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Children's Health Curriculum Lesson 3: Breathing Easy: Keeping the Inside of Our Homes Healthy and Clean

Lesson 3

This lesson teaches kids about air pollutants or irritants and how to keep the air in our homes and schools clean. It includes information about asthma and its triggers as well as lead exposure.

Kids Will Be Able To:

  • define asthma, breathing, secondhand smoke, and other triggers;
  • name three asthma triggers and how to avoid them;
  • list three things that they can do to keep the air in their homes healthy;
  • explain how lead can impact kids negatively; and
  • list steps to avoid exposure to lead in our homes.

How to Get This Lesson:

  • The complete lesson plan offers everything you need, including all visual materials.

Download the complete lesson plan

Lesson 3: Breathing Easy: Keeping the Inside of Our Homes Healthy and Clean

Download parts of the lesson plan

Instructor materials:

  • Lesson Cards (PDF) (12 pp, 3 MB)

Handouts for students:

  • Asthma Triggers Hunt (PDF) (6 pp, 4 MB)
  • Take Home Talk (PDF) (2 pp, 575 K)

Visuals:

Poster 1 Clean Air (PDF) (2 pp, 270 K)

air poster - composition of the air

Poster 2 Clean Air (PDF) (2 pp, 4 MB)

air poster - asthma diagram

Poster 3 Clean Air (PDF) (2 pp, 762 K)

air poster - asthma triggers

Additional Resources

Instructor Resources

  • AirNow: Why is Coco Orange? Asthma Storybook
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma Kids Resources - Fun facts, games, and learning activities

Kids' Activities / Coloring Sheets

  • EPA: Dusty the Asthma Goldfish and His Asthma Triggers Fun Book (PDF 8pp)

Curriculum home

Children's Health

  • What You Can Do
    • Children Are Not Little Adults
  • Children's Health Protection Where You Live
  • Childhood Lifestages
  • Healthcare Provider Resources
  • Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee
  • Children's Health Outreach
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Contact Us about Children's Health
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on May 21, 2025
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