Marvellous mechanisms

The change is that toys will be stacked on shelves in a way that doesn’t separate them into ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ categories. Instead, they might be organised by age only.

You could describe the ‘story’ of a kid or their parent shopping before and after the change. What toys will kids purchase before the change? How will this change encourage toy companies to use less gender-specific packaging? What might kids discover and purchase after the change? How will this broaden their interests?

You could describe the story of a (hypothetical) girl who enjoys playing with trucks and cars. How might she feel having to shop in the ‘boys’ aisle? How will she feel after the change? How about a boy who loves to play with dolls? How will he feel before and after the change?

The change is that kids are doing more physical activity. How would 30 minutes of physical activity lead to being healthier?

Be specific as you explain all the ways that physical activity leads to healthier kids. Think about physical health, mental health, social skills and so on. You can also explain how developing healthy habits leads to a healthy lifestyle.

The change is that students will be spending time on physical activity instead of other school work.

List all the ways that this will cause them to miss out on learning. How many minutes of learning will be lost each week? Will they be tired from the physical activity? Will they be distracted from learning? Will they get injured and have to go to sickbay?

The change is that we will be spending money on bulk ingredients for cooking instead of paying for takeaway food. How would this be cheaper?

Be clear in your examples. For example, how much does it cost to make your own cup of tea or coffee and how much do you pay at a café? How much does it cost to make a sandwich or a muffin, and how much would you pay for one at a café?

Think about the costs associated with home cooking: ingredients, cooking equipment, driving to the store and cost of utilities (your refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and so on).

Be specific in your explanation and examples. For example, think about how much food you would have to buy to make a healthy meal like tuna and avocado sushi (rice, nori seaweed sheets, tuna, mayonnaise, avocado, sesame seeds, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce). You may also need to purchase equipment such as a makisu (bamboo rolling mat) and perhaps a rice-cooker.

How much would it cost to buy all of these items? In comparison, would it be cheaper to buy a roll of sushi from a local restaurant?

1. Make a circle (so there is a clear order).

2. Student 1 states a change that will happen. It can be serious or a bit ridiculous.

• For example: ‘Everyone in Australia should have a pet cat’, ‘High school students should have to study politics as a subject’ or ‘Sidewalks should be replaced with swimming lanes’.

3. The next student gives an outcome of that change.

• For example: If the change was ‘That the internet should be banned’, a possible outcome could be that people become more intelligent. If the change was ‘People should get to decide how much they pay for items’, a possible outcome could be that the economy would collapse.

4. Each person then has to give one reason why that change will cause that outcome (that is, explaining the mechanism). Go around the circle so each person has a turn.

5. Keep going until someone can’t think of a new reason. If you can’t think of a reason, you are eliminated from the game.

6. Repeat steps 2-5, eliminating one person each round. Continue until one person remains. They are the winner!