Introducing...... Teddy!

There was a rumor, nay, more like hushed whisperings that began spreading like wild fire. But there was no mistaking it, a teddy bear has emerged, seemingly out from the ashes, and she has volunteered herself for the utmost important role. No one knows who she is nor what she looks like. However, one thing is for sure, this ain’t no ordinary teddy bear. Ancient tale spoke of a teddy bear that was once a vital part of someone’s life. But one day, that girls spoke aloud and said, “This is for the greater good!” Hence, it became known that the teddy bear was given to TBH as a support for its wonderful cause. Not long after, the teddy bear was rechristened as “Teddy”.

Without further ado, let us introduce the face of TBH, Teddy!

She is a cheerful and cuddly teddy bear who loves to hug people and spread her love. Incidentally, she is also the project manager of our Teddy Bear Hospital and is responsible in overseeing our activities. Right now, Teddy will introduce the 4 stations that we will be running during our visit to the children.

Teddy Bear Clinic:

This is the main station of our program and is aimed at combating children’s stigma towards going to a physician. Children are often reluctant to visit a doctor because they fear the unexpected. Besides this, they often have misconceptions that going to a physician means encountering some form of pain or discomfort. The main goal of TBH and this activity is to show them that visits to the clinic/hospitals are not as scary as they seem. We want to exhibit the friendly, warm side of physicians in order to encourage the children not to be afraid. Our mission is to convince the children that there is nothing to fear when going to the doctor.

In this station, the children will act as parents to their teddy bears which are sick and require medical attention. The volunteers will play the part of physicians in the clinic/hospitals and will examine the teddy bears. Simple procedures will be done like auscultation, bandaging, giving an injection, checking for reflexes etc. The volunteers will show that there is nothing to fear in a medical checkup and that their teddy bears will recover faster after having seen a physician, encouraging children not to be afraid of future visits to a physician.

Healthy Eating Station:

The purpose of implementing this station is to introduce and encourage healthy eating practices among children and to introduce the concept that some food should be taken regularly and in generous amount while others should be taken sparingly and in light amounts. The ultimate goal is to instill the idea of a balanced diet and to decrease  child obesity in Malaysia as seen in market research.

In this station, we will first inquire about the children’s favorite food to get a general idea of the children’s preference on food. Next, a teddy bear will be introduced and the children will be instructed to suggest food that is suitable for the teddy bear for  healthy growth. Pictures of food will be shown to the children and they will be asked to guess which are the ones that are appropriate for the teddy bear to grow big and strong. The pictures of the healthy and unhealthy food will be separated into piles and we will then explain which food is damaging to our health and therefore should be taken moderately. Next, children will be shown a variety of food and then asked to construct a balance meal from those foods according to a food pyramid. The children, guided by the volunteers, will be given paper plates to draw what they think is a healthy meal.

Anatomy Station:

The purpose of the Anatomy station is to familiarize children with the different organs of the body and where they are in the body. It is important for children to be able to identify and understand the basic but vital organs that help maintain the functions of our body. By being able to understand the functions and importance of those organs, the children will further appreciate and take care of their body.

In this station, the volunteers will first encourage the children to discuss their current knowledge on their organs. From there, we will explain the functions of the main organs, for example, the heart, the lungs, the liver, the brain and the skin. Next, the volunteers will go through pictures of the organs and guide the children to identify the organs. When the volunteers feel that children are ready, the children will play a game of identifying and localizing the organs. Volunteers will wear an apron and the children will attach pictures of organs at the correct location and briefly describe the functions.

Emergency Station:

The purpose of this station is to educate children on dangerous activities that should be avoided and what they should do if an emergency occurs. Young children, who are often overly curious and carefree, are unaware of the hazards that surround them while they are playing and needs to be educated regarding the do’s and don’ts. Our general goal is to promote the concept of safety first among young children.

Activities in this station include emulating an emergency where a teddy will be involved in an accident because of ill-advised actions. We will advise them on the dangerous actions that should be avoided, for example, touching a hot stove, playing with electrical appliances, dealing with knives etc. However, accidents do happen regardless of the situation. We will then guide the children through the appropriate steps to do when these emergencies do occur, including calling their parents or emergency services depending on the seriousness of the case. A group of “emergency medics” will then come to the aid of the teddy bear. This can be related to the children that, after hurting themselves, with the aid of medical attention they will be able to recover and be healthy again.