Championing health at the school athletics carnival
The school athletics carnival is a great time to promote healthy lifestyle messages to your school community, focusing not just on the benefits of exercise but also the importance of other behaviours such as healthy eating and protecting skin from the sun.
Schools can better promote health this way through some simple steps before and during the school athletics carnival.
Before the day of the carnival:
Involve the school community
- Engage the whole school community when planning your healthy athletics carnival.
- Invite the school health nurse to coordinate a health information stand.
- Involve the canteen early so they can plan a healthy carnival menu.
- Contact local businesses for donations such as fresh vegies and fruit.
- Include health tips in your school newsletter or on your school website. Visit our online resources section to source your healthy tips.
Health Information Stand
- Contact health organisations for pamphlets, posters and other resources - e.g. Cancer Council WA (Crunch&Sip® and SunSmart), Diabetes WA, Foodbank WA, Eat for Health, Headspace.
- Provide free sunscreen for students, staff and parents.
- Sell hats, sunnies and apple slinkys as a fundrasing project.
- Hire VegieMan and Sid Seagull from Cancer Council WA. Contact our schools team for more information.
During the carnival:
Junk food free event
- Make the carnival a junk food free day for students, parents and staff.
- Encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks.
- Remind parents and staff to reward children with non-food items such as bouncy balls, stickers, a high five or some good old fashioned cheer!
Hold a Crunch&Sip® break
- Invite your students to participate in The Great Vegie Crunch and CRUNCH loudly on vegies.
- Remind students and parents that water is the best choice for hydration.
- Play the Crunch&Sip® rap during the Crunch&Sip® break.
Healthy Canteens
- Provide healthy food to fuel the kids such as corn on the cob, vegie pikelets, toasted jaffles, healthy burgers, yoghurt cups or fruit kebabs.
- Offer a sport-star meal deal that includes a healthy roll, piece of fruit and water or reduced fat milk.
- Stock a fruit bowl and sell whole pieces of fruit to parents on the side line.
Public Announcements
- Give short health messages over the PA - e.g. announce a Crunch&Sip® break, remember to sip on water.
- Monitor the SunSmart app to make regular UV announcements throughout the day. This will encourage and remind students, staff and visitors to reapply sunscreen and put on a SunSmart hat.
Be SunSmart
- Consider UV levels when scheduling events - UV levels peak in the middle of the day.
- Remind parents and students to bring sun protection such as hats, sunscreen, clothing and sunglasses.
- Request that staff, parents and visitors wear a sun protective hat (not a cap) and role model sun protection behaviours.
- Provide adequate shade for spectators and participants.
Faction bays
- Encourage student leaders and teachers to model healthy behaviours to younger students.
- Ensure there is enough shade provided for all students throughout the day.
- Have SunSmart monitors for each faction to ensure other students are practicing sun safety.
- Have sunscreen available and ask older students to help reapply sunscreen to younger students.