Chapter 9: Staying Healthy and Happy

Chapter at a Glance

To keep our body and mind healthy, we must follow simple clean habits every day. We should brush our teeth twice a day, bathe, comb our hair, keep our nails trimmed, wash our hands with soap after using the toilet and after coming home from outside, and rinse our mouth after eating. We should also drink 6–8 glasses of water, sleep at least 8 hours and play outside.

Moyna’s Dadu cleans his teeth with a twig (datun) from a neem or babool tree. He chews it into a brush, which removes food bits and massages the gums. The modern habit of brushing teeth came from this Indian tradition. The chapter shows how to make an eco-friendly home cleaner by keeping orange or lemon peels in vinegar in the sun for two weeks. Animals keep clean too: monkeys groom each other and birds clean their feathers with their beaks.

Exercise makes our heart work harder and keeps us fit. Children walk like ducks, jump like frogs, skip with a rope and play games like kabaddi, kho-kho, football and cricket. Harpreet’s grandmother keeps her mind active by playing chess. We must play in safe places like parks and school grounds, not on busy roads, roofs without railings or construction sites. We should never go with strangers or take things from them, and should say “No” politely and firmly.

Word Meanings

Important Topics

1. Daily Clean Habits

• Brush your teeth twice a day: after waking up and before bed.
• Take a bath and comb your hair.
• Keep your nails short and clean.
• Wash your hands with soap after using the toilet and after coming home.
• Rinse your mouth after every meal.

2. Healthy Routine

3. Datun: A Traditional Toothbrush

• Twigs of neem, babool or karanj are chewed into a brush.
• They remove food bits and massage the gums.
• Neem is bitter; babool tastes better.

4. Home-made Cleaner

1. Fill a half-litre jar with the peels of 8–12 oranges or lemons.
2. Add 10 cloves or 2–3 bay leaves (optional).
3. Pour in two cups of white vinegar and close the lid.
4. Keep it in the sun for two weeks, shaking it sometimes.
5. Strain it; mix one cup in a bucket of water to clean floors.

5. Exercise and Play

• Exercise makes the heart work harder and makes us breathe faster, which keeps us fit.
• Fun moves: walk like a duck, jump like a frog, run like a cat, skip with a rope.
• Games: badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho, tennis, volleyball.

6. Playing Safely

• Do not talk to strangers, take sweets from them or go with them.
• Say “No, thank you” firmly and tell a trusted adult.

Question-Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1. How many times should we brush our teeth? Twice a day.
2. How many glasses of water should we drink daily? 6–8 glasses.
3. How many hours should we sleep? At least 8 hours.
4. What does Moyna’s Dadu use to clean his teeth? A twig of neem or babool (datun).
5. Which twig did Moyna find bitter? Neem.
6. What is used to make the home cleaner? Orange or lemon peels and vinegar.
7. How do monkeys keep clean? By grooming each other.
8. Which game does Harpreet’s grandmother love to play? Chess.
9. Is a construction site safe for playing? No.
10. What should you say if a stranger offers sweets? “No, thank you.”

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why should we wash our hands with soap?

Our hands pick up germs from the toilet, dirt and outside surfaces. Washing with soap removes germs so that we do not fall sick.

Q2. What is datun? How is it useful?

Datun is a twig of neem, babool or karanj. Chewing it makes a brush that cleans food from the teeth and massages the gums.

Q3. Why is exercise good for us?

Exercise makes our heart work harder and better, keeps our muscles and bones strong, and makes us fit, active and happy.

Q4. How do animals keep themselves clean?

Monkeys groom each other to remove insects from their fur. Birds clean their feathers with their beaks.

Q5. Why should we not talk to strangers?

We do not know if a stranger is safe. They may try to take us away or harm us, so we should stay with trusted adults.

Long Answer Questions

Q1. What habits keep our body clean and healthy?

We should brush our teeth twice a day and rinse our mouth after eating. We should bathe daily, comb our hair and keep our nails trimmed. We should wash our hands with soap after using the toilet and after coming home. We should drink 6–8 glasses of water, eat healthy food, play outside and sleep at least 8 hours.

Q2. How can we play safely?

We should play in safe places like parks and school grounds, never on busy roads, roofs without railings or construction sites. We should pay attention to our surroundings. We should not talk to strangers or accept sweets or rides from them, and we should tell our parents or teachers if a stranger bothers us.

Textbook Exercise Answers

A. Weekly health table. Fill in daily whether you brushed twice, used the toilet in the morning, bathed, how long you slept, what you ate for breakfast, your screen time and outdoor playtime, and how you felt. You will notice that good sleep, healthy food and play make you feel good.

B. 24-hour circle (sample).

C. Activity to improve stamina: skipping, running, cycling or climbing stairs, done with friends at least twice a week.

I Spy puzzle answers: badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho, tennis, volleyball.

Other in-text questions

• What did our grandparents use for cleaning? Datun for teeth, reetha and shikakai for hair, ash or mud for utensils, and home-made soaps.