A+: Marion-Sterling Students Use Voices, Make Healthy Choices in Health's Up Podcast
While the coronavirus has put health at the top of everyone’s mind, it is important to think about how to be healthy all year round. This week’s NewsDepth A+ goes to some curious fifth graders who’ve taken steps to live healthy lifestyles!
Students in Mrs. Simpson’s class at Marion-Sterling Elementary School in Cleveland participated in Health’s Up, a podcast produced by ideastream. The podcast focuses on health topics that the students wanted to learn more about: breathing, sleeping, eating and exercise.
Hosted by a nurse practitioner, Kristi Westphaln, and featuring the advice of health experts from the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Tobacco 21, the episodes provide helpful lessons and resources for kids and families.
During the project, students learned about the dangers of vaping and how to cope with an asthma attack. They also discovered ways to get a better night’s sleep, and why sleep is so important for our bodies. They made a healthy Waldorf salad while learning about nutrition and challenged their gym teacher to a fitness competition.
In the breathing episode, Jovan learned what it feels like during an asthma attack.
"Your lungs get like tangled up and they squeeze together and that makes it harder to breathe," he said. "That’s why you have to take the inhaler to get that special air, the medication, inside your lungs so that the asthma attack can stop."
And in the exercise episode, Nar’Velle, said he gets motivated to stay active with the help of his friends.
"Sometimes I'll be tired and I don’t want to do it, but the people I’m exercising with say 'come on, come on, you can do it,' and that makes me feel confident in myself because I know I can go farther than I usually go when I exercise," he said.
Way to go, Mrs. Simpson’s class! We’re proud to award you this week’s NewsDepth A+ for being curious about healthy habits and why they matter.
You can listen to the Health’s Up podcast here. (Teachers, there are also lesson plans and instructional materials for each episode here!)
By the way, the Health’s Up team is planning an episode around COVID-19. If you have questions or comments about the coronavirus, call 216-309-0989 and leave them a voicemail to be featured on an upcoming episode. Make sure to get your parents’ permission first.
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.