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As part of the reporting on the interim evaluation of the Healthy Primary School of the Future study, we are republishing previously published articles about this study. This article features BS Langeberg in Brunssum, which primarily implemented the movement aspect of the study.
We previously reported on the interim evaluation of the Healthy Primary School of the Future study. One of the schools participating in the study is OBS Wereldwijs in Landgraaf. They have implemented changes in the areas of physical activity and nutrition and adapted the lessons to the circadian rhythm of the pupils.
It's snowing today. Time to make this healthy Happy Feet snack. Also fun for the school cafeteria!
The interim evaluation of the Healthy Primary School of the Future study shows that the focus on nutrition and physical activity at school is bearing fruit. Eight primary schools in South Limburg are participating in the study. Four schools have adapted their school environment for the study, while the other four are control schools.
Attention to nutrition and exercise in primary schools is bearing fruit. This is evident from an interim evaluation after two years involving eight schools (2 Nutrition-and-Exercise Schools, two Exercise Schools and 4 Control Schools) in South Limburg. The schools are participating in the Healthy Primary School of the Future, a research project by Maastricht University. A total of 1,676 children took part in the study.
Tuesday, April 2, is National Outdoor Learning Day once again. This year, 1,284 schools are already taking part in this initiative by Jantje Beton and IVN Nature Education. Schools that register will receive the free digital Outdoor Learning Bundle with the most enjoyable lessons in March.
Since its launch a month ago, the child abuse reporting code app for childcare has been downloaded more than 6,200 times. This is more than expected and, of course, very good news, but the goal has not yet been reached.
From 18 to 22 March, the Week of Spring Fever will take place. This week is intended for primary education, including special primary education. This year's theme for the Week is ‘I’d really like to know – have you told me everything yet?’. The week, which began 12 years ago with 24 schools, now has 2,500 participating schools.
The Roland School in the rural village of Roland in the Canadian province of Manitoba has had a sensory path in its hallway since November, where children can do all kinds of activities. These range from stomping, jumping and hopping to squatting, doing squats and push-ups.
How do you ensure that you do not overload students’ working memory? And how do you ensure that new knowledge takes root effectively? The book ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ by professor and education blogger Paul Kirschner, Luce Claessens and Steven Raaijmakers provides primary school teachers with insights from cognitive psychology.
Truly experiencing nature. That is the starting point of the educational programme ‘Nature’s Helping Forces’, with seven varied activities for pupils in groups 4, 5 and 6. The programme was developed by Koppert Biological Systems, a company that breeds beneficial insects for horticulture, in collaboration with Naturalis to mark KBS’s 50th anniversary.
The youth doctor is largely known to parents. This is revealed by research conducted by Ouders & Onderwijs. Two thirds of parents know that their child has a youth doctor. Some parents also know who that is, but most parents do not. The survey also shows that around 60% of parents know how to reach the youth doctor, or know where to look this up. The research was conducted among parents from the National Parent Panel of Ouders & Onderwijs. A questionnaire was completed by 283 parents with a child in primary school.
The Association of Parents in Childcare (BOinK) has developed a new website for professionals in education and childcare as part of the Movement Against Child Abuse. On this site, teachers, teaching assistants, childcare workers, childminders and other professionals from the two sectors can find reliable information on this subject, brought together and clearly organised in one place.
Eating healthily is quite a challenge. For everyone. There is no instant solution. It’s all about your habits. You can’t change those overnight. Because major changes are harder to maintain. That’s why the Netherlands Nutrition Centre is introducing the Food Swap. The idea is to make small food swaps within what you already eat. With every swap, you take better care of yourself and the environment.
Sleep is the foundation of your daily functioning. This applies to you as a teacher or educator, but also to all your pupils or students. When you yourself have had a few lousy nights of sleep, you will probably recognize that you have less patience, are less able to concentrate and have a shorter fuse. Many children nowadays suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. It may then seem as though the child is uninterested, lazy, difficult, cheeky or has behavioral problems. The underlying cause could therefore also be a sleep problem. With this column, I want to open your eyes to signs of sleep problems that you may initially have thought were unwillingness or misconduct. But above all, I want you to ask further questions and do something about it.
Kinderopvang Humanitas and IVN Nature Education are joining forces for the first time to organize a series of sparkling winter outdoor activities called Hartje Winter. Children can take part at hundreds of childcare locations throughout the country, precisely during the coldest period of the year, when many children stay indoors, from 7 January through 8 February 2019. Hartje Winter brings outdoor play and nature education together.
As of 1 January 2019, professionals working in education, healthcare, childcare, social support, youth services and the justice system must use an assessment framework as part of the reporting code for domestic violence and child abuse. The reporting code helps professionals deal with signs of domestic violence and child abuse.
The annual study trip focusing on a healthy lifestyle at school visited Norway in 2018. The 50 enthusiastic participants were impressed. Not only by the country and its nature, but especially by the enormous (outdoor) spaces schools have and how they use them during nutrition lessons, learning through movement, outdoor learning and active breaks during lessons.
Three years ago, a pilot project for the ‘Specialist in Active and Healthy Schools’ profile was launched at six teacher-training colleges in the Netherlands. Monique van Ark, who works at Leiden University of Applied Sciences and is project leader of the teacher-training programme ‘Specialist in Active and Healthy Schools’, explains the importance of the profile. “Schools do not always currently have the necessary expertise. A Specialist in Active and Healthy Schools does.”
“The #MeToo discussion once again shows how important it is to recognize inequality, violence and coercion in relationships and in everyday interactions. When is sexual contact wanted, when is it unwanted, how can you indicate where your boundaries lie and make it clear how far you want to go? We address these and many other questions through the theme of Relationships and sexuality.” Speaking is Maaike Rodenboog, curriculum developer at SLO – the National Expertise Centre for Curriculum Development. Maaike is involved as project leader in the development of the Curriculum Framework for a Healthy Lifestyle. Relationships and sexuality is one of the seven themes addressed in it.
Six teacher training colleges are working with the profile ‘Specialist in an Active and Healthy School’. We can see what this means in practice at Sjaloom School in Katwijk, where principal Raymon Hoek welcomed his specialist intern Justin with open arms.
Since 2014, Denmark has had a new curriculum aimed at improving the quality of education, among other things by introducing more physical activity during lessons. In addition, the Danish town of Haderslev has been home to the ‘Schools for Health Europe’ network since last year, and participants in the study trip to Scotland indicated that they considered Denmark an interesting destination. So off to Denmark!
This Norwegian alphabet snake is great fun. It can be used to learn the alphabet and to play all kinds of word games.
Children are spending increasing amounts of time sitting down, both at home and at school, and often in front of a screen. Sitting too much, and especially sitting incorrectly, can lead to all kinds of physical problems, such as pain, posture problems, obesity and RSI—troubles we would gladly spare our children.
Several years ago, it emerged that, proportionally, more children in the municipality of Brunssum in South Limburg were overweight and had motor development delays. The municipality of Brunssum and RiskCare Preventie therefore decided to intensify their cooperation in 2014 and launch Brunssum in Action, which focuses on primary schools. After three years, the results of this campaign have been so positive and enthusiasm among the participating primary schools has been so great that it was decided to continue for another three years. Toddler care is now also involved.
Looking for a useful tool for movement-based maths learning? At Hannestad Primary School in Norway, a large dartboard has been attached to the school playground.
A Healthy School is a socially safe school, where everyone can be themselves and is treated with respect. Sexuality education in primary schools contributes to a socially safe environment and respectful interactions. How can you do this as a school? A great way to get started is the Week of Spring Fever.