The Life Education Programme
Education and prevention are better than fixing the broken lives of adults. The Life Education programme acts as an initiator, catalyst and motivator within schools. We are a health resource for pre-school, primary and intermediate schools that fits in closely with the Ministry of Education's Health and Physical Education Curriculum and Science Curriculum, and is delivered using multi-sensory teaching techniques to encourage all learning styles and help with retention of knowledge.
The programme is based on the four cornerstones of hauora (Maori health) with the interrelatedness of physical, mental/emotional, social and spiritual well-being. We currently have 19 learning modules that schools can use. All our modules are based on the three philosophical messages that we believe are essential to a child's development: that they are unique and special, that their bodies are magnificent and that we need to support and respect each other. Each module has a takehome workbook that is available in English and Maori.
Our learning modules
Recently we have worked with school principals to develop a new module and are overhauling the existing modules, audio visual clips and resources. We now offer 19 learning modules to primary and intermediate schools that can be adapted to meet specific curriculum needs. All our learning modules are based on Ted Noffs' original philosophy.
Our modules fall into five major strands: self-esteem, social relationships, body systems, food and nutrition and substances. Here is an overview:
| Major Strand | Pre School | Year 1 & 2 | Year 3 & 4 | Year 5 & 6 | Year 7 & 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self Esteem | VIP | I'm Different | It's Great To Be Me | ||
| Social Relationships | All Together | Happy and Healthy | Friends | Making Choices | |
| Body Systems | Caring for Our Body | Air to Live (Respiratory) | Heart Central (Circulatory) | Brainy Bunch (Brain) | Keeping a Balance (Nervous) |
| Food and Nutrition | Food for Energy or Harold's Picnic | Space Invaders | Body Journey | Warrant Of Fitness | |
| Substances | Quest | From the Shadows |
- The self-esteem modules focus on building a positive personal image, with children looking at their own unique personality, realising they are special because they're unique and accepting the uniqueness of others.
- The social relationships modules focus on friendships, bullying and self-responsibility. Children look at concepts such as being friendly as opposed to being a friend, and they learn about managing conflict.
- The body systems modules teach children about the circulatory, nervous, digestive and respiratory systems and children discuss other aspects of the body, such as vital organs. We aim to impart a sense of wonder and amazement at our bodies.
- Food and nutrition modules discuss body image, exercise and nutrition for good health.
- The substances module is tailored to explore the effects of legal and illegal drugs on the human body, particularly during puberty. Apart from infancy, puberty is the time in the human life cycle of the greatest growth and change of the body and more particularly the brain so any substance abuse during this time could have serious long term effects on the overall development of a young person. In this strand social consequences of drug use are also explored as well as looking at peer pressure, decision making and strengthening self confidence.
Here is a detailed list of our learning modules.
- Caring For Our Body (Pre-School)
- VIP (Year 1 & 2)
- All Together (Year 1 & 2)
- Air To Live (Year 1 & 2)
- Food For Energy (Year 1 & 2)
- Harold’s Picnic (Year 1 & 2)
- I’m Different (Year 3 & 4)
- Happy and Healthy (Year 3 & 4)
- Heart Central (Year 3 & 4)
- Space Invaders (Year 3 & 4)
- It’s Great To Be Me (Year 5 & 6)
- Friends (Year 5 & 6)
- Brainy Bunch (Year 5 & 6)
- Body Journey (Year 5 & 6)
- Quest (Year 5 & 6)
- Making Choices (Year 7 & 8)
- Keeping A Balance (Year 7 & 8)
- Warrant Of Fitness (Year 7 & 8)
- From The Shadows (Year 7 & 8)
To discuss having any of these modules delivered at your school, please call your local Life Education educator. You can find his/her details by clicking here.