Home Module 1 Lesson 1.1 Lesson 1.3 Lesson 1.4 Resources
Lesson 1.2

You Got to Go!

Overview

In this lesson, students will learn why water is important for them to use the restroom regularly.

Learning Outcomes

Feeling comfortable about talking about and asking to use the bathroom.

Using the bathroom regularly and comfortably 6-8 times throughout the day. (3-4 times during the school day)

Continue for students to drink enough water.

Materials Needed

For Teacher:

“H2O is the way to Go!” Flash card from ActiveLife Toolbox

For Students:

H2O Coloring Sheet
Crayons/ Markers
Water bottles
ActiveLife™ washing/bathing tracker and diary log

Learning Language

  • Urine
  • Bladder
  • Essential
  • Designated
  • Cramps

Classroom Discussion

  1. Review audio for Clara’s “H20 is the way to Go!” ActiveLife™ card.
  2. Introduce Clara to the classroom and how much she loves water.
  3. Use the ActiveLife™ Flashcard to review the chant with the class.
  4. Read Clara’s story to class:

I have a story to tell you about Clara and why Clara loves water so much. Clara had cancer. For two years, she was treated for cancer and lived in a children’s hospital for most of that time. It was a very difficult and challenging experience for her and her family and one thing that she learned from the doctors was drinking lots of water would be helpful. Drinking clean water (sometimes with lemon, sometimes with ice) was something she did consistently through her treatment and something she continues to do to keep herself healthy and well.

After reviewing audio for Clara’s “H20 is the way to Go!” ActiveLife™ card, please create a class discussion about the importance of going to the bathroom.

Okay, you are drinking water regularly! Awesome! When you drink water, you also “have to go"… Pee that is! Pee, also known as urine. Going to the bathroom regularly, is an essential part of good health!

Paraphrase this in a way that is comfortable for you to discuss with your class. Children are going to react and make jokes and laugh about this lesson. Allow them the space to do so. This is an uncomfortable topic for many of us and was taboo to talk about for years. Oftentimes, when we are uncomfortable we express our discomfort through humor.

There is a tremendous stigma and shame around this topic in our society. This quote from “GUT, The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ” clearly articulates this sentiment...“But the gut, in most people’s eyes, is good for little more than going to the toilet… People do not generally credit it with any particular abilities. It would be fair to say that we underestimate our gut. To put it more bluntly, we don’t just underestimate it, we are ashamed of it- more “guilt feeling” than “gut feeling”.

Once class calms down, address the humor and move into class discussion…

Questions

For open discussion...

Why is using the restroom regularly an essential part of good health? Allow time for students to share.

  • Our body produces pee and poop in order to get rid of waste
  • We pee to get rid of extra water that we don’t need
  • It is really hard to learn and think clearly when our bladder is full!
  • It is hard to exercise when our bladder is full!
  • If we don’t go to the bathroom when our body tells us, we can get painful cramps.
  • If we hold the need to go to the bathroom for too long, we can have accidents! (uh oh!)
  • Regular bathroom usage releases stress.

When is the best time to go to the bathroom? Allow students time to share.

Make sure in the discussion to include:

  • Our bladder is a sac that holds our pee. When the sac is full, it's time to go to the bathroom!
  • When you wake up in the morning.
  • Before you go to bed.
  • Before you go on a long trip.
  • Before you exercise.
  • Designated bathroom breaks. Use the bathroom even if you don’t feel like it to avoid accidents (sometimes we don’t feel like it but we actually can go)
  • It is normal to go 6-8 times (pee) a day and 1-2 times (poop)
  • After you have drank a lot of water

And make sure to wash your hands after each bathroom visit!!!

Special note for girls: Wipe from front to back, especially after going poop. Because of where the urethra is for girls, it's easy for bacteria from poop to get in that area. If some of those bacteria end up in the urinary tract, you could get an infection known as a UTI (urinary tract infection).

Activities

Tracking and Activities for Bathroom Breaks:

Allow each student to have their H2O coloring card and/or bathroom tracking card to be a visual cue and reminder to drink water and use the bathroom regularly. Pair your tracking time and water break/s and bathroom break/s with one of the activities such as the “Waterslide” dance move, “Waterflow” yoga practice, or the “You are Water” meditation.

At the end of the week during lesson 2, allow children to reflect on any positive experiences they had by drinking water, going to the bathroom regularly or any challenges they experienced.

Movement Activities: “Waterslide” dance, “Waterflow” yoga, “You Are Water” meditation.

Pair your tracking time and water break/s with one of the activities such as the “Waterslide” dance move, “Waterflow” yoga practice, or the “You are Water” meditation. At the end of each week during module 1, allow children to reflect on their experiences.

Bathroom Break Week Example:

Monday: discussion, coloring card

Tuesday: Dance, Tracker

Wednesday: Yoga, Tracker

Thursday: Meditation, Tracker

Friday: Tracker, Diary Log

Lesson 1.2Next Lesson