Lessons for Children's Dental Health Month

February is recognized as children's dental health month. To make sure your kindergarteners understand the importance of taking care of their “pearly whites”, here are a few fun activities from Sarah at Child Care Loungeto work into your lesson plans.

Dental Science

Explain to your students that food and drink, if not brushed away, can stick to teeth, causing discoloration and even cavities. To reinforce the importance of brushing, flossing, visits to the dentis, etc., have your students explore how several popular drinks might affect the teeth of an individual with unhealthy dental habits.

Supplies You'll Need for the Experiment

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 4 jars (with lids)
• 4 popular drinks – Coke, orange juice, fruit punch, and water

Before beginning the experiment, explain how the enamel of our teeth (the hard outer surface of a tooth) is similar to the shell of a hard boiled egg. With the assistance of student volunteers, pour a different liquid into each jar, submerging an egg in each and screwing the lids in place. Leave the eggs in the jars for at least 30 minutes, then remove and observe. Explain to your students that the eggs show what would happen to a person who drank a lot of ___________ {insert beverage here} and didn't take care of their teeth. Compare and contrast the results, discussing the types of drinks that should be 'consumed with care'.

Dental Hygiene & Sensory Play

Create a “molar” model by cutting off the bottom of a water bottle, painting the inside white, then attaching it (upside down!) to a piece of wood when dry. Make several individual models or attach the water bottle pieces side by side to create a “mouth” of teeth. Add the teeth to the sensory table, along with toothbrushes and toothpaste, inviting your students to practice proper brushing techniques then rinsing the models for the next student.

A “Toothy” Book List

Here are a few literature selections to get you started:

• Arthur's Tooth by Marc Brown
• What Do Tooth Fairies Do With All Those Teeth? by Michael Luppens
• When I See My Dentist by Susan Kuklin
• Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Jan and Stan Berenstain