Author: Amy Smith

Blog

Let’s talk about body image…

Not sure when this whole “thigh gap” thing got started, but it’s upsetting when a trend encourages girls to try and alter their basic shape… to fit into a mold that’s just not genetically possible for most. Unrealistic ideals can

Read More »
Blog

What’s up in your cafeteria?

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate project-based learning into your Health class, (and let’s be honest here, you should be!) then why not start in your own cafeteria? Take the students over with a survey sheet, and have them

Read More »

Kids being awesome….

Another great example of positive prevention. Show this to your students right away…

<embed width="425" Read More »
Blog

Food Day 2013 at SAS

  “Food Day is a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced food and a grassroots campaign for better food policies. It builds all year long and culminates on October 24.” Here at the Shanghai American School, we’re celebrating with the

Read More »
Blog

Positive tobacco prevention…

From Healthline, Sept. 2013: Teens Respond Better to Positive Information Than Warnings “Want to Keep Kids from Smoking? Tout Positives, Not Negatives… Overall, researchers found that younger study participants were less likely to take the risks of negative information into account.

Read More »
Blog

The Internet was made for awesome…

Infographic courtesy of www.aplatformforgood.org With all of the talk about cyberbullying, it’s important to remember the amazing ways in which kids are using the Internet to effect social change. Advocating, fund raising, collaborating… it’s unreal how globally minded they’ve become.

Read More »
Blog

Planning a family field trip

Image: Shanghai Daily In our super-connected world, sometimes we forget to connect with the people we’re closest to… So, for our 8th grade Family Advocacy project, the kids are going to research some ideas for a family field trip here

Read More »
Blog

Control-Alt-Delete

If you’re doing any sort of lesson on digital footprint… better throw this in the mix. California has just approved Senate Bill 568, which will essentially work like an erase button for teens. From CNET… “Legislation signed Monday by Gov.

Read More »
Blog

What’s your Tech Curfew?

You have one, right? What about your kids? There’s been a lot of research lately about the impact of screen time on our sleep, but it still doesn’t seem to be getting through. It’s like… we know that screen time

Read More »
Blog

Taking role model to a whole new level…

Amy Poehler? Kinda my hero. Which is why I was excited to find out that she’s created a campaign that inspires girls to change the world. By being themselves. It’s called Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, and it’s pretty much a

Read More »
Blog

Using infographics to practice advocacy

Source: Infographic Archive – Click here to see more. From Edudemic comes this useful how-to guide for making infographics… Infographics are used quite a bit in reporting Health news, and this could be a fun option for the kids when they’re

Read More »
Blog

It’s time for some snacktion…

From Today’s Parent, here are some fun new recipes… – Superfood: 20 Kid Friendly Recipes – I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the idea of “Superfoods” that gets Middle School kids super excited. Actually… that’s a lie. I do know

Read More »
Blog

Managing your tech anxiety

From CNN comes this great article filled with tips on mindful technology use… –Blissfully Wired: 10 Rules for Digital Happiness– While the professor who wrote the article takes a much more hard-lined approach than I would, – she’s dealing with

Read More »
Blog

Bringing sex ed to the 21st century

There’s been a lot of talk lately about sex education and how badly it’s in need of an update. In the UK, The Telegraph has launched a full scale campaign to raise awareness of the issue, and has gotten the

Read More »