May

7

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

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…who’s the fatest one of all? How do you bring across the idea that some nations are really gaining weight?

WellingtonGrey.net  has a wonderful chart graphically showing how obese one nation is compared to another. It’s a neat visual tool. For me it was startling to learn that the USA has about 30% of its population considered obese while in our very own Canada it’s a relativey modest 14%. Of course, that’s still pretty high compared to Japan or Korea at 3%. It’s enough to make you wonder why the differences, but, of course, that’s where the health lesson comes in.

Apr

25

When disaster strikes

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At first I wondered if this site was for real. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (roughly the equivalent of Public Safety Canada) actually has a website for kids. This very kid friendly site struck me as a bizarre idea at first; it almost seems to make disaster preparations silly and childish. But I suppose being prepared for the worst, whether you’re young or old, is a good thing. If that’s true it makes sense that colors, graphics and language level should all be pitched at a level appropriate to kids.

If you are in an area where tornados, hurricanes, floods, or even snow storms are a reality, then this site could be a really neat way to prepare you students for it.

Jan

24

Mouse Party

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This is one of those really cool Internet sites that I’d use with a bit of caution. The site shows the effects of various drugs and details the interactions of the drug with the brain. It’s quite a nice site and presents a fair amount of detail in a simple and easy to understand way.

The problem with Mouse Party is that it’s animated. This flash video is excellently done, but it’s done in a cartoonish way. The characters who are affected by the drugs are mice, and some mighty cute, cartoonish mice at that. Students may benefit from this site, but they may not take it seriously because of its cartoon atmosphere. You know your students. It’s a great site, but use it with caution.Â