Bo van Engelen (B.H.W.)

The goal of the Healthy Elementary School of the Future (GBT) is to provide children with a structured daily routine with adequate time for education, sports, exercise, play and attention to healthy eating so that they experience better physical, emotional and intellectual growth. The GBT project clearly shows that the younger you start teaching a healthy lifestyle, the more effect it has in the longer term. Moreover, children take the healthy behavior home with them, thus bringing about behavioral change in parents.

The premise of the Green Healthy Elementary School of the Future project is the idea that a green school is a valuable rest or habitat for local nature and mitigates the effects of climate change such as extreme heat and precipitation. A natural school grounds offers more variety and challenge for children. It allows them to play and develop in a wide variety of ways. We are investigating whether it also makes the children move more, feel better about themselves, get a healthy BMI and concentrate better in class.