MHH staff and other dedicated individuals contributed to a new book by Ingo Siegner. It is to be distributed to elementary schools.
Based on instructions from the book: Prof. Uwe Tegtbur does squats with schoolchildren. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH
Teamwork makes the children’s book “Willy and the Fox” possible (from left): Prof. Uwe Tegtbur, Dirk Eberitzsch, Prof. Axel Haverich, Dr. Jürgen Seja, Christoph Meineke, Dr. Sabine Schopp (back row), Helge Zychlinski, Ingo Siegner, Dr. Eckhardt Schenke (front row)
Great ideas can be brought to life through teamwork. Just like with the “Willy and the Fox” project. The children’s book of the same name was created in close collaboration between the author and illustrator Ingo Siegner, the Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Rut and Klaus Bahlsen Foundation, the Leuenhagen & Paris bookstore, the Association of Municipalities in the Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region, and the MHH plus Foundation. The book is designed to encourage children to be more active in a playful way. Students at the Kleefelde Elementary School have already enthusiastically tried it out. The project team presented the new children’s book at the school today.
Education and prevention
“As a former competitive athlete and coach, I am deeply saddened by the physical condition of many children today,” says Prof. Dr. Axel Haverich. The concern of the heart surgeon and former hospital director at the MHH is well-founded. The older children get, the less physically active they become. As a result, only ten percent of adolescents now meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. This lack of physical activity increases the risk of obesity and serious diseases such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease even at an early age. Professor Haverich wanted to take preventive action against this trend, which is how he came up with the idea for the children’s book. His author of choice: Ingo Siegner. Siegner had been very active in sports himself in the past and didn’t have to think twice when he received the request. For him, it was a given to contribute “voluntarily” with a story aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of being overweight and a lack of physical activity.
A natural urge to move
To plan the project, they brought a third person on board. Prof. Dr. Uwe Tegtbur, director ofthe MHH Clinical Department for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, leads the REBIRTH Active School exercise program, which has been running successfully in schools for several years. His experience shows that children can be inspired to be active despite cell phones and social media. “Children still have a natural urge to move. The key is to show them, in a playful and enjoyable way, just how much fun physical activity can be,” explains Professor Tegtbur. When children are physically active on a regular basis, it not only strengthens their bodies but also improves their concentration, self-confidence, and social skills. Physical activity reduces stress and is especially important for healthy development during childhood.
Practice with workout videos like Willy
Exercise isn’t just fun—it can also save you from being snatched by a fox. At least, that’s what happens to a somewhat chubby meerkat in the story “Willy and the Fox.” Thanks to a clever training plan devised by his friends Gustav, Pauline, and Rocky, Willy is able to improve his fitness and jump up into a tree just in time. But that’s not the end of the story… The tale is both funny and educational. And Willy isn’t made to look bad. “Willy, who isn’t very athletic, doesn’t suffer from being overweight. He’s a cool guy. But he realizes: If he doesn’t put in a little effort, the fox will catch him,” says Ingo Siegner. Willy and his friends could become role models for entire school classes. The training videos that accompany the book—featuring exercises to improve motor skills—are designed to help with this. Children can practice squats, balancing on one leg, and frog jumps, for example. The training sessions were put together by the REBIRTH Active School team specifically for elementary school children. The videos, which can be accessed via a QR code, can be used by teachers during the school day or by parents at home.
Book to be distributed free of charge to elementary schools
To reach as many children as possible, the book will be distributed free of charge to all students at 351 elementary schools in the metropolitan region. However, to make this project a reality, more dedicated individuals are needed: Dirk Eberitzsch, owner of the Leuenhagen & Paris bookstore in Hannover’s Oststadt district and Ingo Siegner’s longtime publisher, organized the printing of the book at cost and added the title to his inventory. The Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg metropolitan region, which is active in the areas of mobility, the healthcare industry, and regional marketing, is coordinating the free distribution of 87,000 books to 351 elementary schools in the metropolitan region. Professor Haverich serves as a scientific advisor to this Lower Saxony regional development agency. The MHH plus Foundation, the MHH’s central funding body, is responsible for administering the grant funds. These funds primarily consist of financial support from the Rut and Klaus Bahlsen Foundation, which has been committed since 1972 to healthy nutrition, children, adolescents, and seniors, complementary medicine, and nature conservation. The foundation donated 150,000 euros to the book project “Willy and the Fox.” Dr. Jürgen Seja, the foundation’s chairman, was convinced of the project’s merit from the very beginning: “Introducing children to healthy eating and exercise in a simple and vivid way—who could do that better than Ingo Siegner?” And he is also enthusiastic about the finished product. “The book puts you in a good mood and immediately makes you want to try out the exercises. It’s a complete success.”
Text: Tina Götting