People Talk

CONCEPT: Understanding You and PKU

BRIEF SUMMARY

Each child makes a picture book of different people. Use their books to lead a discussion about the similarities and differences amongst people.

 

OBJECTIVES

After completing this activity, children will be able to:

  • relate individual differences everyone has with the individual differences they have (by having PKU)
  • state they were born with PKU

 

METHODS

Make a picture book:
 Each child will make a small book of pictures of friends, family, unusual people, self, etc. Each picture may be accompanied by a statement about each person.

Discuss the pictures, family, friends, etc., with questions such as:

  • Who is the person? How long have you know him/her?
  • What color is his/her hair? Eyes?
  • Is he/she tall or short?
  • Where did he/she get that color of hair? Eyes?
  • How long has he/she had that color of hair? Eyes?
  • What does he/she like to do for fun? What do you like to do for fun?
  • What is his/her favorite food? What is your favorite food?
  • How does he/she differ from you?
  • Is he/she like you in any way?

Continue the discussion:

  • Talk about how different people like different kinds of foods.
  • Talk about how some people have allergies. Discuss what an allergy is and how people with allergies need to avoid what they are allergic to.
  • Talk about how the children were born with PKU. Discuss the special diet that people with PKU follow and why they follow it. (A PKU diet is low in protein, specifically phenylalanine. Too much phenylalanine is not "good". It may affect growing, learning, and health.)

Have the children add a picture of their breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with their formula, to their book. (They can draw this on a page of their book, or you can provide pictures of various foods for them to choose from.)

 

MATERIALS

  • Each child will need to bring pictures of their friends, family, unusual people, self, etc.

    • Construction paper cut in half (pages for the booklet)
    • Glue
    • Crayons
    • Yarn (to tie the booklet together)
    • Hole punch (to make the holes to put the yarn through)

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