“Why does my nose run?” “What are taste buds?” “Where do tears come from?”
Parents know that kids have many questions about their bodies. To help kids — and parents — uncover the mysteries of the human body, KidsHealth.org, a Web site for children’s health information, has launched a new version of its No. 1 feature for kids, “How the Body Works.”

Using kid-friendly language, animations and activities, “How the Body Works” is a popular resource for homework help and an entertaining way for kids to get answers to their questions. The new interactive module includes more than 100 articles, quizzes, word searches, activities and movies featuring everything from the adventures of Glandman to Col. Lucy Leukocyte, immune system commander.

To view “How the Body Works,” visit www.kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/htbw_main_page.html

Tips for Raising Healthy Weight Children

Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of “Generation XL,” offers parents of overweight or obese children these tips to get started on crucial lifestyle changes:

1. Make exercise a part of your family’s daily schedule. Take brisk walks as a family, play tag in the backyard, sign up for a martial arts class and simply set aside time each day to get your bodies moving!

2. Get rid of the junk food. If it’s still in your pantry, you’ll be tempted to eat it, and so will your kids. So collect all the soda, candy, cookies and chips, and give them away (or throw them away).

3. Set family mealtimes. Studies show that families who eat together have better overall nutrition, and kids with family mealtimes are less likely to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and more likely to do well in school, delay having sex and eat their vegetables — so the benefits of this one are quite profound.

4. Prepare meals for your family. Staying fit is next to impossible if your diet is mostly fast food or processed foods, so someone in your home will need to devote time to preparing healthy, fresh foods for your family.

5. Turn off the TV, computer and video games. Not only is watching TV associated with obesity, but limiting these things will also give your family time to do something active instead.

6. Reward your children with kind words, not food. Many of us were given candy or sweets as rewards from our parents, and you may be tempted to follow that tradition. However, this will only start your children on a long road of addiction to sugar.

7. Overcome your emotional addictions to sugar and junk food. The Emotional Freedom Technique, pioneered by Gary Craig, is a simple tool to help you overcome food cravings and addictions, and you can teach it to your kids as well. For more information, visit www.mercola.com/forms/eftcourse1.htm

— Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola.com