Caffeine

Over the last couple of months at TCIS we have had several students break bones in seemingly simple and non contact situations.
It is baffling many of us who have worked with children for a long time and personally I have not seen so many broken bones in my whole teaching career of 18 years.
So it begs the question- WHY?

Is it diet related?
Are students getting enough calcium in their diets?
While dairy is a good source of calcium, the body uses little of this calcium. Green leafy vegetables are a more usable source of calcium for our bodies. (We also need Vitamin D to help convert calcium into a usable form. Vitamin D is in sunlight, so playing outside is indeed necessary for growing bodies in so many ways)
Are students drinking too much caffeine? Caffeine leaches calcium from our body, raises our heart rate abnormally and raises our blood pressure.  Yes, caffeine is an addictive drug which alters your body chemistry. Ok in small amounts for adult bodies, a real no no drug for growing bodies.
Ask your child what sort of drinks they buy from the shops? Are they regularly drinking caffeinated drinks? Do they think they need the caffeine to 'stay alert' or 'stay awake' in class?


There are no claims of answers or authority here; however, there are some interesting questions raised about how what we eat and do (activity) affects our body.