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About the project
Asthma Australia worked with primary school aged students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds in Western and South Western Sydney to gain a better understanding of how we can support students living with asthma. We found that:
- Children with asthma rely on their blue reliever to help them manage their asthma
- Children with asthma felt that having asthma meant they missed out on playing with friends or physical activity
- Children with asthma had been bullied or were embarrassed to have asthma symptoms or take their medicine in front of others
- Children enjoyed artistic ways of learning about how to better support their peers living with asthma
Asthma is a growing issue with kids in Western Sydney. Thirteen per cent were living with asthma in 2018-19 and there has been a steady increase in childhood asthma in the region since 2016. Between 2016-17 the asthma rate was 5.1 per cent, in 2017-2018 it grew to 10.5 per cent and in 2018-19 increased to 13 per cent. (1)
We partnered with arts worker and creative producer Claudia Chidiac Makdessi and delivered four workshops with students from Grades 3 to 6 to trial and review four art related activities to explore and re-frame the challenges kids with asthma face. These activities focused on the role of asthma medications in supporting kids to better manage their asthma, the associated stigma and bullying with asthma symptoms and medication and the impact asthma has on kids missing out on sport and play.
Based on these insights we developed this Asthma Art Attack Activity Lesson plan e- book for teachers to deliver in their classroom to help create a safe and supportive space for children living with asthma at school. These activities have been tested with students from CALD backgrounds in Western Sydney and primary school teachers who have given their tick of approval.
Here are four creative activities to implement in the classroom with your students from year 3 – 6 to help them learn about asthma and how to support their friends living with asthma at school.
LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES
You can access the full e-book with all four activities here: Asthma Art Attack Lesson Plan e-book
You can also download Basic Asthma Information for Kids, the Artist Card and Asthma Poster
Or you can pick from the following activities and click on the links for detailed lesson plans and resources:
Making a model of a puffer or spacer
- Asthma Art Attack Lesson Plan 1 – Model of a Puffer and Spacer
- Asthma Art Attack Activity 1 Resource Kit
Making an Asthma Support poster
Creating a mixed media artwork encouraging inclusion
Asthma focused Performance art
These activities have been aligned to the NSW curriculum where school staff deliver the lessons within their classrooms. The lessons can be delivered in 1-2 hours depending on the activity.
Alternatively, here is a list of short activities you might like to implement:
- Asthma awareness sticker (drawing on matte stickers or digital designs)
- Asthma support stickers to place on the spacer (drawing on matte stickers or digital designs)
- Asthma support bracelet (using beading or other materials)
- Asthma awareness Ribbon
- Poem about Asthma – lived experience or support
- Create a comic strip showcasing support for a student living with asthma
We can’t wait to see what your students create and look forward to sharing them in our digital art gallery (coming soon).
Sign up to our education newsletter to receive updates on art competitions and exhibition opportunities.
Asthma Australia encourages all school staff to complete the Asthma First Aid Training for Schools 1-hour online training to help support the students in their learning about asthma.
This project was funded by NSW Health.
References
(1) Health Stats. (2022). Asthma Prevalence in Children. Retrieved from Health Stats NSW: HealthStats NSW – Asthma prevalence in children