Chapter 9 — Staying Healthy and Happy

Chapter 9, Staying Healthy and Happy, is about simple habits that keep the body and mind clean and free from diseases. It covers daily hygiene routines, traditional cleaning methods, outdoor exercise, and staying safe while playing.

Children should brush their teeth twice a day, take a shower, wash their hands with soap, comb their hair, trim their nails, drink 6 to 8 glasses of water, eat food, sleep for at least 8 hours, and play outside.

The chapter says children should wash their hands with soap after using the toilet and after coming home from outdoors. This habit helps keep the body clean and free from diseases.

Datun is the Indian tradition of using twigs from plants like neem, karanj, and babool to clean teeth. The chapter explains that the modern idea of brushing teeth came from this Indian hygiene tradition.

Moyna's Dadu used fresh twigs from a neem or babool tree every day. He would chew the twig to make a brush, use it to remove food particles from between his teeth, and said it also gave his gums a good massage.

The chapter describes filling a half-litre container with peels of 8 to 12 oranges or lemons, adding two cups of white vinegar and optional cloves or bay leaves, then keeping it in a sunny spot for two weeks. After straining, the liquid can be mixed with water to clean floors and bathrooms.

The chapter explains that exercise makes the heart work harder and better. Activities like running and jumping cause faster and deeper breathing, and the body warms up — all signs that the heart and body are getting a good workout.

The word search activity in the chapter includes games like badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, kho kho, tennis, and volleyball. The chapter also describes skipping rope activities and movement games like walking like a duck or jumping like a frog.

The chapter says parks and school grounds are safe places to play. Busy roads, rooftops without railings, and construction sites are unsafe places to play.

The chapter shows children politely but firmly saying no. Children should not interact with strangers, accept food from them, or get into their vehicles unless they are with a parent or a trusted adult.

The chapter mentions that monkeys groom each other to keep their bodies free from insects, and birds use their beaks to clean their feathers. Children are encouraged to observe other ways animals clean themselves.

The chapter asks children to fill in a table for each day of the week, tracking whether they brushed their teeth twice, used the toilet in the morning, took a shower, slept enough, ate breakfast, watched TV or used a phone, played outdoors, and how they felt — good, okay, or not so good.