D3. Making Connections for Healthy Living
Specific Expectations
Personal Safety and Injury Prevention
D3.1
demonstrate an understanding of how to stay safe and avoid injuries to themselves and others in a variety of situations, using knowledge about potential risks at home, in the community, when online, and outdoors (e.g., items or situations that could lead to poisoning, slips, falls, fire, or injury, including injuries from household products, medicines, kitchen tools and equipment, unstable furniture, candles, toys; road, water, and playground hazards; the danger of landing on websites that are not age-appropriate; weather and sun hazards) [A1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “What do you do to stay safe and avoid injuries at home and when you are outside?”
- Student: “I wear a helmet when I ride my bike or go tobogganing. I wear sunscreen and a hat in the summer. I never swim alone. I only take medicine if my parents/caregivers give it to me.”
- Teacher: “What can you do to stay safe when you’re online?”
- Students: “I only use the sites or apps that a parent or trusted adult has set up for me.” “I follow household rules about being online and using devices.”
- Teacher: “How do you cross the road safely?”
- Student: “I cross where there is a traffic light or a crosswalk, or at a corner. I look carefully both ways to make sure no cars are coming before crossing. I make sure that the drivers can see me, and that I am not hidden by bushes or cars.”
- Teacher: “What can you do to stay safe in the kitchen?”
- Student: “I make sure an adult is with me when I’m doing things in the kitchen. I do not use a knife or other sharp tools on my own, and I don’t touch cleaners and products that are marked with danger symbols.”
D3.2
identify habits and behaviours (e.g., excessive screen time or video game usage, smoking, vaping) that can be detrimental to health, and explain how people can be encouraged to adopt healthier alternatives [A1.2 Coping, 1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “What are some behaviours that can be harmful to your health? What are some things you can do that are healthier or that protect your health and the health of other people?”
- Student: “Spending too much time watching television or playing computer games keeps us from getting all the physical activity we need. We can play outside after school instead. Smoking cigarettes is unhealthy, and so is breathing smoke that is in the air when other people are smoking cigarettes. We can ask people not to smoke or vape around us. It is against the law for people to smoke or vape in cars when there are children in the car.”
Mental Health Literacy
D3.3
demonstrate an understanding that a person’s thoughts, emotions, and actions can affect mental health [A1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “When we talk about staying healthy, we talk about all the things that contribute to keeping our body well. We are mindful of what we eat, make sure that we get enough sleep, and are active every day. When we take care of our body in these ways, we are also taking care of our brain’s health, because our brain is a part of our body! When our brain is healthy, this helps our mental health. What sorts of things can you do to take care of your brain?”
- Student: “My brain gets tired when I’m working on things at school that are hard for me. After I’ve been doing something hard for a while, I can give myself a ‘brain break’ and do something different for a few minutes, like colouring on my page.”
- Teacher: “There are other ways to keep our mental health strong besides caring for our body. How we think, how we feel, and the actions we take can help. The way we think about something can change the way we feel about it. For example, when you think that someone took a toy you were playing with on purpose, you might feel sad or angry. But if you think instead that maybe the person didn’t know you were in the middle of using it and took it by mistake, you might feel more okay about it. Also, how we feel – our feelings or emotions – can change the way we act. So, if you are angry because you think the person took the toy on purpose, you might yell at them. If you feel less upset because you think it was an accident, you might just tell them you weren’t finished using the toy and ask for it back. The second way probably makes things go better. So, our thinking can change our feelings or emotions, and our emotions can change our actions. When we think well, we feel well, and we can act in ways that make us, and others, feel good. Let’s try this with another example. If someone bumps into you when you are in line for the water fountain, what are some thoughts you might have?”
- Student: “At first, I might think, Hey, don’t bump me like that. I almost hit my tooth! But maybe I could also think, Well, there are a lot of people in the hallway, and it was probably an accident.”