The Problem

Childhood obesity is a serious issue in Estonia – every fifth child is overweight, especially among teenagers. According to the Estonian National Institute for Health Development (TAI), young people’s eating habits show no signs of improvement.

The biggest health risk factor today is not smoking or alcohol, but poor nutrition.

Young people’s eating habits have not improved over the past 20 years – the number of overweight youth has tripled.

The Goal:

• to create a travelling exhibition that is fun, new, and engaging;
• to launch a nationwide health program for 10 –16-year-olds, making a healthy lifestyle simple and accessible, even in rural areas, and reaching at least 90,000 young people across Estonia.

The Program Includes:

• two exhibitions featuring engaging educational materials, including environmental topics and sustainable food themes;
• a series of online lessons developed in cooperation with the “Back to School” ( Tagasi Kooli ) initiative;
• 150 museum lessons at the Estonian Health Museum;
• a renewed exhibition area of nutrition   at the Estonian Health Museum, highlighting planet-friendly eating.

Results:

• over the school years 2024-2026, the program reaches 15 counties and 30 schools in Estonia;
• approximately 45,000 students have already participated in the project – and the program is still ongoing;
• 7  “Back to School” online lessons;
• 7 different lesson plans developed to accompany the exhibition;
• during 2024-2026, approximately 6100 students participate in museum lessons.

Exhibition created by: Estonian Health Museum and Miltton New Nordics
Educational materials developed by: Estonian Health Museum
Creative concept and design: Miltton New Nordics
Exhibition funded by: Rimi Eesti Food AS

¹ The Estonian Health Museum is the only museum in Estonia dedicated to human anatomy, health and lifestyle. It’s mission is to inspire people to care about their health and to provide scientific, practical and relatable information about the human body and health. The museum aims to raise health awareness among people of all ages.

² RIMI AS is one of the leading retail chains in Estonia and part of the Rimi Baltic Group, which operates in Baltic states. Rimi offers a wide range of food and everyday products through various store formats, including hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores. The company focuses on promoting healthy lifestyle, sustainability and social responsibility. As part of its community initiatives, Rimi actively supports projects that encourage better nutrition, physical activity and overall well-being.

• Travelling School Exhibition
• Museum lessons
• Online lessons
• Impact
• Feedback
• Contacts
• Photo gallery

The exhibition was developed based on the 2023/2024 Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, Harvard University’s Healthy Living Guidelines and research and recommendations from the Estonian National Institute for Health Development (TAI).

The travelling exhibition for schools “Healthy Living: Eat. Move. Connect. Rest.” links the themes of a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutrition with everyday choices. Among other topics, it explores:

• • the impact of food on brain health;
  • the balance of gut bacteria and its importance;
  • the influence of social media on habits and well-being;
  • the risks of artificial sweeteners and energy drinks;
  • the risks associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods;
  • the benefits of good sleep and regular physical activity;
  • the positive effects of healthy and supportive relationships on overall well-being.

The exhibition is brought to life through illustrations, infographics and interactive exhibits such as a vitamin wheel and a balance-training platform. It is designed as a set of modular “puzzle pieces” to ensure easy transport.

As part of the project, a comprehensive educational program based on active learning was developed. All materials are publicly available and can also be used independently (in Estonian only).

The travelling exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive Estonian-language educational package with lesson plans and materials, primarily intended for use in health education, biology and home economic classes.

Thanks to the support of Rimi Estonia, we are able to offer 150 free museum lessons for schools in Tallinn and Harju County: “T3: Healthy Living through Food” (ages 14-16) and “Food Detectives” (ages 10-14).

In these practical and engaging Estonian-language museum lessons, knowledge about a healthy lifestyle and diverse nutrition is integrated with the anatomy of digestion.

The museum lesson is part of a collaborative project between the Estonian Health Museum and Rimi Estonia AS, focusing on promoting a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutrition.

In this hands-on and engaging museum class, knowledge about healthy living and balanced nutrition is integrated with the anatomy of digestion. The focus is on attractive and relevant topics, presented in a way that resonates with young people.

In the first part of the lesson, students explore the chemical composition of the human body. In the second part, this understanding is linked to the importance of diverse nutrition.

During the exhibition visit, students learn about the sense of taste and take part in a taste test. They take a closer look at the organs of the digestive system and their functions, supported by worksheets. Students also examine anatomical models and discuss the role of bacteria in digestion.

While exploring the exhibition, they independently investigate the fundamentals of healthy living and nutrition, and later in the classroom reinforce their new knowledge by playing a themed Jeopardy game together.

The museum lesson is part of a collaborative project between the Estonian Health Museum and Rimi Eestonia AS, focusing on promoting a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutrition.

