’s official home page.
Fire Safety – Article on fire safety and related information.
Kidde Safety – A home safety education center.
Sparky – The National Fire Protection Agency’s website for kids.
U.S. Fire Administration Facts – Fire safety and education fact sheets.
U.S. Fire Administration Kids – U.S. Fire Administration kids’ page is full of tips that can help you and your family be safe from fire.
National Rifle Association Educational Programs – Click on “Safety & Training” for general gun safety rules, or parents and teachers can click on “Eddie Eagle” to learn more about this gun safety program for children and to order educational materials.
Play it Safe in the Sun – How sun safe are you? Read all about it and take a true or false quiz.
Sun Protection – A detailed explanation of short- and long-term effects of sun exposure, our body’s defenses, skin types, and sun protection, from L’Oréal cosmetics research dept.
Science Under the Sun – “Science Under the Sun” for teachers and families, with a Glossary, Sun Safety Quiz, Twelve Sun Safety Tips, a science activity page, elementary lesson plans, a printable poster, and ideas for creating a Sun Safety newsletter.
Sun Safety for Students – Download a free 20-page Sun Safe School Guide and a single page handout for elementary students filled with tips and puzzles. American Sun also sells a Sun Safety CD-ROM game and K-5 curriculum.
Block the Sun, Not the Fun – This page from the American Academy of Dermatology contains a family sun guide, tips from dermatologists, and a “Sun Smart” quiz.
It’s Cool in the Shade – Sun facts, myths, and tips; fill in a crossword puzzle and take a tanning IQ test.
Teen Body Basics – Tanning taboos for teens.
Stress Tips – Includes stress facts, self evaluation, and tips for reducing daily hassles.
American Dietetic Association – Understand the food pyramid with daily tips, hot topics, and nutrition resources.
Arbor Nutrition Guide – Searchable database on foods and food science, categorized by subject.
Ask the Dietitian – Nutritional advice from a dietician including the calculation of healthy weight and caloric intake, nutrition analysis, information about food additives, preservatives, and allergies.
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition – Information on food safety, packaging, labeling, ingredients, additives, colors, pesticides, foodborne illness, and much more.
Dole-5 a Day – Multimedia website focusing on the importance of fruits and vegetables.
Energy, Diet and Weight – A free online course from the University of Washington. This OpenUW course is intended for learners with little or no science background. It is designed to help you understand nutrition fundamentals so that you can perceive the relationship between energy, diet, and weight, and make changes in your eating habits, if necessary, so that you experience the best in physical, emotional, and mental health. The companion book (shown at left) is packed with practical information for the “beginner” looking for ways to get fit that doesn’t require going to the gym or a large investment in equipment. The book includes a Media Update with over 80 new exercise videos, flashcards, electronic self-assessments and worksheets.
Fast Food Facts – Interactive site provides nutritional facts about foods from various fast food restaurants.
Food and Nutrition Information Center – Information on healthy school meals, foodborne illnesses, the food guide pyramid, and dietary guidelines, from the USDA.
Kids Food – Sections for kids, parents, and teachers about nutritional foods.
National Food Safety Database – Food safety and nutritional information for consumers and educators from the USDA.
National Institute of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements – Nutrient recommendations, dietary supplement information, vitamin and mineral fact sheets.
Nutrient Data Laboratory – The USDA’s National Nutrient Database provides detailed information on the nutrient content of foods consumed in the United States.
Nutrition.gov – This site provides a wealth of information on food consumption, food safety, fitness, health, and disease.
The Healthy Refrigerator – Information about healthy eating to prevent heart disease.
10,000 Steps a Day Challenge – A simple walking challenge to encourage parents and kids to keep moving. Going outside for a brisk 20 minute walk is probably the easiest form of exercise!
Active Play PALA+ Challenge – The Active Play PALA+ Challenge is a collaborative effort between the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Through this innovative partnership, video gamers can earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award by logging their active video game activity online. Passively playing video games doesn’t count, but ACTIVE GAMING definitely counts! Click here to see which video games are truly “active.” (Wii games like Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and all the dancing games would work.)
Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults – This guide from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services describes the types and amounts of physical activity that offer substantial health benefits to Americans aged 18-64.
Couch-to-5K® Running Plan – This is a fantastic running program for kids and parents alike. Each session should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week. That just happens to be the same amount of moderate exercise recommended by numerous studies for optimum fitness! So this program will get you fit… AND if you stick with the program, you will be able to run a 5K in just 10 weeks!
Fun-Attic Game List – The best game ideas, resources and activities for birthday parties, picnics, youth groups, summer camps, company events, educators, family life, home schooling or just for the fun of it.
Games Kids Play – Looking for kids games? How about rules for hundreds of favorite playground games, jump rope rhymes, and more! Modern kids still love these traditional backyard games.
