Activities & Programs

Visit the Museum

Healthy, Active Living

PROGRAM GOALS

• To understand the factors that lead to becoming overweight
• To understand the risks associated with obesity
• To understand the roles of healthy eating & physical activity in a healthy lifestyle

PROGRAM ORGANIZATION

Part I: Pre-Visit Activity

The pre-visit activity is completed by the teacher before the visit from museum staff. Students start by reading an article based on a World Health Organization fact sheet on obesity and defining some of the key terms. Next, there are a variety of activities for the teacher to choose from, all of which complement the study of terminology. The total time for the pre-visit activity ranges from 30 to 90 minutes.

Part II: Museum-Staff Visit

In the second portion of the program, museum staff visit the school for a 90-minute workshop to deliver a brief presentation, five activity stations, and a wrap-up activity. Each station has an interactive component for students to complete, along with notes to be written in their handout. The summary activity highlights the key concepts from each activity.

Activity Stations: Summary

Activity 1: Change in Fitness Level

Comparison of the daily activity of two average 12-year olds: one from 2006, the other from the 1860s.

Activity 2: Change in Diet - Part 1

Using breakfast cereals, students discover how much they usually consume (portion) compared to a Canada Food Guide serving, and how much of their daily intake of various foodstuffs are in that portion.

Activity 3: Change in Diet - Part 2

Investigation of change in portion size in the past 50 years, and familiarization of Canada Food Guide serving sizes through comparison with everyday objects. Activity 4: What is Physical Activity? Distinguishing between sedentary, moderately active, and vigorously active activities, and creating daily plans to increase physical activity.

Activity 5: Healthy-lifestyles Relay

Creating a healthy lifestyle by putting together a balance of healthy-food and physical-activity cards through a relay involving a variety of activities itself.

Part III: Post-Visit Activity

The third portion of the program is a post-visit activity (or activities) to be completed by the teacher with the students. A variety of choices are provided in the teacher's kit. The post-visit activity may be as short as 10 minutes, or as long as two hours, depending on the decision of the teacher.