Staying Healthy and Happy – Class 3 The World Around Us Chapter 9 Notes & NCERT PDF

Introduction

We must be healthy so that our bodies and minds work properly. This chapter shares simple habits that keep our bodies clean and free from disease, and keep us healthy and happy: cleanliness, a daily routine, exercise and play, and staying safe.

What's in this Chapter

1. Clean and bright. Children ask themselves: Did I brush my teeth today? Did I take a shower? Did I comb my hair? Did I wash my hands with soap? Are my nails trimmed and clean?

2. Daily routine. Children write down what they do from waking up to sleeping, including: take a shower, wash hands with soap, brush teeth, drink 6–8 glasses of water, eat food, sleep well for at least 8 hours, and play outside. They check:

3. How do we brush our teeth? Moyna's Dadu uses a fresh neem or babool twig every day. He chews it into a brush to remove food stuck between his teeth, and it massages his gums. Moyna found neem too bitter but liked babool. The book explains that the modern idea of brushing teeth came from the Indian tradition of datun, using twigs of neem, karanj, babool and similar plants. Traditional cleaners include reetha and shikakai for hair.

4. Make a home-cleaner. Put the peels of 8–12 oranges or lemons (enough to fill a half-litre transparent container) into the container, with 10 cloves or 2–3 bay leaves if you like. Pour in two cups of white vinegar and close the lid. Keep it in a sunny place for about two weeks, shaking it now and then, and then strain it. Mix one cup of the liquid in a bucket of water to clean floors and bathrooms.

5. Animals keep clean too. Monkeys groom each other to remove insects, and birds clean their feathers with their beaks.

6. Playing outdoors and indoors. After running, we breathe faster and deeper, our cheeks go red and we sweat. This is because "exercise makes our heart work harder and better." In Hop, skip, jump! children walk like a duck, jump like a frog and run like a cat, and skip with a rope while saying a rhyme:

"I like roti, I like ghee. I want ___ to jump with me!"

Harpreet's grandmother has painful knees, but she still walks around the house and plays chess, because both the mind and body should be active. Children also find ten games in the I Spy word puzzle: badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, khokho, tennis and volleyball.

7. Playing safely. A park and a school ground are safe places to play. A busy road, a roof without railings and a construction site are unsafe. Do not talk to strangers unless you are with a trusted adult. If a stranger offers sweets or a ride, or says "Your mother asked me to pick you up," say "No, I don't know you." Families can use a pre-decided password if they must send someone new.

Key Ideas

Activities from the Book

Words to Learn

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Common Mistakes