Screen Free Fridays

Why a Screen Free Day?

When designing our remote learning in 2020 we looked at what had worked in other schools from all over the world. Many schools were implementing days where activities could be done without screens, or with minimal screen interaction to give their students and families a chance to have a break from being in front of a screen. It is also to help alleviate some of the things that can happen when in front of a screen all day - eye strain; neck, shoulder or back strain; frustration and lack of physical activity. For these reasons we also implemented a screen free day each week - Screen Free Friday. We believe the benefits are still important for this year, so have implemented it again. How screen free you and your family are each Friday is up to you. If you would like to do more on screens, that's fine, if you want to create a mix of screen and screen free, also great. And, of course you might need the screen to get you going.

If you have more than one student, they might like to complete some of the activities together. We will be providing a range of activities that can be done without / with minimal screens to help you and then you make your Friday AWESOME!

What Have We Added This Week?

This week we have added some ideas for enjoying nature this Friday with 25 amazing ideas.

Importantly, we have also added a special activity to help us say goodbye to Ms K who we have not been able to farewell as yet. If you make something for her, we will get you to bring it in when you return to school and then get to her when we can. Enjoy!

How would you like to say 'Goodbye and Good Luck' to Ms K?

Last term, Ms K won a new job at another primary school in Canberra. Although everyone was sad to see her go, we are also excited that she has been able to head off on a new adventure and share her skills with other children. Due to the lockdown, we have not been able to say goodbye to her. If you would like to make something for her to say farewell, make it this Screen Free Friday and bring it to school when you return. We will collect them in a safe way and then get them to Ms K. See below for some ideas!

Write Ms K a letter
Make a poster for her new office
Create a card with a personal message
Write a poem for her
Make a video to share with her
Choose a favourite quote you think represents Ms K
Any of your amazing ideas

Enjoy the warm weather with some time outside!

Mindfulness and gratitude

Make a gratitude jar. Add in all the family, friends and joys of nature that you are grateful for.

Create some new yoga moves. Use animals or plants as inspiration.

Write a poem about how you are feeling and recite it to someone special.

Outdoor Maths ideas

Place Value

Find some buckets, boxes or tubs and label them with place values such as ones, tens, and hundreds. For older children, have a decimal point and start using tenths, hundredths and thousandths. They then grab a beanbag or rolled up socks and toss them into the bins. When finished tossing them all, they count them and see what number they’ve created.

maths facts

For this one, draw a basic flower with 10 petals, as shown. Write a number on the outside of each petal. Then choose a number for the middle of the flower. This number can be added to the numbers on the outside of the petals, subtracted or multiplied. Players then fill in the petals with the correct answers. With two or more players, set the flower up and then race to see who finishes first.

bowl a maths fact

Grab some plastic bottles before you put them into the recyling. Label each one with a number. Set them up in the formation for bowling and play away. Roll the ball to see how many you can knock down. Add up the numbers of the knocked-over bottles to get your score. Set the number of bowls each person will have and keep adding to find your winner.

Get Creative

Design and make a friendship bracelet. Consider using recycled or natural materials.

Listen to your favourite songs. Try and paint or draw how the music makes you feel.

Create a dream catcher using pipe cleaners and other recycled materials. Connect the colourful pipe cleaners and then spiral them.

Transform a cardboard box into a time machine. Draw pictures of places you visit on your adventures.

Things to make and then play with

Make a board game using recycled materials based on your favourite book or television show.

Reuse some sticks or old chopsticks and wool or coloured string to make a Mystical Eye like this. It is great fine motor practise and a nice decoration to hang up in your room!

Here is a video to help you.

Challenge yourself by using 4 sticks instead of 2 and see what unique patterns you can make!

PACH Eco-Challenge

click below to see more infoRMATION

Copy of PACH Eco-Challenge - Activity Grid

Outdoor Challenges

Build an obstacle course in your backyard or house. Time your family members to see who can finish it the quickest!

Hide something in your backyard, and create a treasure map for a family member to follow!

Create your own scavenger hunt and go for a walk. Look for animals, cars, colours, flowers or something else of your choice!

Super Space Activities!

Use skewers and ingredients such as fruit, cheese, marshmallows and vegetables with one cut into a point and a tail wing and make some rocket skewers!

Use sandwich ingredients and a plastic knife to create a delicious space rocket sandwich.

3, 2, 1... EAT!

Using sheets and recycled materials found around the house create an International Space Station. Create a list of some must have items.

