Part 4: Lesson Plan: Holes, Physical Health

Physical Health: When Stanley first arrives at Camp Green Lake, he is overweight and not in good physical condition. Discuss ways in which students can stay healthy. What are some suggestions for living a healthy lifestyle? What kind of activities can they do? What kind of food would they recommend for a healthy diet?

Objectives: To educate students in how to live a healthy lifestyle. Students will also learn how they can still be healthy even if they eat “bad” food occasionally.

Materials: Healthy Eating handouts (From Healthy Eating: Tips for a Healthy Diet and Better Nutrition), construction paper and markers for menus

Directions:
1. Discuss the importance of physical activity.

a. When you exercise, it causes the production of endorphins (chemicals that help a person feel more peaceful and happier). It can also help people sleep better, boost self-esteem, and help with mild depression.

b. Exercise also helps people keep in shape and at a healthy weight. They are able to burn more calories and look more toned than if they did not exercise.

c. “Exercising to maintain a healthy weight decreases a person’s risk of developing certain diseases” such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure (teenshealth).

d. It’s possible to overdo exercise. The body needs calories to function and you shouldn’t exercise if you are injured. It also isn’t healthy to overdo exercise to lose weight.

e. Have the students suggest different types of activities that fall into the three categories of physical fitness (endurance, strength, flexibility). Go outside and have them do the activities they suggested. Everyone should be moving. If there’s a game the whole class can do together, that’s even better.

2. Discuss what a healthy diet is and how they can eat healthier.

a. “Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible – all which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and incorporating them in a way that works for you” (Paul, et al.).

b. Have the kids create a healthy menu that they would also enjoy eating. Let them use the Healthy Eating handouts for inspiration/information on what is a healthy, balanced meal.