Healthy Harold pops-up in the Outback in a new outdoor classroom
Tuesday, 22 Aug 2023
For the first time, children from Bourke experienced a new-look outdoor Healthy Harold classroom, bringing health education to students in an innovative and exciting way.
For over 40 years, Life Ed has been dedicated to supporting every student’s success and ensuring health equity for all children and young people. That’s why specialist Educators Kial and Amanda, along with well-known mascot Healthy Harold, have been visiting regional schools across the Bourke region in a brand new pop-up classroom. Over the past 10 years, more than 21,000 students from regional and remote schools in the Orana region benefited from the program, normally delivered in the iconic Life Ed Mobile Learning Centres (vans).
An agile alternative to the van, the Life Ed outdoor pop-up classroom is designed to be used in schools that can’t accommodate a van or when a quick response is required. It fits in the back of a purpose-built ute and inflates in a matter of minutes.
Specialist Educator Kial Malone said the pop-up classroom helps Life Ed to reach more children, across vast distances, faster than ever before.
“It’s important that all children have equitable learning opportunities, no matter their location or circumstance. The pop-up classroom brings an innovative and exciting experience to our regional schools. Throughout the trip, we travelled over 5,000 kilometres. The students absolutely loved the outdoor pop-up classroom, and teachers shared how great it was for the school to have access to the same engaging and memorable learning experience as city school counterparts.”
“While a step away from the traditional mode of delivery, the outdoor pop-up classroom still boasts much-loved features of the van including cutting-edge technology, touch screens and interactive lessons – and of course, Healthy Harold,” said Kial.
Over the two-journey, Kial and Amanda traversed the red earthy roads with Healthy Harold, visiting 10 regional primary schools where they delivered health and wellbeing lessons to 340 students. Among their stops was Bourke Primary School, with whom Life Ed have fostered a partnership with spanning over a decade.
Our specialist Educators also embarked on their own adventures along the way. From kayaking on The Murray Darling and Bogan Rivers, to hiking the trails of Gundabooka National Park, the duo really made the most of their time in the outback. They even made a stop at the famous Carinda Hotel evoked a sense of nostalgia as they stood where David Bowie once danced for the “Let’s Dance” film clip
However, the best part of the journey were the connections formed with the local community and students who felt empowered with the skills and strategies to look after their physical, social and emotional wellbeing.
