Dutomajček in the Health Promoting School

Slovenia

Healthy lifestyle

Focus Area

Healthy lifestyle in general - nutrition, physical activity, well-being

Target Group

From 1st to 5th grade
(from 6 to 10 years old).

By Lejla Ramirez (teacher) and Iris Gregorčič (teacher)

Purpose of Dutomajček in Health Promoting School

The activities were mainly aimed at encouraging pupils to adopt healthier lifestyles, but also promoted joint activities with parents and the local community.

Preparation Phase

At the beginning of the 2022/2023 school year, we introduced the SHE4AHA project and the idea for creating a booklet that would encourage children to adopt a healthier lifestyle to all colleagues from the HPS (Health Promoting School) team. In November 2022, we gathered concrete ideas and planned the booklet. By February, we had completed and printed the booklet (including the graphic materials) and I presented it to the parents during parent-teacher meetings (both at the central and branch school) and encouraged them to participate. We also introduced the booklet to all students from 1st to 5th grade and their class teachers. Each interested child received a booklet along with a motivational letter containing additional instructions for parents.

Implementation Phase

The children were completing the tasks from the booklet from the end of February to the end of May. During this time, we had also organized different charity events at the school, which gave students the opportunity to complete some tasks at school. In the pilot project we had also planned to incorporate the activities into the curriculum. So we encouraged some class teachers to intertwine the planned activities into their lessons, further motivating the children to complete them. The majority of children from 1st to 3rd grade participated in the project, while fewer students from 4th and 5th grade joined in.

About Primary School Dutovlje

School is situated in traditional rural area in municipality Sežana in Karst region. The social structure in such village, as in many smaller Slovenian rural communities, is often intertwined with traditional values, family ties, and local customs. Families are typically multigenerational (grandparents, parents, and children). We are closely connected to our immediate surroundings and closely cooperate with the local community (families, non-governmental organizations – sports and agricultural societies, local health centre, municipality …).

Primary School Dutovlje has 256 pupils from 6 to 14 years old (from 1st to 9th grades) and 34 teachers. A part of the school is also a dislocated unit (a branch school) in a nearby village named Tomaj. There are 20 pupils from the 1st to 5th grade.

Besides regular school lessons according to the curriculum we also implement different kinds of organized activities with students (obligatory and extended programme). In the scope of the obligatory programme school organises days of activities (cultural, science, sports or technical activity days) for all classes which create cross-curricular links.

For over a decade, we have been involved in the Network of Health Promoting Schools. We promote and enhance overall well-being – physical, mental, social, and environmental – through a variety of activities. We take a whole-school approach to health. We integrate health education into our curriculum and organize various projects and activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle for pupils and teachers. We also foster collaboration with parents, the local community, healthcare providers, and other organizations.

School’s website: http://www.os-dutovlje.si/

At the end of May we invited all participating children and parents to the closing event on Saturday, May 27, 2023. We prepared seven workshops for the children and parents, which were divided into mixed groups. All workshops were thematically linked to the tasks from the booklet: Fruit and vegetable smoothies and skewers (preparing a smoothie and skewer from available ingredients), Emotions (making “emotion buddies” – balls from balloons and flour), Yoga (story yoga), Oral health (reviewing sugar content in popular foods, proper oral hygiene…), Mindfulness in nature (lying on the grass and focusing on nature with all senses), Funny games (fun relay races on the playground), a Physical activity challenge (a skill challenge from the booklet), and Screen-free day (drawing ideas on how to creatively spend a day without TV/computer/phone screens). The workshops were led by

The workshops were led by teachers, psychologists, and nurses from local Health Centre. This event was a result of a year-long project collaboration with health professionals from the local health centre. The day concluded with exchange of used books, board games, and toys, as well as the announcement of the physical activity challenge results. The winners of the physical challenge were rewarded with fruit. At the end of the event, parents were asked to fill out a feedback survey.

We also involved the students from 7th to 9th grade to help with the organization of the event, which encouraged them to take part in the project.

The “free ticket” for the entrance to the event was the booklet, which had to be completed. After the event, I reviewed the submitted booklets, scanned them, stamped them with a bunny motif, and returned them to the students in the following days. We also reviewed the completed surveys. The results showed great satisfaction with the project (both the booklet and the closing event) among parents and students. Many expressed a desire to repeat the project and for more similar initiatives.

After the activities concluded, we published a description and photos of the event on the school’s website and wrote a piece for the local newsletter. The planned activity of promoting the project and its results is thus fulfilled.

Project results

The project was a great success. We were impressed by the high level of motivation of parents and pupils to participate in the project during the school year. Through active involvement participants gained valuable insights into healthier lifestyle choices and more fulfilling ways to spend their free time. Good response from pupils – good attendance at workshops, demonstrated interest in participation, positive response from colleagues and satisfaction with the implementation and participation in the workshops.

Parents responded very positively and in large numbers (better cooperation between school and parents was one of the main objective of the pilot project), they were the main motivators for children to participate. Parents also attended the final event in large numbers.

Project Challenges

We have identified some of the main challenges in the implementation of the project. Namely: how to find “the right” ideas to encourage children to adopt healthy lifestyles; how to make a visually appealing booklet; how to get students and parents to take part in planned activities. And this is, how we overcame that challenges. At the beginning, we had to brainstorm a ton of great ideas to create our booklet. Teacher named Iris drew our bunny mascot, Dutomajček, who became the face of SHE4AHA pilot project. We learned a lot about computer design and print preparation. Then, we introduced the booklet to parents and pupils, encouraging them to participate in the project. While the students had the booklet at home, we motivated them in different ways to complete the tasks, like organizing charity events or talking about what they learned.

Success Factors

The project’s success can be attributed to several key factors, including the initial motivation of the team members, effective collaboration of all involved throughout the project, and the strong support of the management. The project coordinator played a vital role in maintaining a clear vision, ensuring careful organization, and providing clear instructions to the team members. The active engagement of parents and pupils, as well as the enthusiastic participation of the invited health professionals, contributed significantly to the project’s overall success.

Future Perspectives

These are projects that would have been created (or have already been created) regardless of participation in the SHE4AHA project. The school is part of a HPS network and has extensive experience in promoting health in the school setting. They have already implemented many similar projects and will continue to do so in the future. Projects developed within the framework of SHE4AHA will continue, some will be upgraded, and some will repeat the activity in a few years when generations of pupils change.

Recommendations

“To foster a positive work environment, teachers should design tasks that are both engaging and motivating. They should build their team with colleagues they have a strong working relationship with.”