Overview: This lesson on the heart is taken from "How
to Teach Nutrition to Kids" by Connie Liakos Evers, MS, RD.
You can reach Ms. Evers at eversc@ohsu.edu
to inquire about purchasing this must-have book. Procedure Ideas:
A healthy heart is a beating heart, but how many beats per minute?
Have children take their pulse at rest and record. Then have them jump
rope or run in place for 1-2 minutes, checking pulse immediately after
they finish. What happens to the pulse rate?
Ask students to keep a pulse rate chart, noting how their heart rate
responds to different situations like waking up, after eating, when
scared, before bed, during active play or exercise.
Assign math problems that use their pulse data. How many times does
the heart beat each day, week, month, etc.? Does the resting pulse vary
between children in the class? Between boys and girls? Plot the results
or show graphically.
Will a heart made strong through regular exercise beat faster
or slower at rest? (The resting heart beats slower because a strong
heart can pump more blood with fewer beats. Many endurance athletes
have resting pulse rates as low as 40 beats per minute.
