Physical & Mental Well-Being: A Health Teacher's Insights

from Kelly | Las Vegas, NV

Hello from Las Vegas, NV! My name is Kelly Kyles and I am an Ithaca College graduate class of 2013. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in education and since then have worked in the Bronx of New York City, Tyngsboro, MA, and currently in Las Vegas, NV. I specialize in Health Education and am here to help all that I can with our current situation, making online education one of the top priorities for kids and families across the world. I hope you find this information useful!

BrainPOP
BrainPOP is one of my absolutely favorite websites to use! Currently, BrainPOP is offering free access to all levels and topics. There is typically a membership fee. BrainPOP has many options for units, ELL, and grade level. They currently serve: BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP ELL, BrainPOP Spanish, BrainPOP French, and BrainPOP (5-12). The site offers a variety of topics such as: science, math, english, social studies, art, music, health and SEL, and technology. I love to use BrainPOP when it comes to health education. In health, we talk a lot about personal hygiene, body parts and systems, mental health, drugs and alcohol, decision making, conflict resolution, relationships, emotions, goal setting, and exercise. BrainPOP offers animated videos for multiple topics, and provides free, printable worksheets of key vocabulary and check for understanding. It may seem “kid oriented” but I use this at the high school level too! The language is easy to understand and follow.

Scholastic
Scholastic is also offering free access to their weekly articles. The link above will take you to the homepage where all you have to do is select the appropriate grade level. From there, it will direct the user to a page full of articles, some complete with online quizzes, scavenger hunts, and videos. The topics range greatly and more are added every week.

Newsela
This is one of my go-to’s. It is a kid and teen friendly site that offers free access with a login account. Newsela stays current and up-to-date with everything going on in the world from sports and weather, to national women’s day around the globe. For health, I especially love the Newsela Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) collection. From elementary to high school grade levels, Newsela offers articles of all kinds that discuss real-world problems and situations kids and teens face daily, like mental health, anxiety, emotions, and bullying. Newsela also allows the user to select a reading level. It will be the same article, but the language can be altered to a lower reading level or to a higher reading level. Quizzes are available at the end of most articles as well.  

GoNoodle
GoNoodle is definitely more “kid oriented," however I’ve done multiple of these and I am always out of breath by the end! GoNoodle is a free website, all you have to do is create an account, that gives you access to follow-along videos to get those bodies moving. It is a great resource especially for young kids who have extra energy, or just need a brain break!

Other Ideas:

• Journal entries (emotions, mental health, goal setting, mindfulness)
• Food Log for Nutrition to help with portion sizes
• Create a healthy restaurant menu using MyPlate guidelines
• Older kids: pick a song (current or not, and may take some digging around) to figure out what drug is being referenced in the song. From there, research facts about that drug: methods of use, symptoms, hazards, used for, street names) and present the song and research to someone at home
• Calm app for guided meditation and relaxation
• Arts and crafts/ coloring
• Exercise log, using YouTube videos
• Netflix documentaries on food, write summary at the end
• Intervention episodes related to drug use, write summary/ thoughts or feelings at the end
• TeachersPayTeachers website for printable worksheets