Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

MyFitnessPal is basically a food diary; what makes it exceptional is their extensive food database (over 11 million foods) to help you count and keep track of your calorie intake. You can view nutritional information about each of the food items (sugar, protein, cholesterol, and more). You can also view your total nutrition for the day, for example, 45 grams of sugar and what you have consumed. This app will help you keep track of your physical activity, too. With MyFitnessPal just enter your goal weight and the app will calculate what your daily calorie intake should be. Whenever you eat something, enter it manually or scan a barcode and the program deducts the calories from your total, showing you the calories you have left for the day. Of course, exercising allows you to have a larger total for your calorie intake. Enter your calories burned by exercise and MyFitnessPal will add them back into the total for the day. There is a free tier of service, plus a Premium membership. This review is for the free tier.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (125), fitness (35), nutrition (136)

Understood is an online site whose goal is to provide learning resources and support so that people who learn and think differently can be successful in school, work, and life. The site offers thousands of articles, decision guides, quizzes, and more. Also, choose from unique tools such as Behavior Tracker, IEP and 504 Plan Toolkit, and Through Your Child's Eyes (simulations of different learning issues). Use the Parent Toolkit to find personalized resources available by topic, grade, or learning disorder. Videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): emotions (55), learning disability (20), learning styles (18), preK (298), professional development (295), racism (80), social and emotional learning (144), Special Needs (45), Teacher Utilities (199)

The Mindset Kit is a large compilation of resources for parents and teachers for teaching and developing growth mindsets. Based on the book, Mindset, by Carol Dweek, these lessons and activities provide tools for developing positive mindsets, in turn, leading to increased academic performance. Choose the section for teachers to find lessons for educator teams, or take advantage of ten lessons for parents to learn about growth mindset and how to instill this in students. Other portions contain ideas for specific content areas and mentors.

tag(s): brain (56), learning styles (18), professional development (295), social and emotional learning (144)

Share positive moments and increase your happiness! Share by describing your happy moment, upload a picture (not required), and place it in categories you create, such as working out, family, and more. Click Share to share with others, including on Twitter or Facebook. Why use categories? If you are lacking motivation for working out, viewing your positive messages from before can definitely help! Connect with others and comment on their happy moments! Read helpful tips to center you on happiness, find mini-courses, and use daily reminders to increase your happiness. Read the many articles on your journey to a happier YOU! This site/app is easy to use with today's busy lives, and interactivity is grounded in actual science.

tag(s): emotions (55), mental health (59), psychology (61), social and emotional learning (144)

This dandy idea is a clear and concise weekly program to enhance general physical fitness through push-ups. Reading the site is easy; however, beware of some agitating advertisements sprinkled through-out the pages of this site. This would be great for health teachers, physical education teachers, and even school wide health initiatives or challenges. Included on this website are links for two hundred squats, twenty five sit-ups, and twenty-five pull ups. If push-ups are the place you want to start, or if you would like to offer a choice in fitness challenges, these links are worth checking out as alternatives for the teacher running the class or the students' choice. The important thing is to motivate their health with the technology that they already enjoy.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): human body (97)

Explore health questions and answers with this free site. Click Health Tools and Topics on the top menu to view the most asked questions and click for specific information. Click All Topics in the upper right corner, then be sure to scroll left and right to view all topics. Click on a topic. View the answer to the question in the pop-up as well as related information and images. Answers are provided by contributors from the health field. Be aware that any health site includes topics such as reproductive health. Preview and decide whether this site is appropriate in your school community.

tag(s): body systems (45), dental health (15), diseases (59), fitness (35), human body (97), nutrition (136)

Students can learn about various foods and tips for eating healthy with this month-by-month collection of recipes, wellness articles, and nutritional links. Some months' information is organized around a theme (May is National Salad month) that could form the basis for food preparation activities in a family and consumer sciences class.

tag(s): nutrition (136)