Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture, where our school is located, is home to Shima Onsen, which is well known in “Jomo Karuta” as “Shima Onsen that washes the dust of the world. Also, Dr. Yukitoshi Aoyagi, a native of the area, has been conducting Nakanojo research (survey research on the relationship between daily physical activity and disease prevention) for some time. Therefore, with the cooperation of STEAMSportsLaboratory Corporation, Tanita Health Link Corporation, Health and Longevity Institute Corporation, and Shima Onsen Hot Springs Association, our school adopted STEAM education while taking advantage of the good points of Shima Onsen as a tourist resource, We decided to explore the relationship between health and walking.

In 2020, 54 first-year students were divided into groups, and each group chose one of three themes (“A: Hypothesis and its verification using activity meter data,” “B: Creating a mechanism to make ○○ want to walk more,” and “C: Research using M5stickC”) to explore. For theme B, they planned an event that would attract tourists, mainly in Shima Onsen hot spring resort. The students developed games and applications that make walking fun.

For the 2021 school year, the second-year regular course students continued to deepen their exploration activities for each theme, while the first-year students built on the activities conducted in the previous year, focusing especially on community revitalization. However, in the process of carrying out the activities, the students acquired perspectives to think about things from various angles. The students who were engaged in the activities changed significantly, and they became more willing and eager to engage in the activities on their own.