For your child to attain a basic understanding of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), it is important to introduce basic concepts. In the case of SCD, your child could benefit from learning to sort different shapes (circles vs. crescents), observe how different sized items do and don't fit through a tube, parts of the body, transport/delivery systems (air/oxygen delivered to cells) to name a few. Children learn through playing and that is why the activities that follow in this blog are designed for your child to play with the materials that introduce these concepts. By assisting your child to understand some of the concepts that pertain to SCD, it is hoped that your child will be able to tell you about changes that they feel in their body. This is especially important when it comes to pain and pain management caused when oxygen doesn't reach all parts of their body. Each blog will have a Parent's Section at the end that describes the point of the activity and how it can help your child to understand some of the elements of Sickle Cell Disease.
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You have Sickle Cell Disease
That means some things happen differently in your body and you can learn about these changes.
Can you make a picture of your body?
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| Body Tracings |
What to do:
-Tape paper to floor on both ends
- Lie on top of the paper
- Have someone trace around your body
- Remember to trace around each of your fingers:)
- Color and have fun :)
Parent's Section
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************Note to Parents: To help your child gain a basic understanding of Sickle Cell Disease, you can introduce them to important concepts such as: parts of the body, observations of size and shapes, characteristics of tubes, delivery systems, how air/oxygen goes in and out of our body. Children are experiential learners, in other words, they learn best by doing. These activities are designed for children to play while they learn!
Body Tracing: This activity supports your child learning about his/her body. When tracing around body parts, name them. (Ex: "I am tracing around your arm. Does it tickle? These are your fingers. This one is called a thumb.") While your child may know some names for parts of his/her body, your reinforcement of the names will build his/her confidence. Hang the picture on the wall where your child can point to his/her body parts. Play games with it (Pin the tail on the body, How many? (How many arms do you have, How many noses?) etc.). Start with the basic body parts and later add the fine details like fingernails and abdomen.
Body Tracing: This activity supports your child learning about his/her body. When tracing around body parts, name them. (Ex: "I am tracing around your arm. Does it tickle? These are your fingers. This one is called a thumb.") While your child may know some names for parts of his/her body, your reinforcement of the names will build his/her confidence. Hang the picture on the wall where your child can point to his/her body parts. Play games with it (Pin the tail on the body, How many? (How many arms do you have, How many noses?) etc.). Start with the basic body parts and later add the fine details like fingernails and abdomen.
Importance (Relevance): Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) may experience pain in parts of their body during a sickle cell crisis. They will be better able to tell you where the pain is if they know their body parts. Learning about their body is the first step in learning about SCD.
More about Sickle Cell Disease from the Center for Disease Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnrvYsZWR1c
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