From
Stormie:
Although
I'm posting ideas below as often as I can, my very favorite dental health activities
have been reserved for my "COMMUNITY HELPERS"
booklet (see the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section
of my website).
Brushing Teeth: Provide large manilla tooth cutouts for the easel. Have children paint a tooth using a toothbrush dipped in white paint. Or, provide white posterboard teeth and let the children brush them with real white toothpaste. Or, let them paint the tooth with a mixture of white paint, glue, and a scant amount of silver glitter. The idea for these activities is simply to reinforce the concept of "brushing our teeth" shiny and clean. Obviously, discuss that we use only toothpaste on our real teeth.
Language:New Fun With Old Rhymes
I can still remember
how I thought this riddle was so funny when Grandma read it to me as a
child. Today's young children can enjoy it too. I've always found
that most 4 yr olds have a sense of humor and love little jokes and rhymes.
Brushing Real Teeth: Provided children are brushing their teeth themselves and there are no dental problems in the class, and parents (and their family dentist) have given approval, have children brush their teeth at school during this unit. (I realize that day care centers do this anyway, but even if your program is only half-day, children could practice this healthy habit during this special dental health unit.) Provide different flavors of toothpaste during this time for children to taste-compare. Instructing them to squeeze out just a pea-sized amount of toothpaste onto their brushes is in itself good practice. If you have the appropriate setting, brushing could even be a group activity as everyone (including teacher) brushes their teeth (or at least uses their own dampened toothbrush). Teacher can reinforce "how-to" brush our teeth. For example, she can say things like "Don't forget to brush that tongue" or "Let's make sure we get those back teeth" (then demonstrate how we close our mouths just a little bit in order to get at those upper back teeth).
Toothbrush Show-n-tell: Take a little survey among your parents and find out if their children have particular kinds of toothbrushes (colorful, cartoon related, etc). Then allow children to bring their cased or covered toothbrushes from home to show everyone -- show only, not touch. This is a great opportunity to discuss cleanliness and how we must keep our toothbrushes germ-free as much as possible. (Why can't we touch our friends' toothbrushes? Is it ok for my friend to use my toothbrush?) You might show children a new toothbrush and compare it to how a used one looks with its frayed bristles.
Snacks for Healthy Teeth: Provide little buffet samples of calcium-containing foods (milk, yogurt, cheeses).
From
Jan Rubino
I saved four 2-liter soda bottles
and cut off the botton portion. When turned over the bottom looks like a
set of teeth. Place each one in a tub or basin. Add some water and
supply children with a toothbrush and toothpaste and let them brush those "teeth."
From
Bonnie T in Colorado:
| Slice the apple into about 8 pieces. On one slice, spread some peanut butter, then place another slice on top of that. Next, place marshmallows upright between the slices to look like teeth. It looks like a smile. Cute! |
From
Rita Neher:
*Science
Experiments:
Part 1: I hard-boil
an egg for each child to represent "teeth." They place their eggs (in the
shell) in clear plastic cups (remember to print their names on their
cups). We then fill the cups about half-full with a coke product.
We discuss (and I print their words on paper -- one sentence per child) about
what we think might happen to the eggs. Then we wait overnight. (This
demonstrates what lots of sweets can do to our teeth, especially if we don't brush.)
Part 2: The next day, we check the eggs
and compare the findings to our guesses from yesterday. Then we clean our
eggs with toothbrushes, but first, we taste test three cleaning agents (baking
soda, toothpaste, and salt). The children state which one they like, then
"predict" which one will clean their eggs best. We try each agent and clean
the eggs to discover which one was the correct cleaning solution. (Then
we discuss tartar.)
Part 3: We refill
the egg cups with vinegar and leave them overnight, after again expressing our
thoughts on what might happen. We check the eggs the next day, which by
this time, are so slimy that the children don't like the feel..............this
simulates tartar build up.
**All during this week of experiments, we are
also keeping track of things like who brushed their teeth, who has lost teeth,
and so on, and we have our "dress-up" area converted into a dental office.
*Drilling Cavities: Place
large Styrofoam chunks in your water table as "sets of teeth" (no water).
Provide battery operated drills for children to drill out cavities.
From
Judie Stevens in Stockton, California:
Timing
Tooth Brushing: Hi Stormie, Just want to let you know about a valuable use
for sand timers. Our dental hygienist advised us that children should be
brushing their teeth for two minutes. If you can calibrate a home-made sand
timer for two minutes, it would give children something tangible to represent
two minutes when brushing.
Note from Stormie:
You can click here for instructions on
making sand timers, then keep hitting your "BACK" button to return to
this page
From
Christena Kaufman, in South Carolina:
Flossing
Practice: I made a flossing puppet out of a plastic milk jug: Cut a hole for
the mouth, making slits to create teeth. The children then use real floss to practice
flossing the puppet's teeth. I added silly yarn hair and big funny eyes
so the children really like the puppet itself and are eager to help him learn
to "take care of his teeth!"
***Michelle
in North Dakota, sent me the following note and photo. I ask you, how
darling is this?
Stormie, we wanted to share our version of Ms. Kaufman's
flossing puppet with you. My darling son helped me make our "flossing
buddy" named "Hillary" for my family daycare. He was so proud
to show his dad and brother and he will help introduce her to all the kids as
they arrive and we kick off our dental health theme. Thank you for
your great website. We can always find something to do there to add to our
themes.
From
Susie Van Guilder, Special Needs teacher:
Egg
Carton Teeth: Provide
each child with a styrofoam egg carton (turn it upside down so that the "bumps"
are the teeth). Give each child a toothbrush. Squirt some shaving
cream onto the egg carton, and encourage the children to "brush the teeth!"
They love it!From
Leah Elkins:
Mouth With Teeth: Hi Stormie,
here is an idea that I have used with my pre-schoolers: First, I have them cut
out a pre-drawn tongue from red or pink construction paper. I then have
them fold a paper plate in half and put glue along the edges. They then put mini-marshmallows
on the glue. Lastly, they glue the tongue in the middle of the bottom half
of the plate. The end result is a "mouth with teeth."
Favorite Books:
From
Stormie:
The Loose Tooth,
by Gina and Mercer Mayer: Little Critter has a wiggly loose tooth.
From
Susan Wray, Library Storytime Leader, Dyersburg, Tennessee:
Grandpa's Teeth, by Rod Clement: Grandpa's
teeth have been stolen and he taw'th tho funny now! The police are called
in because Grandpa suspects everyone...especially those who don't smile and show
their teeth. So, of course, everyone in town begins to smile real big!
It's a great surprise where the teeth finally show up. What a funny book!
From
Michelle, in the Philippines:
Little
Bill: A Visit to the Dentist, by Eleanor Fremont: This book can help
in encouraging young children to visit the dentist.
----------------------
Reminder
from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom
ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you
can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards." Click here
to check them out.
| |