Osteoporosis 101

Osteoporosis is scary disease.  Teachers are on their feet all day, often walking at least 10 thousand miles.  Walking is superb, but it’s not enough. 

Poor diet, and lack of exercise, stretching, balance, and mindfulness all contribute to bone loss.

I’m going to shine a spotlight on osteoporosis to help prevent thinning bones, bone breakage, dowager’s hump and worse.

Please note:  I am not a doctor!  I am simply sharing some of my research.  I hope it will spark your quest for your own best health.

Osteoporosis Summary:

Bone loss is normal as you age.  Bone quality is more important than density.  Good bone collagen, shape, micro architecture, mineral, and flexibility are the key. 

Pharmaceuticals—prescription drugs—increase bone density by preserving “old bone” not by creating new bone.  So, you end up with brittle old bones that will still break.  And side effects, too, such as bone pain, head ache, nausea, hair loss, jaw death...and worse! 

The natural process involves losing old bone AND creating healthy new bone.  You can reverse bone loss naturally with good diet, exercise, endocrine balance and supplements. 

I will address each of these separately.  For now, I want to share some of the best sources I’ve found for information on osteoporosis:

Kate Lindemann’s website is one of the best I’ve ever seen.  I subscribe to her monthly newsletter for the latest info.

Susan E. Brown has written the bible of bone health, Better Bones, Better Body.

As always, I’m wishing you the best of health.

For more on Osteoporosis Food...
Bone Health - A Weight Vest for Teachers
 

Best Chocolate Ever!

What better time to think about chocolate than on Valentine's Day?

Here are some of the best gourmet chocolates:

Endangered Species Wolf, Natural Dark Chocolate (72%) with Cranberries & Almonds, 3-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)

 Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate Bars, 3.5-Ounces (Pack of 12)

Both have a touch of chocolate liquor, and are amazingly rich--and not overly sweet.

Theo Classics 85% Dark Chocolate, 3-Ounce (Pack of 6)

If you think this sounds divine, you're right, it really is:  Stone ground, Dark Organic Chocolate with Coconut:
Taza Chocolate Organic Dark Chocolate Coco Besos Coconut Bar, 2.5 Ounce -- 10 per case.
 
And if you happen to live in New York City, Kee's Chocolates are some of the best anywhere.  I passed by this tiny hole-in-the-wall store front dozens of times before I noticed it.

Brooklynites swear by Mast Brothers in Williamsburg.

Some more wonders:

Pacari Ecuadorian Organic Chocolate Raw 70%, 1.76-Ounce (Pack of 5)  

Amano Chuao Chocolate Bar  

Chocolat Bonnat Chuao 75% Dark Chocolate Bar 

There's no doubt that a little dark chocolate, in moderation, is very, very good for body and soul.  Have a lovely Valentine's Day!

Why Is George Washington Smiling?

Washington is smiling!  He's really smiling!

And all my kids smile, too--when they see this--even the foreign kids who don't speak a word of English.

The joke is universal.  Nothing need be said.

Of course, we can launch a discussion about why George Washington might smile.  After all, he won the American Revolution, he became our First President, and Father of our Country.

We can mention that he really had no teeth.  He had fake teeth made of hippopotamus ivory.

We can talk about why things make us laugh--the unexpected twists, unusual images, and unnatural juxtapositions.

Or we can just look and laugh, which is one of the great delights of life.  Which is why I hang this on my classroom wall every February.

And why I took this picture of my kids in Lincoln and Washington masks:

 

 

...And then posted it on our Smartboard during our Morning Talk.  I love a good smile.    

Abe Lincoln Puppet--and a Washington Puppet, Too

An Abe Lincoln puppet for all seasons.  Beyond adorable.  It's a bobble-head Lincoln.

It's a break-dancing Lincoln, or a time-traveling Lincoln--surprised at what he sees.  A talking Lincoln, telling what he thinks.

Any way you look at it, he's a must-have for kids learning about Lincoln. 

Trouble is, I'm not sure if I can settle for just Lincoln.  I might have to have the next guy, too...

