Combatting the H1N1 Virus

From a lecture of Dr. Vinay Goyal (Thanks to my friend Pindie)

“In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much the problem as proliferation is. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. While you are healthy, here are some simple steps – “not fully highlighted in most official communications” – that can be used:

1. Frequent hand-washing.

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. resist all temptations to touch any part of your face (unless you want to eat or bathe.)

3. Gargle twice daily with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt.) H1N1 takes 2 to 3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms.
Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (a very good way to clean nasal cavities.) But, blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (including eating citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that they also contain Zinc – to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc.) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”

Since the target population for the H1N1 vaccine is the younger crowd, Dr Goyal suggests passing on this hygiene and nutrition information to kids and grandkids. He says that the older population has some immunity, but it doesn’t hurt any one – of any age – to follow the simple guidelines he’s presented.



(With over 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Vinay Goyal, MBBS, DRM, DNB, has worked in numerous medical facilities, including Bombay Hospital. Presently, he’s the head of the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, in India.

Based on his experience, he offers the following observations and recommendations one can take to keep a healthy immune system, and prepare against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. He says that these measures can be and should be practiced “instead of focusing on stocking up on N95 or Tamiflu.”)

Activity Idea: An Apple A Day...

Objective:

To introduce children to a variety of apples using their senses.

Procedure:

Display and label 5 or 6 different types of apples, with samples available for each.

Provide slips of paper for children to jot down words to describe each apple.

(Perhaps provide a list of descriptive words that the children can learn in order to accomplish this task)

Have a ballot box at the end of the display for the children to vote for their favorite apple.

Follow up activities:

1. Blindfold guessing game--taste and identify.

2. Have the children chart the results.

3. Have the children prepare a campaign advertisement for their favorite apple.

a.) could be a radio ad.

b.) a magazine ad.

c.) a TV ad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linking the standards:

Note that there are many standards being addressed by the follow up activities.

Science Standard 3.2 B

Describe objects in the world using the five senses.

- Recognize observational descriptors from each of the five senses

- Use observation to develop a descriptive vocabulary

is addressed in the jotting down activity and in the blindfold guessing game.

Math Standard 2.6 B

Interpret, construct and draw conclusions from bar graphs, pictographs, tally charts and/or tables

is addressed in having the children chart the results.

Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening 1.2 D

Demonstrate a rich listening and speaking vocabulary, the ability to understand (receptive) and

use (expressive) words to acquire and convey meaning

is addressed in having the children prepare a campaign advertisement for their favorite apple.

Art Standard 9.1 K

Create works of art based on varied styles within all art forms

is addressed in having the children make a magazine advertisement.

Are SAC Relationships Worth the Time?

Daile's beautiful baby boy

My arms were full of groceries as I rushed out of the supermarket when I heard a tentative voice call out to me.

I swung around to see a young woman entering the store with a young baby secured tightly in her grocery cart.

"Daile!" I said.

She flashed a beaming smile and in that instant I was transported to 1994.

I remember Daile with her carefully braided hair, the graceful bowing of her violin and her soft spoken nature.  I had known her from her first grade to fifth grade and had seen her coaxed ever so gradually out of her shell.

After her fifth grade (and extended day) graduation, her family and I had kept in touch.

Years later I stood with other mothers taking picture of her and her friends before they went to prom.

Today Daile has finished college and is a young working mother herself.

She is a picture of happiness.

Tired happiness, she tells me, as she now tries to mentally check boxes and juggle priorities as an adult.

I could hear the pride and confidence in her voice as she tells me about life.

I interrupt her mid sentence to say: "Daile, when did you get to be all grown up?"

She laughed and and said, "I wish we could get together soon..."

As we went our separate ways I could not help but feel proud to have been a part of her growing up years.

I believe that somehow, the positive experiences she will provide for her son will be in part, due to the kind of environment we contributed to her childhood.

For myself  it is moments like that-- encounters with former children in my school-age care program-- that I realize that the twelve years that I devoted to my work there, was meaningful.

It is also just another validation that those school-age care relationships can and will last a lifetime if you treat the children in your program with respect and genuine care.

-Chesca Silva

Who Says you need the Beach to have Fun??

Materials:
-A Digital Camera with video taking capacity.

-Beach Accessories (Beach Towels, Beach Umbrella, Sand Toys, Bathing Suits, goggles, squirt guns, hats, floating accessories (like wings, inflatable toys, life jackets etc), picnic baskets, beach chairs) old magazines, tents, etc.
-If possible: borrow a "sound machine" or a CD with ocean sounds.
-buy a cheap plastic baby pool fill with two or three bags of playground sand available at home depot.

Various Activities leading up to the "Beach Day:"

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Map the nearest beaches to where you are.  Find its distance. Look for pictures of the place and check out the different activities the beach offers. 

With the children's help, plan and set up a beach area.

Brainstorm on all the elements that make a day at the beach, fun,

-picnic

-water play

-sand play

-shell hunting

etc.

Come up with solutions with the children to have makeshift substitutes.

For example: 

Water play: squirt guns, water balloons, painting with paint brushes/water/colored chalk, watering cans, wading pool, sprinkler and hose if possible. Slip and slide, etc.

Sand play: fill a child's plastic wading pool with three bags of playground sand.

Shell hunting: purchase shells from a craft store.

SCIENCE:

-Purchase a hermit crab from a pet store and have the children care for it. 

-Teach the children water safety

-Teach the children how to do CPR.

MUSIC:

Make a beach music list.  Have the children vote on their top 50 selection.

Burn a CD to play on "beach day"

See if you can borrow a steel drum or have someone do a steel drum demonstration.

Look up other various forms of "island music"

On "Beach Day" have children wear their swim suits, or clothes they can get wet in.

GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES:

-Have a paddle ball tournament.

-Frisbee toss.

-Beach ball volleyball

-Long jump contest.

-Water balloon toss  (the furthest toss)

-Limbo under the stream of a water squirter.

-Slip and slide.

FINE MOTOR and ART:

-With Buckets of Water, Colored Chalk and paintbrushes have a boardwalk where artists can display their side walk art.

-Have children create sand sculptures in your makeshift sand box.

-With paper and glue create sand pictures drawing with the glue and shaking sand on the glue.

DRAMATIC PLAY: 

-Have various groups pose for their beach scenes and take pictures. 

-Discuss how advertising agencies use pretty pictures to sell products. Have children 

pose for advertisements/magazine ads.  

-For older children--discuss how some advertisers use subliminal messages to sell products. Have children plan their own indirect way of taking pictures to sell products and have others guess what product they are "selling."

-Encourage children to make their own music videos using the beach props.

MISCELLANEOUS:

- Hide shells (purchased in bulk at a craft store) all around the "beach area" and have the children find them.  Give them a maximum of how many each children can take home, so that everyone gets a chance to "find" shells.

-Have a picnic.

-Make a fresh fruit salad.

-Popsicles

-Make ice cream (or serve ice cream)

Have Fun.