My best friend is a 2nd grade teacher and is now in the middle of her lessons on the human body. She decided to have a very special guest go and speak to her students about the hospital… me! I got to go and teach 2nd graders about Child Life and the hospital! I was a little nervous before I got there since my lessons with patients are usually 1 on 1 and it’s been so long since I’ve been in the classroom setting, but it was so much fun!
I started the lesson by telling them a little about my job as a Child Life Specialist and how I help kids in the hospital. Then, I asked them what were some reasons that kids might visit the hospital. We talked about broken bones, stitches, IV’s, shots, and even operations.
Of course, I brought a ton of medical supplies with me: a cast, a hospital gown, a syringe that I filled with hand sanitizer and then gave a little to each student to show them how they work, an IV catheter, my teaching doll with sutures, and more fun things they were able to try on & play with.
The students had all written down questions and stories for me on little scraps of paper ahead of time so it was very easy to move from topic to topic.
We all had a lot of fun and learned a lot!
Child life specialists help kids cope with hospitalization through the power of play & education. 