If you have to have a Lincoln and Washington Puppet fix, no worries--I've got you covered!

Lincoln and Washington Masks - and a Math Graph

Who wants to look like Abe Lincoln?  George Washington, anybody? 

 

 

For a math lesson, count how many kids chose each.  Then print out that number of Lincoln and Washington masks.  Kids can color, cut, and wear their Lincoln and Washington masks--and create a human graph. 

It’s fun beyond words, and kids get to keep a new sort of super-hero mask!

 

Abe Lincoln Mask for Kids

Yes, Abe Lincoln can come back to life!
 

...25 of them!  How fun is this?  You decide. 

I like for kids to make Abe Lincoln masks, to launch or culminate Presidents’ Day.  Once they know more about Lincoln, it’s charming to take on his persona. 

My favorite Lincoln book, hands down, is Just Like Abraham Lincoln, by Bernard Waber.

Mr. Potts lives next door.  He looks—and acts—just like Lincoln.  He’s kind, fun, thoughtful, generous, nature-loving, story-telling…just like Abraham Lincoln.  And at the end of the story, he’s moving away.

I admit I always get a little lump in my throat at the end.  And then I get a hearty laugh when I see my class all in Abe Lincoln masks.  It’s the cure for—well, for almost anything.

Lincoln’s Log Cabin Craft

Lincoln’s Log Cabin craft is fun to make. 

It also doubles as a doll house, which is a huge plus!

 Best of all, it can spark a great conversation.  Where was Lincoln born?  In a one-room log cabin in Kentucky!  Some people think this is the actual cabin:

...it actually isn't.  Lincoln's cabin was destroyed in a fire, but this one is similar, from the same place and time.

How did a poor boy from Kentucky become the 16^th President of the United States?

Whose face is on a penny?  Hint: There’s a penny in the window of this cabin.  How many pennies make a dollar?  How many pennies do you need to buy something special?

What kind of person was Abe Lincoln?  How can I celebrate Lincoln and Washington?

Chinese New Year and the Dancing Dragons

Let's face it, kids don't just want to read about Chinese New Year, they want to feel it in their bones.

...which is why I spend the day creating Chinese New Year Dancing Dragons!

It's a cultural lesson.  We learn about the customs and read my mini-book about Chinese New Year.

Then we color, cut and put the dragon shapes in order from largest to smallest and construct the dragons--that's the math part.

Then I teach the arm motions that make the dragons "fly."

And the best part:  I get videos of Chinese New Year parades from YouTube.  I convert them to MP4s so we can watch them on our Smartboard--since the Department of Ed filters out direct YouTube videos.

..and we parade, and dance, and laugh, and the dancing dragons fly.  And I see the biggest smiles that I see all year. 

Maybe it's the Chinese drums, or the flute or the crashing cymbals.  Maybe it's your whole body moving to get those dragons airborne...or the sound of the fluttering dragon tails. 

It's magical; and I'll always say, "You haven't lived till you've danced with a Chinese New Year Dragon!"

Sight Word Heart Necklace

Nothing says Sight Words like Valentine's Day--Right?

 

Right!

That's why my kids are making a sight words heart necklace.  It's gorgeous!  And it's also a sneaky way to reinforce 2-letter sight words. 

Plus, they get to vamp down the runway with bling they made.  What's not to love?

Presidents’ Day and the American Dream

On Presidents’ Day we learn about Abe Lincoln and George Washington—thrilling lives!

I also like to remind my kids that Lincoln and Washington’s faces are on money.  This launches a discussion about the value of money.  Even a Lincoln penny is precious, and not to be wasted.

Part of the American Dream is the ability to work hard, save money, and buy something special.  Whatever that means to you—a home, a car, a piano, ballet lessons, a little shop around the corner…or a LEGO set.

So my kindergarteners make this Presidents’ Day Money Bank or Keepsake Box.  Not only does it feature glorious pictures of Lincoln, Washington, a penny, a quarter, an American flag and Valentine’s Day heart.  It gets them—and me—thinking about their own American Dream.

It's quite a bargain for a George Washington dollar!