Design and make a rocket using cardboard and recycled materials. What special features does your rocket have?

Create a song, rap or poem about your favourite planet. Include lots of facts; then perform it for a friend or family member

Draw an environmentally friendly design for a new space vehicle. Maybe you have an idea for a solar powered ship or a new kind of rover for exploring planets?

Dice Games

Double or Halve?

(click on the image for the rules)

Tug of War

(click on the image for the rules)

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt

Thinking about things we are grateful for has been shown to help us stay positive, resilient and happy. With the beautiful spring days ahead, some of these would be lovely to do outside. You can go for a walk to discover something new, relax in the sunshine or enjoy something delicious to eat outside in the fresh air. Share what you are grateful for with your family or friends.

Podcasts

But Why is a show where kids ask the questions and they find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why they tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Have a question? You can even send in your own question by sending an audio file to questions@butwhykids.org. Make sure you include your first name, age, and where you live. Best for: All ages

With wacky episode titles such as "What if Legos were alive?" and "What if sharks had legs?," this series takes ridiculous "what if" questions submitted by other children and creates a new story every episode. Hosed by Eric O'Keefe who uses silly voices and crazy characters to make it fun and interesting for listeners, it will draw you in and spark your imagination. Best for: Kids

This fun and fast-moving podcast is a family-friendly debate podcast. With a judge who is also still a kid, you will love finding out which team is scoring the most points during the rousing, fact-based arguments of two contestants. With episodes like "Dragons versus Unicorns" and "Pizza versus Tacos," you will be hooked, and you won't even notice what you are learning. Best for: Big kids

Outdoor Learning Resources

Nature Play from Nature Play CBR

More to do on a beautiful Spring Day. Nature Play CBR has some wonderful ideas for enjoying being away from a screen and outside.

Nature Play SPRING.pdf

Nature Play SCAVENGER HUNT (1).pdf

Why not make a mini seneschal windmill

Materials:

Scissors
Square paper
Gluestick
Pin
Bluetack
Bead
Pencil with Eraser

Method:

Fold a paper square measuring 15cm x 15cm, in half diagonally to form a cross.
Use scissors to cut along the lines of the cross, stopping 3cm before the centre point.
Using a pin, make a small hole in the centre of the paper, and in each of the four corners.
Bring the corners, one at a time into the centre point and thread onto the pin.
Pass the pin through the back of the pinwheel and then through a wooden bead, or use a thick, large button.
Stick the end of the pin into a small eraser and put it on the tip of a 10cm dowel rod, you may need to use a bit of poster tack on the end of the dowel to fix the eraser on with.

Take your pinwheel outside when there’s a breeze and see it spin!

Click here to go to the Birrigai Site

Birrigai is a fabulous outdoor centre you may know from your child attending a program or camp, or from visiting yourself. Their amazing educators wanted to help schools and families who are working together to continue learning remotely by sharing a range of great activities you can do outside. Perfect for a screen free day. The site has the resources sorted by subject and by year group to help families choose areas that suit them best. They are really well laid out with aims, resources and descriptions of what to do, along with links to assist you before and during the activity.

Make One Of Our Teachers' Favourite Recipes

Your family can now have a picnic outside, so use some of our recipes to create a meal you can share in your backyard or at a local park. Enjoy!

Miss Condon's Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

2 zucchini, coarsely grated
1 carrot, peeled, coarsely grated
1 small red capsicum, seeded, finely chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
175g pkt short cut bacon, finely chopped
1 cup (120g) tasty cheese, coarsely grated
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
4 eggs, lightly whisked
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Step 1 -

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan and line the base and 2 long sides with baking paper.

Step 2 -

Place the zucchini, carrot, capsicum, spring onion, bacon, cheese and flour in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the egg, milk and oil and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3 -

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 40 mins or until firm to the touch. Set aside to cool. Cut into squares.

Ms Siripally's favourite afternoon tea!

Mrs Ashton and her kids love this muffin recipe and think you will too as they are popular with adults as well.

You may have seen that Mr Vitek shared this recipe on Dojo earlier this week. On Wednesday, it was the Jewish New Year and they traditionally eat sweet foods on the day. Honey Cake is a popular recipe and he shared this recipe which can be made in a mug. You can make it with half the sugar and it stills tastes good.

Get your dessert or afternoon tea here!

