Pick up this week's Activity Sheets.

original air date: November 12 - 19, 2002

Welcome to Butterfly School's visit to the doctor's office! These Activity Sheets will help you and your child explore the basic elements of a wellness check.  Visiting the doctor is a little bit easier when your children know what to expect!  Print and save a set to review (or take along) for your child's next doctor visit. 

"Wellness checks" help children learn about their bodies and become comfortable with their healthcare team. In any new environment young children may feel shy or nervous. Children easily become afraid of the doctor's office when they think about shots and blood tests. But, with a little preparation, you can help your child approach a doctor's visit without fear. Try our tips to help keep these visits positive, relaxed and fun!

1. Keep yourself relaxed and well prepared -- Be organized for the visit. Arrive in plenty of time and bring along books, stickers or cards so you have a few things to share with your child. Little activities make waiting much easier. Take along a little Butterfly School on the go! book.
   

2. Practice with a teddy bear -- Use a favorite teddy bear or other well-loved friend to demonstrate the basic steps in a wellness check. Measure the bear, weigh it, listen to the bear's chest, check the bear's ears (count them), nose, belly and fur.
   

3. Build a body vocabulary -- Review all the names for your child's body parts from head to toe. Count everything (fingers, toes, ears).
   

4. Look in a mirror -- Use a mirror to help your child see her eyes, nose and mouth. Practice saying "ahh!"
   

5. Play with words -- Make a little game of getting familiar with doctor words. Don't be timid about introducing long words, like "stethoscope." Just break them down into syllables "steth - o - scope." Lots of kids enjoy using a big word and they will probably be congratulated by their doctor just for trying, even if they don't get it exactly right!
   

6. Prepare your child to meet new people -- Use Butterfly School sheets to point out the different caregivers at a doctor's office -- a doctor, nurse and assistant. As you read the sheets, remind your child of the names of people on his healthcare team.
   

7. Help your child have questions -- Doctors usually ask if anyone has questions. Help your child prepare one, like, "what do you see when you look in my eyes?" or "why do you use a stethoscope?"
   

8. Plan something fun for after the visit -- Lots of doctors now give sticker treats. You might plan to share a special story after the visit.
   

9. Make up a reassuring story -- Make up a simple story about your child going to see her doctor. If the last visit went well, use it as inspiration.
   

10. Deal with rough spots directly -- If your child needs to have an inoculation, a.k.a. a shot, try to explain it calmly. Try, "you need a shot today to help you stay healthy. The doctor will use a needle and it will be very quick. It may not be comfortable but it will be over really fast. I'll (we'll) count and it will be over before we get to 10." Though we'd all like to promise that it will not hurt a bit, it is best to be honest and build trust for the next visit.

Join us next week for more Butterfly School fun! Until then, enjoy the resources posted here and at www.shininghours.com!

You are ready for the Activity Sheets now; you can print them from here (go to Activity Sheets), or go back to the Butterfly School home page.

From Butterfly Central,

-- Jessie Steigerwald

Teacher Tips
from Corinne Steigerwald

Learning is an ongoing process and you can make every "field trip" a rich learning experience for your child. A visit to the pediatrician's office is a great place for a child to learn about his body! Many pediatricians are also gifted teachers -- with a knack for translating "doctor jargon" into easy words for children to understand. With your help, each visit your child will take away a better understanding of important concepts in health.

Label everything -- Even as you step into the waiting room, try to give your child the right words to describe things: waiting room, chairs, tables, magazines, receptionist, etc. Once you are in the examining room, you often have to wait a few minutes before you see the doctor. Use this time to point out things in the room: examining table, chairs, stools, lights, sink, computer, posters, scale, etc.

Be a learner -- Show your child that you are anxious to learn something new. While you wait for the doctor, point out one thing that you do not know the name for and say, "I don't know what this is. Let's ask the doctor when she gets here!" For example, many of us forget (or were never taught) the name of the tool doctors use to examine our ears -- it is an "otoscope." At an appropriate time, ask your doctor the name for the mysterious equipment.

Be a listener -- Before the doctor comes in, remind your child that it is important to listen to what the doctor says. When you ask the doctor a question, show your child how to listen very quietly and attentively. Make eye contact with the doctor and nod your head. Children learn by example.

Reinforce what you learned -- After you leave the doctor's, talk about the things you learned. You might repeat the order in which the doctor examined your child, "First she checked your ears with the otoscope, then she checked your heartbeat with the stethoscope..." 

Keep things fun. When you get home, invite your child to give a favorite stuffed animal a checkup too. Draw a simple outline of a person and write in names for each part your pediatrician checked.