The Gym60 Family Walking Plan – The Gym60 Family Walking Plan is designed to slowly increase your family’s level of physical activity, while also changing just a few of your family’s eating patterns. (Please note that if you are not interested in weight loss, you can skip the calorie cutting section of the plan.)
Kids Running – The “Happy Feet, Healthy Food” First Fitness Log for Kids can be ordered here, or join the “Happy Feet, Healthy Food” kids running club. Help your children start a lifetime of exercise and healthy eating!
Personal Fitness – Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS) volumes written by Florida educators are free, ready-to-use resources in PDF format that may be reproduced or used as a workbook. The student volumes are presented in an easy-to-understand format for students seeking a standard diploma.
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans – The 2008 “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans” provides science-based guidance to help Americans aged 6 and older improve their health through appropriate physical activity.
President’s Challenge – Youth Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program. One way to make physical activity part of your daily life is to sign up for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA), which allows people of all ages to receive presidential recognition for being active. The six-week program motivates participants to log daily physical activities they enjoy like gardening, walking the dog, taking a bike ride after dinner, or playing a game of basketball at the park. The idea is that when you’ve logged six weeks of physical activity, you will have started a regular routine for a more active lifestyle. The definition of “activity” is fairly simple: it’s any movement that uses large muscle groups as opposed to sitting or lying down. Physical activity doesn’t have to be continuous to be healthy, either. Doing chores around the house counts! Click here for a list of activities that meet physical fitness goals. See also: President’s Challenge Qualifying Standards, a chart showing the minimum requirements for boys and girls of different ages.
The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition – The President’s Council has a number of programs and initiatives to help inspire you to be active, eat well, and get healthy. They also offer a Physical Fitness Test that measures the physical fitness of kids and teens, and an Adult Fitness Test that measures an adult’s aerobic fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, and other aspects of health-related fitness.
Sports Media – Physical Education Lesson Plans. Everything from aerobics to yoga, and ball juggling to rock climbing.
Step-by-Step Cardio Exercises for Home Workouts – Descriptions of 14 exercises that you can do at home without special equipment. By Paige Waehner, a certified personal trainer. You don’t have to be a fitness instructor to put together a plan! Simply choose 10-12 exercises and do them 3 times each, 2 or 3 times a week.
Strength Training Program for Your Home – With a moderate investment and a good imagination, you can get a great workout in the comfort of your own home, without a need for expensive strength training machines. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions at least twice a week. (You can get a great overall workout by alternating between these strength training exercises and the cardio exercises above; aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise, 4 days per week.)
Walking Works – A brisk-paced walk can help you and your family look and feel better, increase energy, and pick up your spirits. Walking can work to improve your health, too. A regular routine of brisk-paced walking daily can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol, strengthen your heart, and reduce the likelihood of serious health problems down the road. While any increase in walking will help promote good health, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends 30 minutes a day, on five or more days a week, or 10,000 steps daily, to produce the best, long-term health benefits for most individuals. That is why Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans have launched WalkingWorks, the Blue Program for a Healthier America. The WalkingWorks program is open to anyone, and it’s free! See also: Walking Works for Schools (PDF download).
Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit – Developed by the Center for Disease Control and several partner organizations to promote youth physical activity.
Alcohol: Problems and Solutions – Comprehensive information on alcohol-related topics such as drinking and driving, binge drinking, alcohol abuse, advertising, and more.
CDC’s Tobacco Information and Prevention Source – Includes adolescent tobacco use and prevention.
Drink Wheel – Online calculator of blood alcohol content based on information provided by the user.
Drug Detection – Fact sheets on alcohol, amphetamines, cannobinoids, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, opiates, and rohypnol.
Monitoring the Future – Statistics on social issues related to American youth such as drug and tobacco use, and changes in substance abuse over the years.
No Tobacco – This site offers educational videos, K-12 assembly programs, speakers, quit smoking info, anti-tobacco news, and a great anti-smoking links guide for teen smoking prevention.
Prevline – Prevention Online: user-friendly information for research on prevention. Allows for specific drug searches, and reading publications by topic series, or audience.
Reconstructors – A free online game series in which students learn about the health effects of drugs while covering substantial neuroscience content. They learn how drugs affect the body, especially the nervous system, so they can make wise health choices when encountering drugs of abuse. The games are suitable for middle and high school science students. Developed by Rice University, Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning.
Resource Guide on Children’s Environmental Health – Research on indoor air quality, second-hand smoke, and smoking as a form of air pollution.
Run Drugs Out of Town – They aim to bring you the latest information on drug abuse prevention for students, parents and professionals. If you would like to help the kids in your community, check out their website!
Tobacco Fact File – Tobacco facts and information.
Tobacco Free Kids – Emphasis on how tobacco companies market their products to youth.