How rude! They sneak into your home uninvited and when you scare or smush them, they release a foul-smelling substance. Read the rest of this entry »

Clean air in the classroom, cafeteria and gym is a must for all children to learn and have fun at school. AANMA is a co-sponsor with Healthy Schools Network to help parents, teachers and students transform their schools into breathe-easy zones! Healthy Schools Network coordinates National Healthy Schools Day each year in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Get in on the action! Here’s what you can do locally right now:

-Does your school have an IAQ (indoor air quality) program or committee? See www.NationalHealthySchoolsDay.org for how to celebrate IAQ successes or help create a new program to make sure students have breathable indoor air all school-year long.

-Need more help? Find ideas for activities, learning tools, conference call sign ups, and more at www.NationalHealthySchoolsDay.org — register and share what activities you have planned.

-Register your activity online today online to put Your School IAQ on the Map!  

-Download AANMA’s FREE Indoor AIRepair: At School kit — a colorful guide to reducing irritants and allergens at your school. Created by AANMA with funding from the EPA.

“No one gave me a crystal ball when my child was born. No one said: ‘One day, your child will be diagnosed with asthma.’ If they had, I could have prepared – read a book, taken a class. Instead, I found myself at the doctor’s office hearing the word asthma – and not knowing what to do next.” Read the rest of this entry »

Kelsey never leaves home without it – her auto-injectable epinephrine, that is. In fact she always has two. You see, Kelsey is allergic to peanuts and while she does everything she can to avoid being exposed to them, she knows that accidents happen, Read the rest of this entry »

by Christie Chapman

Rafael won our three games of Connect Four then trounced me at chess. Rafael is 10 and in fifth grade. He keeps a pet gerbil in a cage near his bookshelf, which he neatly maintains with his books about gerbil care facing outward as a kind of display. Read the rest of this entry »

by Chef Michelle Austin

Looking for a healthy-ingredient snack bar? Take an afternoon with the kids and put this together – then tuck it into a school lunch or serve it to the soccer team! Her recipe includes nut- and soy-free alternatives. Read the rest of this entry »