Rough Notes:

EILEEN MCKUSICK: Biofield Science in the Electric Universe | Thunderbolts Podcast

Health Science

Health is a big subject that includes many different things, such as nutrition, exercise, and how the human body works. When you want to make sure that you stay strong, you protect your health by making good decisions about the things you do. Part of good health also involves staying away from things that could hurt you, such as drugs. Learning about health now will help you make smart choices.

Human Body

The human body is a group of systems that work together. Some of your body's systems include the digestive system, the nervous system, and the respiratory system. Every system works independently, but if one system stops working or doesn't work correctly, the whole body will often suffer. This is why it's important to take care of your whole body to make sure you stay healthy.

• Heart Rate Exercise: Click on the activity that you think will make Ruby's heart beat faster.
• Ear Labeling: Label all of the parts of the ear to solve this puzzle.
• Senses Challenge: Take this quiz to see how much you know about the five senses.
• How Do We Taste? This interactive activity helps you see how your taste buds work to taste foods.
• Anatomy of the Heart: Explore this two- or three-dimensional model of the heart to see how it works inside your body.
• 3-D Brain Anatomy: Take a tour of your brain inside this three-dimensional model that includes all of the different parts of the brain.
• Your Digestive System: Your digestive system is in charge of taking in foods and using the nutrients in the foods to keep your body working and healthy.
• Poke a Muscle: See how many muscles you know by poking the muscles in this game.
• Skeletal System: Choose whether you want to assemble a skeleton or label an existing skeleton.
• Heart and Circulation: See how much you know about your heart and your circulatory system by taking this fun quiz.

Nutrition

Choosing healthy foods is the way you can make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs to grow and have energy. Your body uses energy for the different systems to function, so you can move and think and so you can grow. Eating unhealthy foods may mean that your body doesn't have the nutrients it needs. Unhealthy foods could also result in too much sugar and fat in your diet, which could cause you to gain weight.

• Power Up Your Breakfast: Play this game to learn about how important breakfast is for you and your family.
• Just Desserts: Get delicious recipes for desserts that taste good and are good for you.
• What Are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are sources of energy that your body uses to do all of the things you need to do.
• Alphabet Toss: Play this game to see how many healthy foods you can think of that begin with the different letters of the alphabet.
• Find Your Food Style: Everyone has a style that dictates how and when they like to eat. Take this quiz to discover your food style.
• Food Label Guide (PDF): Learning how to read food labels helps you know whether different foods are healthy.
• Blast Off: In this game, you have to make the best food choices to power your spaceship for a day.
• Healthy Cooking and Snacking: The foods you eat should be low in fat and sugar and high in nutrients.
• Eight Healthy Eating Goals: Choosing whole grains and making half of your meal fruits and vegetables are two health goals.
• Why Kids Should Eat Healthy and Exercise (video): Kids are growing, so it's very important for young people to eat healthy foods.

Exercise

People need regular exercise to keep their bodies strong and healthy. When you exercise, your heart beats faster, which pumps blood more quickly throughout your body. Raising your heart rate like this is good for your heart because it makes it stronger. Doctors recommend that kids get at least one hour of exercise every day.

• Fun Fitness Activities for Kids (PDF): Play games like fitness bingo if you want to have fun while exercising.
• Kids on the Move: Look through these suggestions for fun games you can play that involve running and jumping.
• Seven Games That Get Kids Moving: Crawl like a crab or walk like a spider to play fun and active games.
• Exercise With Dice: This game involves making big dice and rolling them outside to see how many times you need to do active things like jumping, skipping, and hopping.
• 25-Minute Fun Workout for Kids at Home: Try these workouts for fun exercises you can do at home without any equipment.
• Six Easy Yoga Poses for Kids: Kids can do yoga, too. Try the flamingo or the snake to do some yoga.
• Four Types of Exercise Kids Need: Kids need aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises and stretching for good health.
• AHA Recommendations for Physical Activity in Children: Kids should spend at least 60 minutes out of every day doing activities that involve physical exercise.
• Exercise Activities and Fun Ideas for Kids: Draw pictures of activities and then choose a picture every day to remind yourself to do that activity.
• Indoor Exercise for ADHD: Many of these ideas are great indoor exercise activities, whether or not you have ADHD.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse involves using drugs in a way that hurts your body. Some drugs are addictive, which means that if you misuse them, your body may begin to need them and it will be really hard to stop using them. The best way to avoid substance abuse is to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. If you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, it's possible to get help.

• Real News About Drugs and Your Body (PDF): Learn all about your body and how taking drugs could hurt you.
• Drug Prevention Activity Book (PDF): While some people have to take medicine if they are sick, it's only safe to take medicine if a doctor prescribes it for you and you follow the doctor's instructions for taking it.
• Substance Abuse Awareness Activity (PDF): This game can show you how a person might make bad choices about drugs.
• Bonko's Body Quiz: Play this game to learn about how drugs affect your body.
• Drug Facts for Young People: At some point, everyone will need to make a decision about whether to use drugs. Surround yourself with people who are making smart choices so you will make smart choices, too.
• Addiction Word Search (PDF): Print out this word search puzzle about addiction to learn about this problem.
• Drugs of Abuse: Click on the different drugs to see what they do to the body if you take them.
• Choose Your Path: The Big Test (video): Watch this video to see situations that demand a choice.
• Reconstructor Game: Play this game by solving cases about substance abuse.
• Chamber of Horrors: Explore horrific pictures of cancer that can result from smoking.