As a result of being online, our students worked through completing some of the Health units of study. There was an emphasis placed on mental health and informing the students that everyone has mental health and how important it is that we take care of our whole body. We incorporated discussions in each health unit to connect how it can impact your mental health and offer solutions and methods to help improve or sustain good mental health. Students were informed of some of the challenges that may occur during these unprecedented times and how to best manage and cope with all of the changes. Our ultimate goal with the discussions in class about this topic is to inform the students that they are not alone and we (all of the UC family) are here to support and help each other in any way possible.
Another unit of study that was covered was learning how to make healthy food choices. Students were quite surprised when they learned how to read nutrition facts tables and food labels, as some snacks and foods that they thought were ‘healthy choices’, contained high amounts of sugar, salt, additives, or artificial food colouring. Now with this awareness, students were tasked to select an item that was a ‘healthy choice’ as well as an item that was a ‘treat’, not necessarily the most healthy of food choices and compare them. Great discussions were shared and a higher level of awareness was raised. By incorporating the facets of mental health, emotional, nutritional, and physical health, we can make effective and positive choices to fuel our bodies with what they need. Over the next several months, the units of study that will be covered will include fitness, volleyball, floor hockey, dance and basketball.
