Curriculum Innovation 2022 Contributions
Once again, we would like to acknowledge the monumental financial support from our parents in 2022 which has allowed us to purchase many curriculum resources. This week's highlight is our simulator babies - please see student reflection and photos below!
Simulator Babies
I’m Holly M, one of the Year 11 students completing Health and Human Development 1/2 and I frankly love it! Recently we got handed the Real Care babies to have for two days and let’s just say it gave me an insight to parenthood! The input of parent funds gives students a hands-on experience with a more life-like, realistic outcome. The students were given an insight of what their future could hold with the baby simulation. Our Real Care babies have real baby noises and notifications of when the child needs to be changed, fed etc. We wouldn’t have been able to complete this task if we never got the funds from parents and we are so grateful for this experience. Having the real care babies also allowed us to take on responsibility and show each other what life with a baby is really like and human relationships would be very minimal, comparing this to if we just used our mobile phones, it wouldn’t have the same learning effect.
Holly M (Year 11 Student)
Throughout Term 3, Year 11 Health and Human Development students had the opportunity to learn and practice parenting skills by participating in a baby simulator program where we were given a fake baby to take care of. This baby simulates a real child through basic needs such as needing to be fed, burped, rocked, changed, etc. We had the babies both overnight and whilst at school to help give us a true sense of what it is like to have a real baby and how much it affects your day-to-day life. Without the simulator babies, we wouldn’t have the practice of learning the physical responsibilities that come with being a parent as in-depth as we have. Having a physical baby to carry around enhanced the overall experience for students as it helped to demonstrate the practical side of it rather than simply the theory of it all. Surrounding this experience with the babies, students also completed a budgeting exercise to understand the expenses of becoming a parent, as well as visiting the Maternal Child Health Centre. Overall, the experience of having a physical child to look after, as well as visiting places and budgeting tasks that parents have to do with an actual child, therefore, makes the learning and experience much more beneficial for students.
Mia O (Year 11 Student)
