Teaching Dental Health to 5 Year olds...

We split up into two groups with Steve and I working together and Katie and Bethany working together. Steve and I stuck with the 5-6 year olds and prepared a lesson on dental health. We were hoping to fill 30 minutes with this lesson, but I don't think we had any idea how hard it would be to keep these kids quiet, seated and try to answer all of their questions as well. We finally had to cut it off at 45 minutes...

                                         This is the menu they have redone to be healthier....

                               Our 5-6 year old classroom that also doubles as a Haitian Church.

The children were so incredibly proud to show us that they knew where their teeth were. We asked for big pretty smiles and they all were just gleaming with excitement. Surprisingly, most of the children have extremely white teeth down here even though dental health is not necessarily something that is emphasized. We were, however, shocked the other day when a 5 year old wanted to show us her loose tooth. As she opened her mouth, her whole bottom row of teeth were filled with silver fillings and open faced cavities. There is no fluoride in the water here and really no way to know what type of access some of these kids have to a dentist let alone dental supplies.

We thought it would be a great idea to have a "talking rock". This was a painted rock that we would hand to a child that allowed them to talk. If you didn't have the rock, you weren't allowed to talk. Simple right? Well, these kids were obsessed with this idea and constantly asked for the rock throughout the presentation. While it worked somewhat, it also backfired when kids asked for it just to look at the painting it had on it. OOPS.

We went through questions about how many teeth we have, when we brush our teeth, why dental hygiene is important, how to brush and floss our teeth, etc. I was absolutely in awe at how involved these children were in our presentation. Of course, when we asked WHY it is important to brush our teeth, kids raised their hands, got the talking rock and began telling us stories about when they brush their teeth and what tooth paste tastes like. My personal most favorite answer was a five year old boy who got the rock after we asked him if he knew how to floss. His answer, "Hi...you're pretty". If we were grading them, he would get an A!

                                         The instructors getting involved!

We decided our activities for the day would be best suited using our homemade mouth and toothbrush models. We also lined the kids up and taught them how to use mouthwash. I'm not sure if you have ever tried to get a child to use a condiment cup to put mouthwash in their mouth, swish without swallowing and then spit it cleanly back into that same cup, but it is virtually impossible without getting the mouthwash all over them and you. It was quite a lovely scene.

                                          Using mouthwash!

                                            In line for mouthwash and flossers!
While it was a stressful day trying to get these kids to follow and along and actually learn something, it was also one of the most rewarding days. These children literally have won me over and when you walk into the YMCA and they all want hugs and attention, you just want to adopt them all and take them home. Leaving the classroom and seeing how proud they were of their clean teeth was so incredible.I wonder how many kids the Bahamian customs would let me bring back to America...