Trip to Health Promotion Board

Accompanied my students on a trip to the Health Promotion Board. Purpose of the trip was to increase their awareness and knowledge of health problems and healthy food choices, but they seemed to be more interested in getting together and fooling around than learning.

On the bus, almost everyone was armed with a mp3 phone and started their own mini concerts by blasting their tunes out loud and singing to them. They would blatantly 'shop' for mp3s from one another, and the most common request was "Eh, I don't have this song, Bluetooth me." In my times, tidbits were the highlight of school excursions, and the common request was "Eh, pass over that bag of potato chips". My, how times have changed.

Upon reaching the HPB, the students were getting rowdy and noisy, and I was really embarassed. They were given quiz worksheets to fill in, and the answers could be found by looking at the exhibits. The Health Zone was designed like the Science Centre, with interactive exhibits on food and nutrition, smoking, dental care, eye care, puberty and pregnancy (which the boys were interested in) etc. It was an eye-opener.

An exhibit on the harmful effects on drugs (the impact was brought out by the innocent theme of candies)

A bunch of monkeys fooling around at an exhibit

Bringing these kids out was not easy. It was embarassing to have to shout at them in public.