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Kidneys
in the Classroom
Educate your elementary
school children - to give students a better understanding of normal
kidneys and what happens when kidneys fail. They will learn about
kidney disease, dialysis, transplantation and organ donation. This
is designed as an interactive, fun experience.
The program is free
to schools and is run entirely by volunteers. We need your help…
the key to the success of the program is having a real transplant
recipient in the class to talk about his or her transplantation
and answer student questions. We try to schedule three classes at
each school and each class is given a 30-minute program. Each volunteer
will be fully trained to assist in conducting the program.
The program is fun,
and requires student participation. The goals are to have students
learn:
- the normal function
of the kidneys
- that people usually
have two kidneys, but can lead a normal life with one
- some of the common
causes of kidney failure
- what happens when
the kidneys fail
- the importance of
dialysis and transplantation in treating kidney failure
- the importance of
asking questions and having discussions about organ donation.
The key to the success
of the program is having a real transplant recipient in the class
to talk about his or her transplantation and answer student questions.
Here is how the program works:
We will use eight volunteers
from the class who will play different roles:
- One student plays
the patient who has kidney failure.
- Six students playbe
potential kidney donors.
- One student plays
volunteer surgeon who will take a kidney from the donor and give
it to the recipient.
The kidney failure
patient and the potential donors will wear vests that have kidneys
on them, attached by velcro.
Through a discussion
about the function of the kidneys and the causes and treatments
of kidney failure, the class will learn about transplantation.
Using flash cards,
the leader will give the class information about all the potential
kidney donors. The class will select the best donor. The volunteer
surgeon will remove the donor's kidney and give it to the patient.
 We
are always amazed at the excellent questions that 8 to 12 year-
olds ask, and at the number of students who have family members
with kidney disease, or know of someone who has had a transplant.
It's also an excellent opportunity to promote organ donation. Please
call Bridget at (800) 639-7220 if you would like to volunteer, invite
us to your school or simply to request a brochure about the program.
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