Dunedin primary school pupils were tasked with saving their favourite teddies’ lives during a class aimed at teaching the 6 and 7-year-olds CPR.
Hato Hone St John asked the pupils at Carisbrook School to bring their teddy bears for practice so if someone did go into cardiac arrest and no adults were around, they would know what to do.
Year 2 pupil Jacob Hosking (7) said if he found someone who needed help and there were no "big people" around, he would first ask them loudly if they were OK, and if he got no answer he would spring into action.
"Turn your stuffy sideways and push down on his chest for one minute. You need to first shout ‘are you awake?’ really loud and dial 111."
He practised his newly-learnt CPR skills on his beloved teddy named "Bob" by pressing on his chest to the tune of Baby Shark.
The class was his favourite part of his day and he especially liked saving his teddy, Jacob said.
Hato Hone St John said in a statement teaching primary school aged pupils to learn basic CPR skills was part of World Restart a HeartDay, and also fell in the middle of the annual "Shocktober", Hato Hone St John’s annual CPR awareness month.
St John national manager of community education Jacci Tatnell said it was about teaching the steps that needed to be taken in a cardiac arrest from an early age.
"We encourage parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children.
"Building awareness with children on the actions to take in the event of a cardiac arrest may save a life through practice and sharing their learnings with their families.
"Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere and being prepared and knowledgeable about what to do, no matter what your age, can be key to a positive outcome — it only takes two hands to save a life," she said.
