Healthy Schools Week 2019
Over the recent years we have enjoyed a series of fun-filled weeks promoting healthy living. Previous themes include Active Families in 2018 and Self Directed Play in 2017. In 2019 we explored The Importance of Play.
On Monday Mr Williams returned to the school to kick start the week with his most recent PLAYlist of games and physical activities designed to challenge the children’s creative movement and creative thinking skills. Mixed age group play was a feature with older children co-coaching alongside Mr Williams in each lesson. The older children were encouraged to model skills that may inspire younger peers to ‘stretch’ beyond their current capabilities. They would also take on the role of group leaders, practising the skills needed to guide and support others.
On Monday afternoon Class 2 ventured up into the school wood to take part in a Forest School session where they faced playful outdoor challenges. Bear Grylls would have been proud!
On Tuesday the whole school from Nursery to Year 4 got together in the hall to make our own healthy wraps and fruit kebabs for lunch - yum!
As a special Healthy Week treat we were super excited to welcome a team of Hockey Heroes into school and they didn’t disappoint with a fantastic session. In the session we explored skills with sticks and by the end some Whitley Chapel Hockey Heroes had started to emerge. Well done to all the children who took part - you rocked it!
Exploration is a key aspect of PLAY and in today’s world one of the most popular things to explore and play on are mobile devices. With this in mind we decided to promote the importance of E-Safety to help all of our children better understand how they can make the most the internet (which undeniably is an amazing resource) in a super safe way. For many, sweets and treats are equally as popular as phones, tablets and console games - all things we want the children to enjoy in moderation. So who better to tell us about better eating habits and oral care than a visiting dentist! The children enjoyed finding out about how they can keep their teeth in the best possible condition and what current habits may be a potential problem for their teeth in the future.
Later in the week Mr Williams was back with a new extended PLAYlist of games for Reception and Year 1, as well as a series of playful challenges to test how resourceful and imaginative Year 2, 3 and 4 can be.
Feel Good Friday concluded with parents and friends joining us for a very jolly Sing-Along. At Whitley Chapel First we recognise the positive lasting impact singing can have on our emotional health and we wanted to promote this to friends and families of all ages. We finished off the day by selling some healthier vegetable muffins which the children had made in the morning, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. We would like to thank everyone who got involved and to those who contributed to such a fantastic week!
Central to the week were three key aims:
- Sport and healthy lifestyles are here to be enjoyed. Playful experiences that have fun at the core can boost wellbeing. This week we wanted to measure and value smiles and laughter (children and staff).
- Sport and healthy lifestyles are here to be enjoyed with others. This week we wanted to measure and value the contribution being made by everyone.
- Sport and healthy lifestyles are malleable. They can be shaped and improved through creative exploration, experimentation and collaboration. This week we also wanted to measure and value the creative effort on display across all activities.