Miss Pennell loves this recipe for Anzac Slice

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
150g butter, chopped
2 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 3cm-deep, 19cm x 29cm (base) slice pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at long ends.
Step 2
Combine flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
Step 3
Place butter and syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth. Combine bicarbonate of soda and boiling water in a jug. Remove butter mixture from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda mixture. Add to flour mixture. Stir to combine.
Step 4
Transfer to prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan. Cut into squares. Serve.

Thanks to taste..com.au for this recipe

Ms Collis asks her mum for this Caramel Slice every time she visits

Ingredients

Base

1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter, melted

Filling

395g can NESTLÉ Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
60g butter, melted

Topping

125g cooking chocolate, chopped
60g copha, chopped

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 3cm deep, 28 x 18cm (base) lamington pan.
Step 2
Combine all base ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Press into prepared lamington pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light golden. Remove from oven. Cool.
Step 3
Combine all filling ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat (handy hint: a non-stick saucepan really helps). Cook, whisking, for 8 minutes or until golden. Don't walk away, keep whisking. Pour over cooked base. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm. Cool completely. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or until set.
Step 4
Place chocolate and copha into a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted. Pour over caramel. Refrigerate to set. Cut into squares to serve.

Create, Create, Create!

Use a mix of petals and leaves to make these beautiful artworks. You could fold your paper or cardboard in half and use the picture as the front of a card for someone you care about.

We can't wait to see what you do with this idea.

We are looking forward to sharing your Screen Free Friday learning so don't forget to share them with Ms Collis.

Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles

Try some of these!

5 Pirates

Farmer Crosses The River

The Collapsing Bridge Puzzle

We would love to know if you solve them. If you do, take a picture and send to Ms Collis via Dojo Messages and she will post for everyone to see our brainteaser whizzes!

Maths Challenges

Fitness

SISA Online learning

SISA Australia focuses on primary school education as it relates to PE and Health within the Australian Curriculum. They offer lessons in a range of areas including for fitness and skills development, dance and yoga. During lockdown they have provided a range of lessons to schools for free to use with their students. Yes, you do need a screen but it's only to follow along so you can get MOVING!

All Ages Yoga

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

All Ages Balance

Static Balance

Dynamic Balance - Junior

Dynamic Balance - Senior

Junior Dance

Click here

Senior Dance

Click here

Junior Aerobics

Lesson 1

Senior Aerobics

Lesson 1

All Ages Fitness

Lesson 1

All Ages Fitness

Lesson 2

Junior Throw, Catch, Juggle

Lesson 1

Senior Throw, Catch, Juggle

Lesson 1

What's your name fitness!

Design, Make, Appraise

Your local park/playground needs an upgrade and you’re in charge!

You need to draw what your local playground looks like now and label it with what you are going to upgrade and why. Once you have done that it is time to get creative and use found objects (paddlepop sticks, sticks, straws, toilet rolls, string etc) and upgrade and design a new one! Think about the following questions:

Would you use the same materials if you built it again?
What would you change about the design and why?
What would you keep and why?
What advice would you give to someone who was going to do the same activity?

Don’t forget to take photos and upload them into your Dojo Portfolio or Google Classroom.

Design A Marble maze & challenge your family for the quickest time!

You’ll need a base with walls/bumpers to get started. A shoe box lid would work well, or you can make one yourself! Then you can start designing your marble maze! You can make your maze have paper tunnels, ramps, walls, dead ends etc. You can use paper to make all of these or any other materials you think may work that you have around your house! You’ll need some sticky tape or glue as well to get them attached inside your maze. Then........ get started with your marble timing your family. Let us know who won by posting a video of the races, or by posting names and their best time.

You can post on your Dojo Portfolio or in your Google Classroom.

Invent a board game!

Grab yourself some cardboard or paper and make your own board or card game based on your unit of inquiry. What facts do you need to use? What do you want your platers to learn, or think about? What can you use for the pieces for the players?

Ask your family to play it with you and use one of the thinking strategies to evaluate the feedback they give you.

Paper plane fun!

Design and make 3-4 different paper aeroplanes. Write down your predictions for each one, and what information you used to make the prediction. For eg. ‘I think number 1 will fly further than number 3 as I added 5c pieces as a weight for distance’ etc. Once you have thrown each plane and you have measured the distance it flew, write down which flew the farthest and why you think it did.

Were your predictions right?

Want to add to this?

Use cardboard or pieces of paper/newspaper and cut some different sized circles out of it.
Write points next to each circle (higher points for smaller circles).

Draw & Design something you would like to invent!

