Today, Year 3 have been learning about allergies and how these may tie in with personal hygiene. An allergy happens when a person comes into contact with something, such as a food, that their body thinks might be harmful. We discussed some different types of potential allergens, both foods and non-foods. Here are some responses:
Pollen is an allergen because I have hay fever.
People can be allergic to peanuts and have a reaction.
I’m not allergic to anything, but I think I have an intolerance to milk and dairy.
Some medicines make your body have a reaction, but they are meant to make you feel better!
We then learnt about ways to avoid allergens and how to deal with potential reactions. We discussed how washing our hands and keeping our personal hygiene levels high is important when tackling allergies, e.g. washing our hands to avoid spreading allergens that we might’ve handled. It’s really important to wash our hands at lunch times, especially with so many different foods in our packed lunches!
Help at home:
Discuss potential allergens and signs to look out for with allergic reactions. Check some food packaging on your next shopping trip – you should find the most common allergies are in bold!