Published: April 02, 2008 11:16 am      

Students learn about the body from inside

POPLARVILLE — Some would argue that the best way to learn is hands on time and students at Poplarville Upper Elementary got the chance to learn about their body from the inside.

The students adventure involved a number of displays Mississippi State University Extension Service set up for the children to simulate the inside of the body through a Body Walk program.

Using red tarps to form rooms and a number of visual props, students walked through the “body.” Allied Health students from Poplarville High school taught the elementary children what they need to know about living a healthy life during the program, said Cindy Carroll, Poplarville Upper Elementary’s nurse and Healthy Lifestyles educator. Carroll said the event was brought to the school by the Healthy Lifestyles program and the Poplarville Special Municipal Separate School District.

Vivian Cade, with the MSU Extension Service, travels with the Body Walk program all over Mississippi. She said that during the program children enter through the ear where they will learn about the human brain and how to keep it healthy. Then they tour the rest of the ten stations to learn about food and fitness so they can lead a healthy life. Some of those stations include the mouth, stomach, small intestine, heart, lungs, bones, muscles and skin.

The program caters to children in grades Kindergarten through fifth, Cade said. This was the first time the program has been to Poplarville Upper Elementary, but the Extension Service plans to revisit the school in the next year or two.

Carroll said would like to thank the Poplarville Fire Department, Lower Pearl River Valley Association, Americorps ARM and all the other organizations that helped fund or set up and run the program.