Backpack Safety: That’s a Thing???

Lesson Introduction & Overview

Backpacks are a great way to carry stuff: books, homework and other items for school, sports gear, or general belongings. But backpacks can also pose problems if they aren’t used and worn correctly.

Backpacks that are too heavy, aren’t worn properly or have uneven weight distribution can cause muscle and joint aches and pains, posture problems, and even injury. This lesson focuses on the “Dos and Don’ts of Backpacks” so that young people can fix current problems and prevent future ones.

Begin by facilitating a conversation about backpacks using the following questions:

How many of you use a backpack?
If you don’t, how do you carry books and homework to and from school?
Have any of you ever had a problem with a backpack? (They might say things like a strap broke, they lost it, they forgot it somewhere). How about a physical problem with a backpack, like a sore neck or back? (Give them some time to answer.)

Then explain that there are some dos and don’ts when it comes to backpacks that can help them avoid injury, and that they’re going to learn about them today.

Activity

Guess the Weight (need to have a few backpacks prepared and also give students the opportunity to have their backpacks weighed):

Most backpack injuries happen because the bag is too heavy. Your backpack should not weigh more than 15 percent of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 120 pounds, your backpack should not weigh more than 18 pounds.

Give the young people a few minutes to calculate 15 percent of their body weight. They can just use an estimate and they don’t need to share this information.

If your backpack is too heavy, you might start to arch your back, lean forward, or lean to one side.

Ask: What do you think might happen if you do any or all of these things? Wait for some answers and if they aren’t mentioned, talk about:

Neck and upper back: If you lean forward and extend your neck because your bag is so heavy, your neck and shoulders can get sore and it is hard on your muscles and ligaments.

Shoulders: A heavy backpack puts pressure on shoulder joints, muscles tighten and your posture changes.

Lower back and hips: Leaning forward to offset the weight of a heavy bag doesn’t just hurt your neck, it can also cause problems in your lower back. At the same time as you’re leaning forward, the backpack is pulling you back which can cause strain and soreness in your hips.

Knees: Your knees can even feel the pressure of too much backpack weight, especially if you change your posture and your gait (the way you walk) because of it.

After you’ve introduced the possible problems, pull out the scale and the demonstration backpacks you’ve prepared. Ask for a volunteer to be pre-weighed (or use a luggage scale). You’ll get a starting weight for this person and then have him or her step on the scale and be weighed with each different backpack.

Ask the young people to guess the weight of each backpack before weighing it. You can do this in a variety of ways depending on your resources: people can simply call out their guesses; they can write each guess on a piece of paper or a white board; you can play a Kahoot!® game if you have that technology. Use whatever works best for you in your setting.

Then weigh each backpack to see how close the guesses were. To calculate the weight of a backpack, subtract the starting weight of the person from the weight of the person with the backpack. Also calculate the percentage to see if that backpack is at the right weight for that person.

If time allows, weigh each person’s backpack.

You’re Carrying That?! Facilitate a brief discussion of what kinds of things young people carry in their backpacks and whether they are necessary or not. Then play a little game: Who Has a _______ in Their Backpack? As you name different items, young people who have that item in their backpacks should pull them out and hold them up:
Text book
Personal book
Food
Charm or good luck item
Homework from last semester (or year or month)
Art project
Phone or other electronic
Pencil or pens
Clothing
Shoes
Water bottle (who has the smallest one? who has the biggest one?)
Toy or game
Sports equipment
Music of some sort
Add your own! (You might want to have a contest for strangest item and have the young people vote on it.)

Getting the Right Fit: Ask young people to work in pairs to help each other get the best fit out of their backpacks that they can. If someone doesn’t have a backpack, they can join a pair to form a group of three. Have each young person take a turn being fitted and being a fitter. Here are the guidelines they should follow:
Wear both straps. They should fit comfortably on your shoulders and under your arms.
Adjust the straps so the bottom of the backpack rests In the contour of your lower back. Don’t let it sag down toward your butt.
Adjust the straps so the backpack is centered evenly in the middle of your back.
if you have a waist strap, use it. This helps distribute some of the weight onto your pelvis, which relieves pressure on neck, shoulders and back.

Conclusion

If a young person’s backpack isn’t too heavy and it fits well, that’s great!

If a backpack is too heavy, encourage them to make changes that will help reduce the risk of pain and injury. This can include reducing the weight they are carrying by cleaning out their bags each week, taking something out and carrying it in their arms, and leaving extra items at home or at school.

If their backpacks don’t fit well, encourage them to stick with some changes they made today. Buying a new bag may not be feasible, but regularly checking to make sure the straps are where they should be can help.

Continuing the Conversation

Hand out the Healthy Families Newsletter in English and Spanish so that families can continue to discuss and practice backpack safety at home.

Additional Instructor Resources

Prevent Heavy Backpack Blues

Bad Breath: What to Do About It

Lesson Overview

This lesson will help young people understand some of the most common causes of bad breath, how to test if they have bad breath, and what they can do about it. The main activity will be 10 quiz questions that can be delivered on the interactive whiteboard, on a printed activity sheet, or by orally quizzing the class. The lesson concludes with 4 Tips for Fresh Breath and a group discussion.

Introduction

Ask the youth if they have experienced bad breath in the past. How did they know their breath was bad? Can you think of some reasons your breath might not smell good?

