Dreamworld puts healthy habits on the school menu

Australia’s biggest playground, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World, has sharpened its pencil on the issue of childhood obesity and sun safety by launching a hands-on educational program aimed at raising awareness of healthy habits among adolescent school children.

The Dreamkids – Healthy Habit Attack! is a self-directed half day program that encourages school students between Years 5 and 9 to traverse the 37 hectare theme parks and analyse three key areas of health: Fitness, Sun Safety and Healthy Food Habits.

Students will investigate how their well-being is influenced by personal, social, cultural and environmental factors through a series of fun and practical activities. They will be tasked with calculating the amount of energy expended walking from one thrill ride to another, the number of steps to climb to burn popular foods, and how to design a day in park to avoid the harshest UV rays. Using foods available on the theme park menu boards, they will also develop meals for different dietary and cultural requirements and learn how to recognise healthier options from occasional treats.

The Dreamkids – Healthy Habit Attack! program was launched at WhiteWater World today by Mayor of Gold Coast City and former Olympian, Ron Clarke and Dreamworld CEO, Noel Dempsey. The pair was accompanied by 30 school students from nearby Chisholm Catholic College.

A long-time advocate of good health, Mayor Clarke said, “Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health issues facing Australia, with experts reporting the number of overweight children doubling and the number of obese children trebling in the past decade.

“We have to get through to our kids that it’s fine to have the occasional treat as long as they balance high joule foods with 30 minutes of activity every day. That can be in the form of competitive sports or incidental play like a day out at Dreamworld.”

Mayor Clarke added that, “Years 5 to 9 is a critical period when adolescents are formulating values and setting patterns for life. Programs such as Dreamkids - Healthy Habit Attack! reinforce concepts learnt at home and in school.”

Dreamworld CEO Noel Dempsey said the launch of Education Queensland’s “Year of Physical Activity” in 2008 sparked the idea for a hands-on HPE program to add to the 12 programs already offered to school children including maths, physics, biology and tourism marketing.

“Our parks offer a whole spectrum of foods - from healthy salad sandwiches through to high calorie treats - all against the back drop of a full day of play. By using our theme parks as a real life example of the concepts taught in school, kids will be able to get a first-hand understanding of the basic rule that energy in should not exceed energy out and how considered food choices combined with increased activity leads to healthier lifestyles.”

Mr Dempsey explained that recent exit surveys showed that over the course of a single day’s visit to Dreamworld, the average 10 to 15 year old will walk almost 10,000 steps, whereas at WhiteWater World, an adolescent swims an average 30 minutes and climbs up 1270 stairs to access the water slides.

“That’s about as many steps as it takes to get to the Observation Deck of the 78 storey Q1 Resort tower,” Mr Demsey said.

“Anyone who has explored our theme parks with their kids, moving from the Hydrocoaster at one end to the Australian Wildlife Experience at the other and who has climbed the stairs to the Tower of Terror knows that it’s pretty easy to clock up a very active day at Dreamworld and WhiteWater World.”

The Dreamkids – Healthy Habit Attack program was piloted on year 8 students from Chisholm Catholic College in March this year.

Geoff Macleod, Sports Master of Chisholm Catholic College has led three Year 8 classes through the program and says he will recommend it to other teachers.

“The kids initially focused on the Dreamworld side of things. But once they got there, they took (the activities) on board and they counted the steps. By the end of the day the message sank in and they absolutely understood that the more chips they ate, the more steps they have to make. The fact that it was at Dreamworld was a bonus,” he explained.

“I would definitely recommend it to other teachers because the program has put an educational background into the activities and it gives us ready resources we can use in the classroom. In a sense Dreamworld has done some of the work for us. The kids love it and so do the teachers.”

To support Education Queensland’s “Smart Choices Strategy”, Dreamworld school lunch options now include “green” foods which students are encouraged to eat often, “amber” foods which should be selected carefully and “red” foods, which are occasional treat foods.

The Dreamkids – Healthy Habit Attack program aligns with the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reportings Framework (QCAR) Essential Learnings and Standards. It encompasses learning outcomes that fall within the Health and Physical Education Essential Learnings, but also provides opportunities to link to the English, Technology and The Arts Essential Learnings.

Dreamworld’s Healthy Habit Attack costs $33.00 per secondary student and $22.00 per primary student including entry to Dreamworld or $21.50 per secondary student and $14.00 per primary student including entry to WhiteWater World. Teacher and student workbooks are included and extension activities, targeting year 9 students - are provided at the end of each section for further class work or homework activities. Each of the three sections can be used independently or as a whole workbook.

The Dreamworld Healthy Habit Attack program will appeal to all schools, especially those within a 90 minute travelling time of Dreamworld.

Bookings are essential and can be made by calling 07 5588 1184 or emailing: education@dreamworld.com.au.