This week we spent our time talking about drugs in general and tobacco specifically. I started by explaining to the kids not think of drugs as good or bad. Drugs are just inanimate chemicals that affect our minds and bodies in a variety of ways. The good or bad comes from why a person chooses…… Continue reading PCY 5th – The Team Game

I returned to PCY on Friday, and we finished our lesson on THC and marijuana. First, we refreshed what we talked about last time: Marijuana is not a vitamin or a health food. Marijuana is a plant that contains the hallucinogenic drug THC. THC makes your heart beat faster and disrupts balance, vision, coordination and reaction…… Continue reading PCY 6th – THC Part 2 / Spend and Save

I returned to PCY for the first class of 2019, and my discussion with the 5th Grade revolved around peer pressure and alcohol. I started the class by giving away some stickers with a riddle game. After spending a little time talking about drugs in general,  I read the class a short “choose your own…… Continue reading PCY 5th – Under Whose Influence

I visited PCY for the first time of 2019 this Friday. During my time with the 6th graders I talked about marijuana and THC. We started by writing down some notes about marijuana that refresh and build on what we talked about last year: Marijuana is not a vitamin or a health food. Marijuana is…… Continue reading PCY 6th – Marijuana and the Teen Brain

I spent Friday at PCY talking to the 6th Grade about caffeine and other stimulants. . .  Caffeine is a stimulant drug that is in many foods and drinks consumed in the US. I explained that stimulants are drugs that speed everything up; people often use stimulants because they speed up your heart rate, give…… Continue reading PCY 6th – Caffeine and Stimulants

It was a rainy Thursday at PCY this week, and I had my 2nd lesson with the 5th grade. Here is what we talked about: With the hazards that mother nature can sometimes stir up for us in mind, I thought it would be a good time to talk to the kids about safety. Hopefully,…… Continue reading PCY 5th -No Way Out

I had my first visit of the year with the Paradise Canyon 6th Grade on Friday and the topic of the day was decision making. As the kids grow up, they gain the power and responsibility to make decisions for themselves, and we started by talking about how peer pressure can sometimes make it hard to make…… Continue reading PCY 6th – Decision Making