What Kids Should Learn in Health In the primary grades, health is closely allied to science and social studies. Learning to care for and respect one’s body is an important part of the curriculum. Children continue to learn about the relationship between nutrition and health; about wellness; about disease and its prevention; about the importance of cleanliness; about the dangers of smoking and of drugs; and about the role of exercise in physical development. They study the parts of the body – bones, muscles, and organs. (Children are especially fascinated by the brain.) As in the earlier grades, safety is stressed. Children learn basic safety rules for the playground, the street, the bicycle, and the home; they also learn simple first aid. They are also introduced to human sexuality – in the context of the second grade, this basically means that their questions are answered frankly but simply. Reprinted from 101 Educational Conversations with Your 2nd Grader by Vito Perrone, published by Chelsea House Publishers Copyright 1994 by Chelsea House Publishers, a division of Main Line Book Co. All rights reserved.
