Aimed at instilling healthy habits like moving their bodies, eating extra fruit and vegetables, drinking more water, getting a good night sleep and reducing leisure time spent on screens, the 2022 Zespri Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure has so far reached out to 2188 children at 79 school classrooms across Canterbury.
The children have joined forces with celebrity heroes Ardie Savea, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, Kane Williamson and Samantha Charlton, to travel the virtual globe while they learn to be healthier.
Classes taking part in the Virtual Adventure work as a team to travel across the world. Along the way they are met by their sporting heroes and ASICS ambassadors who will show them around and share some interesting facts about local history and geography, as well as some of their pro health and wellbeing tips.
Recently the adventure founder Kim Harvey visited Kaiapoi Borough School to congratulate the classes there taking part in the scheme. She told the children they were part of over 120,000 children nation-wide who have undertaken the five week long programme.
She said the programme has been perfected for the digital generation with each child designing a unique avatar which they’ll see interacting with their classmates and the sports stars at every stop.
‘‘Better still, every real world healthy choice – like moving their body, eating a piece of fruit or drinking water - comes with the instant reward of digital points to add to their class total, Over a 5 week period, these actions start to become ingrained so the likelihood of continuing them is much greater than from a one-off lesson,’’ says Kim.