A bedside chocolate dispensing machine? A dirty laundry machine that takes it to the laundry for you? An iphone holder that rotates? Totally up to you.. Draw it first, label it and name the parts, then make a prototype!

20 Fun Activities - No Screens

Try some of these and share it with us!

Create an exciting treasure hunt with clues and home-made treasures for someone in your family to find.

Create a play for your family. Write the script, make the props and set and act it out.

Start a family book club. Discuss your favourite characters, what part you liked best and why.

Create a word search or puzzle for your latest unit of inquiry, favourite book, movie or tv show or another area of interest.

Go on an alphabet hunt around your house and garden. Can you find an object that starts with every letter of the alphabet?

Play Book Bingo! Make a list of common words for each family member and see who can find their words the fastest from the books in your house.

Go for a nature walk and write about the 5 senses. What do you see, smell, hear, taste, feel and also wonder! You could print this picture

Learn the alphabet in sign language.

Count all the light switches in your house. How many are on and how many are off? What other maths can you do? Can you multiply and divide? Think fractions and percentages. Compare with a friend and do the maths all over again.

Design your dream house floor plan, complete with measurements.

Design and make an obstacle course at home or in the garden. How fast can you complete it? What about the rest of your family?

Write a list of things that make you happy, things you are grateful for or things you are good at.

Write a song or rap about your favourite subject.

Collect and recycle materials from around your house (yoghurt pots, toilet rolls and boxes and see what you can create with them.

Build a Lego model, a tower of playing cards and take a picture so we can see what you created.

Draw the view from outside your window!

Make your own joke book and share with your family and friends.

Use only your fingertips to make an artwork.

How many words can you make using only the letters from the sentence above?

Create a comic strip about an animal who turns into a hero!

Want more? Thinking strategies for a screen free day!

If you want to add to your screen free activities, you might like to try some of these thinking strategies and record that thinking to share with us. You could write your thinking down, make a video, or record your voice - it's up to you!

Using Different Skills

Level 1: Remember - To recall facts and ideas

At this level, students are challenged to recall and remember the basic facts and information of the story or text by doing things such as describing, drawing, repeating, memorising or writing.

Level 2: Understand - To comprehend information and grasp its meaning

Level 2 gives the student a chance to show a fundamental understanding of the learning by doing things such as adding, clarifying, comparing/contrasting or explaining.

Level 3: Apply - To use information, theories, concepts and skills to solve problems

Here, students gain an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the information in a new way by adapting, constructing, modifying, solving or using.

Level 4: Analyze - To make connections; recognize patterns and deeper meanings

At this level, students can deconstruct the learning into its component parts to better understand it. They might break down, characterize, classify, contrast, distinguish, explore, identify, investigate, order or prioritise.

Level 5: Evaluate - To make and justify a judgement

This level gives students an opportunity to develop an opinion and back it up with reasoning and evidence through appraising, critiquing, justifying or ranking.

Level 6: Create - To combine elements of learning to create new or original work

This level affords an opportunity for students to take what they have learned and make something new from it.

Six Thinking Hats

The Six Thinking Hats from de Bono is a thinking tool that supports the exploration of a problem from different perspectives in order to move beyond obvious answers to creative solutions. Each hat represents a different lens for thinking and can be accompanied by question prompts which provide a scaffold for a variety of viewpoints to be shared.

The Black Hat is all about the risks, difficulties and problems. It is a powerful hat but can become a problem if overused. Use it to spot difficulties where things might go wrong or why something may not work. If using to evaluate - what did go wrong, or what was difficult?
The White Hat calls for information known or needed. “The facts, just the facts.” To engage in your activity, what do you already know and do you need to find out more? If so, what information is missing, and how will we get it? When evaluating, was there some other facts that would have been helpful?
The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process. It’s the control mechanism that ensures the Six Thinking Hats® guidelines are observed. Questions could include - What do we need to plan? What is the next step? How would I summarise the whole process?
The Green Hat focuses on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It’s an opportunity to express new concepts and new perception. Could we so this differently? What are our suggestions for moving ahead? Are there alternatives? When you are evaluating, what else could you have done, what other AMAZING ideas do you now have?
The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates. How do I feel about this activity? Do I like the result? Do I hate the result?
The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism. Under this hat you explore the positives and probe for value and benefit. You use this hat to stay positive during the phase where you might be having trouble, to ask, How can we make this work? To evaluate, what worked, what did you learn?

Page updated

Report abuse