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Chad Dowdy's flour baby was named Dash, after the TV show character that inspired his babies hair, Rainbow Dash

The point of school is to prepare and educate youth for the world that we live in. A popular way that schools in america do this, is what is known as “the flour baby” project. It’s purpose is to have students dress up and protect a pretend five pound baby, made of a sack of flour. The project is assigned in health and economic classes teaching responsibility and educates them on the sacrifices that must be made when with child.

Clyde Ching and Curtis Hirai, currently the only two health teachers in McKinley, assign this project. Ching has acquired his PE/Health Major and has enjoyed teaching his life skills to students for 36 years. “Health is the most prized possession someone can have,” he said. “Without it…well you won’t be doing much.”

20 years ago, the Kapiolani Teen’s Hospital came to his class to talk to his students. During their time they suggested that he assign a “baby project.” “My goal is with this project, to cut down on the teen pregnancy rate and it has,” Ching said. According to the Office of Adolescent Health, from 1990 the birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19 have gone down 32%. In 2011, Hawaii’s rate was over 40%. These rates are all decreasing thanks to public high school health classes and their eye opening projects, such as the flour baby projects. Influencing young adults to uphold adsense until marriage.

When Ching first planned out the baby project, he originally wanted to have RealCare Babies. Special robotic infants, battery operated, that allow students to experience just what is like to take care of a baby at all hours of the day. They operate and react to that of a real infant. With the looks, feels and crying sounds, of an actual baby. But these babies are also very expensive.

Eggs where too hard for a lot students, according to Ching and he had a high mortality (death) rate of these types of babies. He did not want make the project too challenging for the students. He tried stuffed animals but they weren’t realistic enough, with their fluffy bodies and light weights. Finally he decided that 5 pound bags of flour where the best choice. They were delicate enough to where they would break if damage was dealt, but also resealable. They cheap, heavy but bearable, and was approachable for all students.

The flour babies have definitely become a tradition of the school and students every year have come up with creative ways to customize and personalize their flour babies. Using actual baby clothes, drawn on faces, diapers, even ripped off heads of stuffed animals and baby dolls. “I’ve seen plenty of very realistic flour babies. Some kids actually put in a lot of thought and effort and I appreciate it,” said Ching