Are Your Kids Human Body Detectives?

When my kids were younger, I spent time in their preschool and elementary classrooms, talking about the digestive system and nutrition. The kids were so enthusiastic and excited about learning about their bodies that it led me to search for books about the human body, healthy eating, and food choices.

In my search for books and resources, I discovered there were very few resources that made learning about these topics fun and engaging for kids. Hoping to fill that void in the marketplace, Human Body Detectives (HBD) was born.

This is how it all started. I realized that kids love learning about how their bodies work, and if it was available in a fun adventurous way, with a little weaving in of nutrition, kids would gravitate towards it. AND in return, this would provide a profound, long-term healthy effect on kids.

Kids are loving the Human Body Detectives series. They enjoy listening to the entertaining audio story and then playing with the activity workbook filled with puzzles, games, and stickers. The workbook is designed to reinforce what the kids discover while listening to the story and couple that with the kids teaching kids approach (the main characters are kids) really empowers them to embrace healthy choices.

Encourage the Little Detective in Your Child

There are a few ways that you can encourage your kids on an everyday to be their own little detectives. It’s a fantastic to way to bring awareness to your child that will carry through their life and to create optimal health.

1. Have you kids do a daily food diet for a day or two. Don’t put so much emphasis on the food but how the food makes them feel.
2.  If you child wants to over indulge in a certain food, let them. Once they finish, ask them how they feel. I guarantee they will say, not so good. This will open up a great conversation on how food affects how you feel.
3.  When your child has a test or a big sport game, talk about how eating ( or drinking – think water!) may help them preform better.
4. At the dinner table, talk about the vegetable they are eating. Make up stories about its’ geography, history, how its grown and what it may do in their bodies. Kids love this!
5. And of course, listen to the Human Body Detectives stories together, work on the activities and then talk about how it relates to their bodies!

Human Body Detectives: A Heart Pumping Adventure

I am a big advocate for having kids be proactive in their everyday life. I believe it makes them strong, independent and more aware of their actions and feelings. In the long run, it will make them healthy – optimally healthy!

About Dr. Heather Manley

Dr. Heather Manley has written 3 posts in this blog.

Dr. Heather Manley, who in 2001 received her medical degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, is a practicing physician whose primary interest is preventative healthcare for families. She is the author of Human Body Detectives, her educational series of story-telling audiobooks and accompanying activity workbooks. She also promotes wellness and naturopathic healthcare on her website drheathernd.com. She lives on the Big Island of Hawaii with her husband and two daughters, and is currently at work on the next Human Body Detectives adventure.

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