Overview

Medtronic Community Involvement Project – Healthy Living

The Medtronic Healthy Living Program combines aspects of healthy living that are linked to the Physical Education (PE) and Science curriculum in the primary school and highlight the benefits of exercise in its many different forms leading to a much improved lifestyle. The science activities serve to highlight the advantages of exercise for the heart and body muscles and the food experiments highlight the combination of the best nutrients for the body. The strands of the PE curriculum are reflective of a wide range of activities, not just focused on games, with activities suitable for a range of interests, showing also that exercise should be equally about enjoyment as activity.

Three of the six strands of the PE Curriculum as designated by the Department of Education- Dance, Gymnastics and Outdoor and Adventure strands are incorporated in the lessons delivered as part of the Healthy Living Program. The Dance strand helps children to learn through dance, it improves body management skills and develops creativity and imagination. Gymnastics promotes skilful body management and indicates how movement can be developed sequentially. Outdoor and Adventure activities often appeal to children who may not be highly motivated to participate in physical activity and children are encouraged to undertake simple challenges and negotiate obstacles along the way. The physical activities are combined with different science activities. Data Logging to show the increase in heart rate when dancing, highlights how exercise increases the heart rate, and is beneficial to maintaining a healthy heart rate, thus leading to a healthy lifestyle. The Gymnastics activities are combined with a Science activity involving pullies and levers illustrating to children the advantages of exercise for building strong and healthy muscles. The Outdoor and Adventure activities further show the benefits of exercise for the body. Finally, the food experiments, using vegetables grown in the school garden, illustrate the benefits of eating vegetables with essential nutrients required for growth and repair of cells.

While children are enjoying the physical activity, and participating in science activities, ultimately they are seeing first hand the benefits of exercise, and good food for a healthy body. The Healthy Living Program provides a unique learning experience for the children involved as it provides a forum and environment for them to make a connection between the activities they participate in with skills they will use throughout their lives – creativity, discipline, exercise, healthy eating, teamwork, communication skills and self motivation.