Penny Carnival

(This activity was completed in an afternoon at Asthma Camp.)

Target group: all

Goal: To explore various aspects of asthma and promote creative abilities in describing asthma with the children, to increase self-esteem by having children display their own work.

Size: Large group

Location: Outside or in a gymnasium

Supplies

• booths, streamers, painted signs for each booth
• a ‘passport’ in which to insert a sticker from each booth visited
• helpers to man each station and to assist younger children, with direction from the instructor

Activity

• Booths are set up for each activity. Children each booth visit in small groups.
• Booths can be decorated with streamers, etc. For each booth, a painted sign is needed with the name of the event.
• Each station is manned by a helper, with direction from the instructor.
• The children visit each booth and each child is provided with a passport to the carnival. At each activity, they are given a sticker to show that they have completed the event and a small prize such as a pencil or shoe laces.

Booths

Asthma fortune teller

• Supplies: ‘Madam Zelda’ costume, screen, asthma fortunes
• Activity
• A helper dressed as Madame Zelda is provided with written asthma fortunes.
• Behind a screen she tells each of the children’s fortunes.
• Various asthma fortunes are written, copied and distributed by the fortune teller.

Asthma Symptom Ring Toss

• Supplies: bowling pins, green and red ties, rings for tossing over bowling pins
• Activity
• Several bowling pins are arranged with green and red ties. The helper asks the group to name asthma symptoms.
• He then asks which zone of the action plan would have these symptoms, the green or the red. They are then provided with rings to toss at the pins.
• The goal is to hit the green pins and avoid the red symptom pins.

Design a new inhaler or peak flow meter for Star Wars

• Supplies: photocopied/laminated pictures of Star Wars characters
• Activity
• Each group is asked to select a Star Wars character from a stack of photocopied, laminated pictures of Star Wars characters.
• They design an inhaler/peak flow meter for that character, considering what they knew about that particular character.
• Each group is to make one device together. Some ideas they should consider include:
  

1. what does it look like?
2. what are the features?
3. how does it work?
4. create a prototype using playdoh and other arts and crafts

Shoot the Triggers

• Supplies: head-size pictures of various triggers, water guns
• Activity
• The helper asks the group what asthma triggers are.
• Several pictures of various triggers are posted and the children are provided with water guns.
• The goal is to shoot their triggers, as identified.
• For older participants, the helper may need to have them stand farther from the targets.

Asthma Action Plan Penny Toss

• Supplies: 4 small plastic containers, large tub of water
• Activity
• Four small plastic containers are painted red, orange, yellow, and green (to represent the action plan) and placed inside a large tub of water.
• The containers should be submerged. The helper asks the group to tell him about their action plan. He asks them what zone they wanted to be in.
• Each participant is then provided with 10 pennies. The goal is to toss the pennies into the tub and try to get them into the green container.
• Once the child has tossed all of their pennies, they are given a slip of paper describing how they must feel, based on whatever colour zone they toss most of their pennies into.
• For example, if Johnny tossed six of his pennies into the yellow zone, he was given a slip of yellow paper that might tell him his peak flows are dropping and he’s waking up at night coughing.