Drink Water: Drinking water and staying hydrated is an important part of keeping your family healthy.
Over two-thirds of the human body is made up of water. This includes 95% of the brain. Water helps many different parts of the body perform their jobs correctly and efficiently. It helps regulate body temperature, allows transportation of oxygen and nutrients, removes waste, and protects joints and organs.
Although the body contains a large amount of water, it also loses water throughout the day. This happens through breathing, sweat, and urination. As the body loses water, it needs to be consistently replenished in order to avoid becoming dehydrated. One sign of dehydration is feeling thirsty. Encourage your family to drink water throughout the day to avoid becoming dehydrated! It is important to choose water over other options, such as juice or soda, because water is the best way to hydrate your body.
There are many health benefits associated with staying hydrated:
- Helps control calories when water replaces higher calorie beverages
- Energizes the muscles by maintaining a balance of fluids
- Improves the health and appearance of skin by providing moisture and reducing wrinkles
*Mayo Clinic. (2012). Water. Retrieved from www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
Family Fun Activity: Sponge Swap
Use this quick activity to help your child learn.
What You Need:
- Sponge
- Water
What To Do:
- Review with your child why it is important to drink water.
- Our bodies need water to stay healthy, and without water we become dehydrated.
- Give your child a dry sponge and encourage him or her to touch and look at it.
- Allow your child to try to use the sponge to wipe the counter.
- Talk about how the dry sponge is dehydrated, making it crunchy so it can’t do its job.
- Wet the sponge and allow your child to explore the differences. Talk about how the sponge changed.
- Allow your child to use the wet sponge.
- Now that the sponge has absorbed the water, it can do its job.
- Explain to your child that our bodies are like the sponge.
- If our bodies are dehydrated, it is hard for them to do their job.
- When we drink water, our bodies get the water they need.
- We can help our bodies stay healthy by drinking water all day.
This is publication 1 out of 24 in the Eat Healthy, Be Active: Keeping Children Healthy at Home and School series. For more information visit www.eathealthybeactive.net