Almost everyone has bad breath (also known as halitosis) once in a while. It can be embarrassing, but usually not a problem beyond that. Common causes are:

bacteria from food stuck to or caught in your teeth
a dry mouth
eating certain foods with strong odors or odor producing qualities
taking certain kinds of medicines
chewing or smoking tobacco
respiratory illness

In some cases, a more serious health-related issue could be causing bad breath. It’s important to talk to a doctor or dentist if it becomes a chronic (long-lasting) problem.

Share with the youth that everyone has bad breath sometimes, but there are some things they can do to help prevent it and improve their breath throughout the day.

Activity: Learn how to test your breath

Ask the young people, “How do you know if you have bad breath?” Some may answer that you can breathe into your hand and then smell the air.

You can respond that a popular method of testing for bad breath doesn’t actually work very well. A lot of people think that if you cup your hand over your month and nose and breathe into it you can tell if your breath smells bad. But air is released differently when you do that versus when you are face-to-face with someone, interacting with and talking to them.

A better way to test is to wash your hand, and then lick the back of it with the farthest back part of your tongue you can manage. Then let it dry for 10 seconds and smell it. If you discover that it does smell bad there are a number of things you can do to improve it.

Activity: Interactive quiz

The quiz questions are on the Bad Breath Quiz Activity Sheet.

Ask each of the 10 questions and wait for young people to answer. You can use the interactive whiteboard lesson files, if the software and a projector is available (see What You Need). Once the answers are in, give them the correct answer and have a discussion. This can also be done orally with hand raising for answers or writing them on a board.

Conclusion

Conclude the lesson with these 4 tips and a discussion question.

Tips for fresh breath

Brush your teeth and your tongue…as far back as you can. Removing bacteria is one of the best ways to freshen up. A lot of them can live on your tongue, something you don’t always think about when brushing.
Floss your teeth. This also removes food particles and bacteria.
If you can’t brush or floss right away, use mouthwash or chew gum until you are able to clean your mouth.
Drink plenty of water. Water helps rinse away bacteria. Staying hydrated also helps your digestive system run smoothly which can also prevent bad breath.

Discussion

Share the following statement with the youth and ask if they agree or disagree: if someone you care about has bad breath you should politely say something about it. (There is no right answer to this, but there will likely be a lot of ideas and opinions.)

Continuing the Conversation

Hand out the Healthy Families Newsletter in English or Spanish, which includes tips for fresh breath, so that families can continue the discussion at home.

Related Health Powered Kids Blog

Get brushing: February is oral care month!

All Fats Are Not Created Equal!

Lesson Introduction & Overview

Fat is an important nutrient, but you only need small amounts each day. It gives you energy and helps your body grow. Here are some of the important jobs fats do:

• Give you energy: During exercise your body uses carbohydrates for fuel for about 20 minutes. After that your body depends on fat to keep going.
• Keeps your skin and hair healthy.
• Helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E and K.
• Fills your fat cells and helps keep you warm.
• Helps your brain grow and adapt as you learn new information and have new experiences.
• Helps regulate blood sugar so your energy level stays even instead of bouncing all over the place.
• Keeps you feeling satisfied so you don’t overeat.

Not all fats are “good” fats:

Trans fats are made when vegetable oils are processed (or hydrogenated) into shortening and stick margarine. Sources of trans fats include snack foods, baked goods and fried foods made with “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “vegetable shortening.”

Try to limit foods made with these ingredients. Trans fats can raise your cholesterol.

Saturated fats are most often found in foods that are solid at room temperature, like butter, cheese, palm and coconut oil and red meats.

Limit the amount of saturated fat and trans fat you have each day. This will help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Unsaturated fats, the healthy types of fats, come from both animal and plant products. There are two types:

monounsaturated fats come from seeds or nuts such as avocado, olive, peanut and canola oils. Monounsaturated fat, in the right amounts, may reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). They are liquid at room temperature.
polyunsaturated fats come from vegetables, seeds or nuts such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed and sesame seed oils. Polyunsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol if you use them in place of saturated fats.

This lesson introduces young people to the importance of including fats in their diets and choosing the most healthful types.

Activity

Lead a conversation based on the following questions:

What kinds of things have you heard (from your family, friends, media, health care providers, school, etc.) about fats in food?
Is the information you’re getting about fats from food labels easy to understand? Why or why not?
Is the information you’re getting about fats in food helpful to you when you’re choosing what to eat?
What questions do you have about fats in food?

Introduce the types of fats: Trans fats, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (use the information above).

Prepare a sampling of snack options with healthy fats, such as: walnuts or other nuts, olives, bread dipped in olive oil, dark chocolate, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, vegetables dipped in hummus made with healthy fats (be sure to check the label).

Invite young people to complete the healthy fats word find while enjoying tasting the different foods.

Lead a reflection discussion:

Which foods did you like best?
Were there any you didn’t like?
Had you eaten any of these foods before?
What do you usually eat for snacks?
Are there any of these foods you’d like to eat more often?

Conclusion

Close by letting young people know that in addition to healthy fats, their bodies need protein and carbohydrates (such as vegetables and fruits) as well. It’s recommended that fats make up about 25 to 30 percent of a person’s daily calorie intake. Consider following this lesson with the Health Powered Kids lesson on learning to read nutrition labels.

Continuing the Conversation

Hand out the Healthy Families Newsletter in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong so that families can learn about healthy fats at home.