• Learn that the heart needs to work hard and rest.

Prepare

• Download and print Take a Look Inside of You! visual

Materials

•  Take a Look Inside of You! visual

Explore

1. Guide children in some simple physical activities, such as skipping, hopping, or running. Then pause to let them place their hands on their chests again to feel their hearts beating. Ask children whether their hearts are beating faster than they did before. Have them repeat after you, more quickly than last time, "Thump, thump, thump...".
   
   
2. Lead children in the exercise activity "What Can It Do?" Begin by having children identify different parts of the body. For example, point to your head, arm, leg, shoulder, hand and foot. Ask volunteers to name the body parts. Then point again to a body part. What can this part do? Who can show me? Have a volunteer demonstrate an activity that uses that body part. Invite the group to follow the volunteer. For example, you might point to an arm and the volunteer might suggest flexing and straightening that arm. Later you might want to point to both arms or both legs so that children could suggest activities such as jumping jacks or running in place.
   
   
3. Distribute or display the Take a Look Inside of You! visual. Point to the heart and lungs and explain that when we do physical activities, we breathe faster and our hearts beat faster. Our lungs work harder to pull in more air, and our hearts pump harder to get more blood to all parts of our bodies. Point to the blood vessels on the picture and trace the path that blood follows as it flows through the body.