SMART
Science
By Libby and Robert Strong and Richard Pollack
SMART Heart Activities
Valentine’s Day
is symbolized by hearts of all types and sizes—some made of chocolate,
some made of lace, but your body’s heart is the most important of all,
any time of year. Do you know what your heart is made of?
It is always working to pump blood though your entire body, and it does
this for your entire life! Your body’s cells need your heart to
pump the much needed oxygen and other nutrients to your cells and to
carry the wastes away. In order to do this, your heart needs to
be strong. It is a muscle, after all, much like the muscles in
other parts of your body.
http://smartcenter.org/ovpm/heart
Have you ever listened to your heart beat? Did you know that you
can count your heart beats without using a stethoscope? The
following activity tells you how:
Activity: Oh, My Beating Heart!
Make sure you do this activity in a REALLY big room,
or better yet, outside. The following is a list of the materials
you will need:
Clock or watch with a second hand
Outside area or REALLY large indoor space
Jump rope
Paper and pencil
Book or magazine
Chair, sofa, or other comfortable spot
A friend, brother, sister, parent, or another jump rope buddy
Procedure:
Step 1: Sit in a comfy spot and read to relax for five minutes.
Step 2: At the end of five minutes, have your partner take your
resting pulse. To do this, place two fingers (middle and pointer)
on your wrist near the base of the thumb. Move your fingers
around until you feel the beats.
Step 3: After you “find” your pulse (you really will have one!),
count the number of beats for thirty seconds. Have your partner
help you keep track of time. Write this number down on a piece of
paper labeled “resting pulse for thirty seconds”.
Step 4: Multiply the number you just recorded by 2 to find your resting
pulse for one minute. As any good scientist would, you should try
this several times to see if your numbers are close. These are
the “trials”. You should try to do three trials at least.
Step 5: To determine your active pulse rate, jump rope at a
moderate speed for sixty seconds.
Step 6: At the end of sixty seconds, quickly find your pulse and
count the beats for thirty seconds. Record your data and multiply
by two as before.
Step 7: Repeat trials for your active pulse rate.
Step 8: Repeat the resting pulse rate and active pulse rate
trials with your partner.
Which of the pulse rates is higher? Why do you think so?
Can you think of why exercise makes your heart stronger?
Activity: With Every Step I Take….
Estimate how many steps it takes to walk across your
living room or family room at home. Now check it out. How
many steps would it take to walk from your living room or family room
to the kitchen? How far to your bedroom? How many steps do
you think you take in a day? How about a week?
You can easily increase your daily steps to help
make your heart stronger and healthier. Walk whenever you
can. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Play games
outside. Go on a fossil hunt or a nature walk. There are
many other ways to increase your steps, and some of them can really be
fun! Think of different ways to make sure every step you take
helps you build a strong and healthy heart.
www.smartcenter.org/healthyheart
What’s Up?
Last month the winner of the Name the 10th Planet contest was
chosen. Congratulations to Tyler Smith of Triadelphia Middle
School for his winning entry. You can see other winners on the
website www.smartcenter.org
Tyler will receive a free WLSC SMART-Center science program for his
school.
For more information on upcoming free astronomy events at Brooke Hills
Park, visit our website: www.smartcenter.org/Whatsup
Libby and Robert Strong work at the West
Liberty State College SMART-Center. Libby is the director of
the West Virginia Handle On Science Program that brings hands-on
science kits into the classrooms of K-6 grade public schools in the
five counties of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Robert is
the Director of the WLSC SMART-Center, the hands-on science center of
northern West Virginia. Richard serves as the Assistant Program
Coordinator at the SMART-Center. Libby, Robert, and Richard
invite you to visit the SMART-Center website at www.smartcenter.org