Active Kids Challenge

Teaching Resource - Tap into water with Fit Habitz Week 1

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Water

Photograph "Glass of Water" by Greg Riegler Photography (Flickr) under under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Learning

Our Bodies

Water is the most abundant substance in the human body, amounting to approximately 60 percent of the human body. The percentage is much greater for both children and infants.
Approximately 85% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your muscle is water. Every cell in your body needs water to live. In order for the body to provide all of its necessary functions, water must be in the correct balance.
Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, protects your joints and organs and helps with the digestive process.
Children are growing; so, there is a lot of metabolic activity that also requires water.
It is possible to live for several weeks without food, but without water, a person can only survive a few days.

Exercise

Photograph by fotografgruppen.se (Flickr) under under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Exercise

The benefits of drinking regularly during physical activity can prevent declines in concentration and skill level, improve perceived exertion, prevent excessive elevations in heart rate and body temperature and improve performance.
Children who are well hydrated can better control core body temperature and reduce the risk of heat related illness. Exercise results in increased body heat and children produce more heat than adults. Unless this heat is released, core temperature will rise and may cause heat related illness.
Children are less effective at transferring heat from the centre of their body to their skin by blood. Sweat loss in children is less than an adult.

Whistle

Photograph "Green Whistle" by Steven Depolo (Flickr) under under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Fit Tips

For children to enjoy and perform at their best during physical activity they need to begin each session in fluid balance.
Encourage drinking regular small amounts throughout the day and at meal breaks.
Allow drink bottles to be easily accessible on student's desks.
Create a supportive environment by educating children on the importance of hydration.
Develop a plan for incorporating drink opportunities so that children are rehydrating every 15-20min during exercise.
Cool drinks are more palatable and children will be more motivated to drink them.

Fit Corner - Class Activity

An athlete who has lost 1 kilogram of body weight during exercise has lost 1 litre of body fluid. To return to fluid balance the athlete will need to drink 150% or 1.5 litres of fluid in the 4-6 hours post exercise.

To demonstrate the amount of 1 litre fluid lost. Tip 1 litre of water from two 500ml drink bottles into a bucket.
To demonstrate rehydration or return to fluid balance, tip the water from the bucket into 200ml plastic cups. Fill another 500ml drink bottle. Continue to fill plastic cups until drink bottle is empty to demonstrate the amount of 1.5litres of water and a return to fluid balance 4-6 hours post exercise.

Fit Qs

If you are outside playing for 1 hour how often should you stop and have a drink break?
What ideas can you come up with on how to keep your drink bottle cool during the day?
Instead of calling it a drink break can you come up with a different cool fun name that the class can use?