The 30th annual Children’s Day at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital was once again a delightful success. Over 1,200 kids from local schools and the community enjoyed more than 25 interactive demonstrations and educational booths provided by Loma Linda University students and Loma Linda University Health staff and volunteers.
“Children’s Day is an opportunity for kids to learn about the things that can happen inside a hospital in a non-threatening way,” said Dorothy Brooks, director of LLU Children’s Hospital child life services. “These hands-on and interactive experiences can make a hospital or doctor’s office seem less scary if they ever end up being a patient.”
Children’s Day is sponsored and organized by the child life services department at Children’s Hospital, which is a team of specialists who work to minimize fears and stress experienced by children, adolescents and families during hospitalization and who also develop age-appropriate activities for pediatric patients.
Various booths at the event included a teddy bear/doll clinic, finger casting, education on making healthy food choices, demonstrations on the human respiratory system, doc for a day, fun dental X-ray demonstrations, fire and water safety, and many others.