Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

New York State offers this set of pages about traffic safety for children. While the design isn't particularly child-friendly, there is good content and plenty of illustrations.

tag(s): safety (68)

This site offers a complete on-screen primer on fire safety for parents of all ages of children. The very top menu includes an Image Gallery and Podcasts.The menu on the left includes many valuable articles including Prevent Fires, At Risk Audiences, Arson and Youth Firesetting, Outdoor Fires/Wildfires, and many others. This one's worth adding to your Favorites for safety topics.

tag(s): fire (22), fire prevention (16), fire safety (16), safety (68)

This US Department of Agriculture site provides valuable information for parents interested in teaching their children healthy eating habits. The site has a seasonal guide for healthy eating, ten tips for planning healthy school lunches, activities that parents and children can do together, and a list of health conscious reading resources sorted by age-group.

tag(s): nutrition (140)

This federally developed site deals with the importance of exercise and good nutrition. There are some activity ideas to try at home or school, nutrition information, food experiments, healthy recipes, and more. The separate sections for kids, parents, and professionals make it easy to find what you are looking for.

tag(s): nutrition (140)

Looking for a "good eating habits" site that will actually engage students? This offering from the Center for Science in the Public Interest serves up its anti-junk food message with clever writing and graphics. The site lets students build their own meal and see its nutritional value, and the "snacktoids" offer scores of quick facts showing the effects of a diet with lots of fast foods.

tag(s): nutrition (140)

Farms can be a setting for a unique set of serious accidents, so this site on safety on farms makes sense for students in rural areas. Learn how to work safely around farm equipment, grain, mowing equipment, and more. This is an area of safety that most schools overlook.

tag(s): safety (68)

The PBS Frontline series tackles the issues surrounding the medication of school-age children for ADHD and other reasons. It's a probing look at the various constituencies and advocate groups that drive the debate. In an unusual move, the entire program is avialable on the web for those who have a high-speed connection.

tag(s): adhd (28)

The Exploratorium does it again with this new look at the science behind cooking. There are lots of areas to explore, from what makes pickles pickle to the crystal structures of the sugar in your candy. Narrated Flash animations tell many of the stories.

tag(s): cooking (32)

The National Cancer Institute now offers this venerable site as an encouragement to make fruits and vegetables a central part of the American diet. Though not designed specifically for students, the site includes complete resources - recipes, promotional ideas, local contact information, etc. - and could be useful for health and nutrition classes.

tag(s): nutrition (140)

Tips for parents on how to spot signs of depression in their children.

tag(s): behavior (45), emotions (49)

The information on this site was originally developed for limited literacy Spanish and English speaking patients. It offers basic health, nutrition, and lifestyles information in a context which may be suitable for either students or parents in certain specific settings. Lots of illustrations and minimal use of text help make these resources easy to use.

tag(s): nutrition (140)

This is a collection of agencies and resources for those who need additional help or information regarding addictions and substance abuse. Some of the agencies listed also include specific web resources. Lots of toll-free numbers here for folks who need help.

tag(s): addition (129), drugs and alcohol (28)

This site offers a self-scoring quiz about behaviors and alcohol consumption designed to help users determine whether they might have a problem with alcohol use or addiction. The site scores questions and returns an answer on a new web page.

tag(s): drugs and alcohol (28)

Cleveland Clinics' Inhalant Use Disorder shares an overview of inhalant use disorder. It includes the symptoms and causes, risk factors, complications, diagnosing, testing, management, treatment, prevention, outlook, and living with it. It also list several products used for this disorder.

tag(s): drugs and alcohol (28)

This content is part of the larger Mental Health Net site. It offers detailed explanations of the origins, management, and treatment of eating disorders. The content is written at the professional level and is decidedly not for student use. This information could be useful for school guidance counselors, nurses, or teachers who suspect an eating disorder in one of their students. Note: the page opens up with an ad, but you can click to "skip this ad."

tag(s): eating disorders (6)

This site from Mental Health Net offers basic information on suicide in adults and young people, along with a long list of resources for help and guidance. Mental Health Net also maintains an on-line listing of treatment centers.

tag(s): psychology (65)

This article from the Mayo Clinic seeks to dispel a number of common misconceptions about the nature of suicidal persons, especially young people. It also provides specific strategies for recognizing and responding to warning signs of suicide.

tag(s): psychology (65)

Long a favorite that has grown immensely since its inception in 1995, PE Central is a massive resource created at Virginia Tech University for physical education teachers. The top menu includes drop-down links for Lesson Plans, Assessments, Best Practices, Professional Development, Class Management, Videos, and more. The body of the page has several helpful categories, such as Bulletin Boards, Skills and Fitness Challenges, Adapted PE, and others. There is more here than can be absorbed in one sitting, so be sure to bookmark this site. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If you district blocks YouTube they may not be viewable.

tag(s): adaptations (16), dance (31), fitness (39), nutrition (140), Special Needs (53), sports (82), video (266)

This site includes a nice set of resources for all grade levels, including the recently-released report on smoking and women. There are also specific resources for coaches, school health professionals, and others who work with young people. Some of these tools can be downloaded directly.

tag(s): drugs and alcohol (28)

KidsHealth is a creation of the A.I. DuPont Clinics and the Nemours Foundation, presenting information on pediatric health for both adults and children. The information for children includes simple descriptions of How the Body Works, Puberty and Growing Up, and discussions of concepts of hygiene and infection. For adults, there are more detailed discussions of health issues affecting children.

tag(s): hygiene (9), movies (54)