The (Extremely) Common Cold
We bet you've had a common cold before! One out of two people will get one
this winter. Many common colds are caused by the "rhino virus" which means
"nose virus." As you probably know, a cold will give you a stuffy nose. A
person with a cold also often has a sore throat and headache and feels tired. Winter is a big time for colds. But it's not the cold temperatures
of winter that cause colds. (Think about it: People who live in cold places like Antarctica don't get more colds than people who live in warmer
places.) Scientists believe that it may actually be the change in temperature that makes people more likely to catch colds in winter. Other scientists say that in winter, people spend more time cooped up indoors. With more people inside together, there are more chances for cold germs to spread. One more thing: Did you know that mucus in your nose actually helps keep you from getting colds and other infections?
THIS WAS THE QUESTION...
Describe (in seven sentences or less): There are many different ideas about why so many people get colds in winter. What do you think is the reason? Give evidence to support your answer! If you get a cold this winter, and your nose is stuffed up, think about this question: Does your food taste any different when you have a cold? Why might that be? Even if you don't get a cold, you can try an experiment. Pinch your nose shut and eat several different flavors of jelly beans, one at a time. What happens when you eat the jelly beans with your nose blocked up? Can you tell the different flavors of jelly beans or do they all taste the same? Why do you think that is?
HERE ARE SOME OF YOUR RESPONSES:
I think the reason I got a cold is because I go to ABC Preschool. There are 20 kids in my class. Some kids don't wash their hands after we play with toys and Playdoh. So when I put my fingers or hands on my face, the germs get into my nose. That's how I get a cold.
Name: Zachary M.
Age: 3
Location: USA
I think people get colds because some of them don't wear jackets and some of them don't wear boots and it's easier for them to get colds. I think that because some of them go out in the wrong clothes. You should wear jackets and boots and lots of warm stuff, like hats, snow pants, and gloves.
Name: Kayli
Age: 5
Location: Montana (USA)
I believe that people get colds because of being stuck in an enclosed area for a period of time. When you are stuck inside with family or friends or even strangers you pass germs back and forth. Sometimes our bodies are not quick enough to fight them off. Sometimes you get a cold quickly and sometimes you don't get one at all. It all depends on ventilation. The more air movement, the chances of getting a cold are slimmer. Hope you don't get one.
Name: Daryl
Age: 9
Location: Guelph, Ontario (Canada)
People get more colds in the winter time because during the winter people like to snuggle more. When people snuggle more, they spread more germs to each other. This causes them to get sick more often.
Name: Zachary
Age: 6
Location: California (USA)
I think that colds are caused by bacteria. I think that when I eat jelly beans they taste the same when I block my nose or I don't .
Name: Jacky H.
Age: 4
Location: Ishpeming, Michigan (USA)
People get colds in winter because they spread germs by kissing, sneezing
and talking. In winter in doors the air gets germ, because people are
inside a lot. My sister had a cold and spread germs to my baby brother,
now he has a cold.
Food tastes different because your nose is clogged up. Smell goes through
the nose and into the smell part of the brain. The brain tells you what
kind of food it is. And if your nose is clogged up you can't smell the
food so you don't know what it is going to taste like.
Name: Alicia H.
Age: 7
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan (USA)
More colds in the winter time because there are more germs in our houses and
our houses are all closed up, not like the summer.
The sun is a big germ magnet, and attracts germs in the summer and kills them.
My ketchup tasted different when I had a cold, but my nose was not clogged up.
So food tastes different when we don't feel good.
Name: Jared
Age: 6
Location: Illinois (USA)
I think the reason people get so many colds in winter is because they stay outside too long and get a chill and germs attack them. I tasted four different flavors of Smarties. When I plugged my nose, I didn't taste anything. I think its because you need to smell to taste, because you taste with your nose.
Name: Evan
Age: 7
Location: Alberta (Canada)
When I sneeze, my mom says to cover my mouth so I don't spread germs to other people, inside or outside. If I sneeze in my hand and touch someone they will get the germs. If I sneeze in a tissue then the germs do not spread. When I have a bad cold, I can not taste my food. I think you can not taste food because your sense of smell is not working.
Name: Janey
Age: 7
Location: Wisconsin (USA)
I think that a change in temperature makes people catch cold. When it
gets cold in Canada, lots of kids in my class get sick. If your nose is
plugged, the jelly beans would all taste the same because your sense of
taste and your sense of smell are too close together. You can't taste
anything when your nose is plugged.
Name: Daniel
Age: 8
Location: Alberta (Canada)
People get colds because people don't always wash their hands so they may
spread germs. There could be kids in school who are sick and spread germs
by coughing or sneezing on or around you. I know something about this
because I have a cold right now!!!!
Name: Kyle
Age: 7
Location: Pennsylvania (USA)
Many people get colds in the winter because they wear regular light clothes and go outside and aren't dressed for winter. They get very
chilly, air goes through their clothes and down their throat and they start
coughing everyday and it tickles their throat. Then they get very sick. They
then need to rest, dress warm, stay in bed, and drink/eat chicken noodle soup.
Name: Alison F.
Age: 5
Location: Sharon Hill, PA (USA)
People get colds in the winter for the same reason they get colds at any other time of the year. Why? Because people spread germs all the time when they cough and sneeze and when they touch just about everything they touch. Germs are everywhere. That's why it is important to always cover your nose and mouth when you have to sneeze or cough and remember to wash your hands frequently.
Name: Philip
Age: 6
Location: Minnesota (USA)
People get sick because they don't take care of themselves and their immune
systems run down. Also scrapes and cuts that don't have Band-Aids will
allow an infection to come into the body. The nose affects our taste cells
and if the nose is blocked then the taste cells can't do their job.
Name: John
Age: 7
Location: Pennsylvania (USA)
I think more people get colds in winter because they are inside more. The
air inside houses and schools is often stale and has lots of viruses and
other germs in it. Air outside is cleaner so when you're outside in spring
and summer you don't get as many colds. When I have a cold my nose is
stuffed up and I can't taste my food. That's because food taste comes
mostly from the aroma of the food. So if can't smell I can't taste.
Name: Cory
Age: 5
Location: Delaware, Ontario (Canada)
I think people get colds in the winter because they are mostly inside.
Everyone in that house, office, etc. is producing heat. It is a known fact that
bacteria, such as the cold virus, produce in mass quantities when introduced to
a large heat source. The bacteria then can easily get from host to host.
Name: Sondra
Age: 12
Location: Massachusetts (USA)
Because sometimes people say: "Oh, it's sunny out." Then they don't wear
their jackets. I just know this happens. It happened to my little
brother today. His nose looks really gross. Your food all tastes the
same because your taste buds get a cold, too.
Name: Conor
Age: 4 1/2
Location: Connecticut (USA)
I think one reason why people get colds is because they're in the house
in the winter with the heater on and the vent blows in lots of germs.
The germs might come from the furnace and they can't get out because the
windows are usually shut in the winter and the doors don't open very
much.
Name: Tonya
Age: 9
Location: Fremont, Nebraska (USA)
I've learned that taste and smell are so close together, if one is shut
down, the other doesn't function as well. I believe if you are warm at
one time, then introduced to a cold temperature, you may catch a cold.
Name: Justin
Well I think that you get sick because of the friends you have. Some
of my friends don't care that they get people sick. Like my friend Jenny
she was sick so when she came back after one day, two of my friends and
I got sick. She was breathing all over us. And before that her sister
was sick. I rest my case.
Name: Andrea
Age: 8
Location: Surrey B.C. (Canada)
