The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10 The Health Bulletin September, 192'i
A USABLE HEALTH PLAY FOR ELEMENTARY
GRADES
By ELIZABETH KELLY
Any sort of machiue must be kept
in good working order, with every part
functioning if good results are expected.
This is equally true of the
human machine which we call the body.
Food, exercise, sleep, cleanliness and
other factors determine the efficiency
of the human machine.
One need only look at a group of
school children to know that many
of them are not healthy. Lack of
nourishing food and proper habits have
almost all to do with this. The further
fact that no unhealthy person, old or
young, can function any more than
can a broken machine, should make
teachers and parents intensely interested
in helping children find early the
best ways and means for building
strong bodies.
This short, simple play is presented
for the purpose of furnishing a definite,
usable plan by which the children
may be interested in learning for themselves
how they must build strong
bodies for themselves if they are to
have strong bodies—and no child will
deliberately cripple himself if he is
convinced the choice is with him.
The play may be used as a part of
a general program supplemented by
songs, poems, games, etc., or it may
be used as a grade lesson.
BODY BUILDERS
Cast
Teacher—A capable school girl.
Class—Four boys and four girls.
Mr. Nourishing Food—A healthy,
wholesome school boy.
Miss Refreshing Sleep—A dignified,
calm school girl.
Mr. Healthful Exercise—A strong,
active school boy.
Miss Bodie Cleanliness—A clean and
neat school girl.
Scene—A school room with teacher
and eight class members ready for
recitation.
Teacher : What is our lesson today
Class : Body Builders.
Teacher: Our motto
Class : Mens sana in corpore sano.
Teacher : What does this Latin motto
mean
Class : A sound mind in a sound body.
Teacher : What is the golden text of
the Body Builders
Class : The body is the temple of
God.
The Lesson
Teacher : Do all grown people have
the same kind of bodies
First girl : Some grown people are
larger than others.
First boy : There is a lot of difference
in the color of their skins.
Second girl : Grown people are unlike
in the shape of their noses, eyes and
their whole faces.
Second boy : They are unlike in their
build, too. Some are stocky and some
rangy.
Teacher : All that you say is true and
most of these differences you mention
are because people belong to different
races and are of different nationalities.
Do you notice any other difference in
the appearance of the bodies of grown
people
Third boy : Some have sound bodies,
others are crippled.
Third girl : Some look strong, others
look weak.
Fourth boy : Some look sick, others
look well.
Fourth girl : Some bodies look tired,
others look rested.
Teacher : Why are some bodies
strong and others weak ; some sick and
others well ; some round and others
crippled ; some tired looking and others
rested
First girl : They just happen that
way.
First boy : They just grow that way.
Second girl : They are just meant to
be that way.
Second boy : They are just built that
way.
Teacher : Remember we are our own
Body Builders.