YHE-193, Reprinted Sept 1998. R. Warren McCord, Extension State Program Leader. Originally prepared by Marylou Morgan, former Health Educator, and Deborah Stabler, former 4-H Specialist, Education Aids and Information.

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4-H I Can Do...Health Project

The Health Project Is...

It really doesn't matter where you live--city, country, or in between. It doesn't matter how old you are. You will always need to be healthy.

Health is the well-being of your body and mind. Being healthy means taking good care of yourself so you won't get sick. Being healthy also means feeling and looking your best, as you see yourself and as others see you.

You can help yourself stay healthy by eating the right foods, exercising, and getting enough sleep and rest. You can help yourself stay healthy by washing your hands after you blow your nose and before you eat.

You can help your family stay healthy by using only your own towel and washcloth, glass, fork, knife, and spoon. You can help them stay healthy by covering your mouth when you cough. You can help your family stay healthy by practicing good safety habits and by making a list of persons to call if there is an emergency.

You can help your community stay healthy by getting your immunizations and booster shots and telling others how important it is to be immunized. You can help your community by taking part in a litter clean-up.

In the 4-H Health Project, you will learn ways to keep yourself and your family healthy and make your community a healthy place to live.

Things You'll Learn

• How to clean and floss your teeth.
• How to take care of your eyes.
• How to prevent accidents.
• What diseases need to be prevented by immunization.

Things You Can Do

You can work on the health project every year you are in 4-H. You might work on personal health, family health, and community health during the year. You might find out you would like to be a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, or a health educator when you have worked on your health project for a couple of years. Here are some other things you might do in the project.

• Make health/immunization posters.
• Learn about first aid.
• Poison-proof your home.
• Ride in a bike-a-thon for muscular dystrophy or other diseases.
• Keep a family health record and records of your health project work. Your record book can help you win a trip to the National 4-H Congress.

Health Activities of

NAME: _____________________________________________________________

Talk to an adult about diseases. Ask him or her the following questions and record your answers here.

1. What is a contagious disease?

1. Many contagious diseases were common when your parents were your age. But some are seldom seen now due to better health practices. Can you name one such disease?

1. List some health fund drives in your community.

1. Which of the following diseases can often be prevented or controlled by good health practices? Circle the correct ones. [Answers at end of page.]

rabies	diabetes
rickets	leukemia
hookworms	muscular dystrophy
typhus	yellow fever
polio	tooth decay
measles	common cold

Place an "X" in each block that describes a health practice you do regularly. See whether you can "bingo" down or across.

Health Bingo

H	E	A	L	T	H
Never ride double on a bicycle	Wash hair regularly	Take booster shots needed	Wear fresh underclothes daily	FREE	Exercise almost every day
Use dental floss daily	Always obey traffic signs and signals	FREE	Get a physicl yearly	Always wear seat belts	Get eyes checked yearly
FREE	Cry when you need to	Eat fish, meat, poultry or dry benas daily	Stand and walk straight	Don't slump in chair	Take immunizations needed
Know your blood pressure	Control your weight	Visit dentist yearly	Never play with fire	Get cavities filled promptly	FREE
Enjoy being part of a group	Get enough sleep	Store poisons safely	FREE	Drink 8 glasses of water a day	Control your temper
Know what vitamins are needed	FREE	Be a good sport	Eat 4 servings fo milk and cheese daily	Eat a vitamin C food daily	Take a bath or shower daily

Annual Record of Health Project Activities

Name ______________________________________________________

Age ___________________

Whenever you do a health activity, keep track of it by recording it in your annual record.

Date	Health Activity	Time Spent	How I Helped or What I Learned

Answers to question 4: rabies, rickets, hookworms, typhus, polio, measles, yellow fever, tooth decay.