Food plays a major role in human life, which is why it is important to develop good habits and acquire basic knowledge about healthy eating from an early age.

In this hands-on and engaging museum class, we integrate knowledge about how the human body works (the senses and the digestive system) with the principles of healthy nutrition.

Together, we explore what happens to food after it is swallowed and how it is processed in the digestive system. Through various activities, students learn about healthy eating, discover essential vitamins and nutrients, and investigate why a varied diet is important and how some foods are more beneficial than others.

The collaboration project also includes a series of online lessons (“e-lessons”) on healthy eating, developed in cooperation with Back to School ( Tagasi Kooli ) and various nutrition experts. Materials are available only in Estonian.

In the first episode, Kent Joosep, Science Editor at the Estonian Health Museum, talks about the anatomy of digestion.

Other e-lessons related to the project, include:

• Climate-friendly eating – what does it really mean?
• How to turn sleep and exercise into superpowers?
• Do you know what your gut bacteria are doing?
• Energy drinks and pastries – quick helpers or deceptive friends?
• Am I fat!?
• Future food from insects to lab-grown meat – what lies ahead?

The “A Whole Lot of Health” project was developed with a long-term impact in mind. Its sustainability is reflected in the following principles:

• the project is based on the idea that all produced materials must be reusable, freely accessible and sustainable;
• the travelling exhibition itself is reusable and easy to transport, allowing it to move from school to school and reach thousands of students. Experience from the first year showed that the exhibition can withstand a very high number of visitors and did not require re-production;
• the materials were created in collaboration with teachers and educators, ensuring they meet the real needs of the target group and remain relevant over time;
• all materials – including the exhibition texts, educational resources, and e-lessons – are publicly available, enabling teachers to use and adapt them independently across different subjects;
• by engaging students, teachers and experts simultaneously, the project helps foster lasting knowledge and habits that promote a healthy lifestyle in different groups of society.

We have collected and keep collecting feedback from teachers about the school exhibition and the accompanying lesson plans.

Participating schools have given highly positive evaluations about school exhibition. Here are some examples:

• “Thank you very much for the exhibition. It has been educational for the entire school community.”
• “The students attention was mostly focused on nutrition, sweeteners and energy drinks.”
• “The topic that interested the students the most was mental health; unfortunately the environment theme attracted the least.”
• “Everything was important. A good reminder for students of what they had learned before. The topic that fascinated them the most was “what the brain needs”.”
• “The superpowers of vegetables. We conducted this lesson a bit differently, but we gained through knowledge about various vegetables.”
• “After visiting the exhibition, we played Jeopardy with the students and they really enjoyed it.”
• “I used the lesson plans for inspiration. Very good material. The lesson plans could be used even more effectively if the exhibition were displayed in our own school building. Our school is located 10 kilometres away from the exhibition, so the time for visiting was limited.”
• “We liked My Health and Jeopardy was considered very educational. The students also analysed their own lifestyles and identified the subjects that need more attention. We also discussed about processed foods.”

The museum lessons have received an average feedback score of 9.8/10, based on responses from more than 100 teachers during 2024-2025. Here are some examples:

• “An excellent explainer and programme.”
• “Everything was well-balanced and it was great that the children learned and discussed why food is necessary, which foods are beneficial for the body and which are less.”
• “The lesson was well-structured and logically organised. Various teaching methods were used that engaged the students’ interest, so everyone was actively involved. The atmosphere was friendly, trustworthy and open.”
• “Everything was great! Both the programme and the explainer were excellent. The students listened and participated actively. Many thanks! You have a wonderful museum with a practical and valuable programme. All the guides I know are popular and relatable for young people, yet they manage to keep order and convey information effectively – perfectly suited for lower secondary students!”
• “Very inspiring and highly skilled explainer. Positive feedback from the students. The museum lesson was dynamic and engaging, giving students the opportunity to learn throughout the entire session. The activities were well-balanced and varied.”
• “A very interesting lesson. An important topic to discuss — one that students often tend to forget (why it’s important to get enough sleep, be physically active, and eat properly). It was also great that the students could work in groups and play Jeopardy.”
• “Informative and well-focused, with lots of engaging content for both students and the teacher. The independent tasks were suitable for the students level, and everyone had the opportunity to test their knowledge.”

To assess the impact of the exhibition, feedback was collected before and after the visit from students. The feedback questionnaires are available on the Estonian Health Museum’s website (only in Estonian). Each school receives the necessary information by email along with the exhibition. So far, more than 650 students have given us feedback already.

Please contact if any further questions occure:

• Grete Rohi, grete@tervisemuuseum.ee
• Liis Raadla, liis@tervisemuuseum.ee