My Big Helper!

February is National Children's Dental Health Month.  A month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health.  Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.  Yesterday and today I had the opportunity to teach preschoolers about good oral hygiene and what types of foods are healthy for our teeth and bodies.  We also conducted some "eggsperiments," which the kids loved!  The hard shell of an egg is very similar to the hard enamel of our teeth in that both protect the softer insides.  In one "eggsperiment" we soaked some eggs in vinegar and in another, we soaked eggs in dark soda.  The egg in the vinegar becomes soft and pitted, just like the enamel of our teeth, if we don't brush, which leads to cavities.  The egg in the soda becomes stained brown which represents plaque.  The kids then use a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to brush the stain off of the egg, just like brushing the plaque off their teeth.  The kids loved putting on the mask and gloves and pretending to be a hygienist for the morning.  I do have a word of caution when comparing the hard shell of an egg to the hard enamel of our teeth.  Little 4 and 5 year olds might think there are animals growing in their teeth!  During the lesson, one little girl said, "why don't we just crack open our teeth and see what little animal is growing inside!"  Oh, you just never know what little preschoolers might say!

Today also happened to be show and share day.  Connor was pretty excited that I was his show and share!  He was also very happy to be my big helper for the day.  He helped me set up the "eggsperiments," hand out the lesson papers, put goodie bags in his classmates cubbies and helped brush my giant size teeth model.  He was such a good helper.  In fact, in the car on the way to preschool he told me that he was going to be my servant for the day.  WOW...I felt honored and...what a big word for a 4 year old!  I guess he must be paying attention in church! 

Connor brushing the stained egg

Connor's teachers send a "daily page" via e-mail to let us parents know what our kids did that day.  Along with a description of what they did they also include pictures too.  This was Wednesday's "daily page!"