learning with no technology at home

Keeping children engaged and learning at home can be challenging especially with little or no access to a reliable internet connection or device. The following ideas could be useful in creating extended learning, topic or theme-based learning activities or problem-based learning tasks. Keep checking in as new ideas are added to this page.

Activities such as these are also important for students who do have a device to use at home and a good internet connectivity. Students who are engaged in long hours of remote learning commonly suffer from screen fatigue and therefore benefit from shorter screen-based activities, reasonable breaks away from a device and opportunities to do something physical.

Visit the teaching activities page on the DTIF website for lots of ideas that require no technology but help students learn about important concepts in the Curriculum.

What's in the garden?

A themed activity could centre around observations in your garden or if you don't have a garden, observations from your window or balcony.

What birds come to visit through the day? Keep a tally on a piece of paper. You can identify some common birds using this handy poster from the backyard Aussie bird count website. Could you build a water bath or a bird feeder from things you have at home? to put in the garden or on your window sill? This might attract the birds so you can count them. You could, draw, photograph or write down the steps to make it. This is called an algorithm. You might like to make some art and craft that has a bird theme. There are lots of ideas on this page. What about writing a poem or story about a bird or imagine yourself as bird? Some great stories about birds might be fun to read. Here is a list of 197 books about birds. You might have one of these at home or you might be able to listen to one of these as an audio book at audible.com which is currently offering many audio books free to download to your phone or iPad during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Listen quietly, can you hear any musical patterns or rhythms that the birds make in your garden? can you repeat the patterns or rhythms you hear hear with your voice or through clapping? Can you mimic the songs of the birds you hear? like this magpie call.

But why stop at birds? what about the minibeasts: (bugs and slugs and worms) that live in your garden or in your pot plants? What are they? where are they? how many can you find and write down? What's the best way to keep a record or a tally of what you count? Read a bug-themed book

Pantry inventions and investigations

Have a look what is in the pantry or food cupboard and kitchen drawers. Could you make a fitness circuit with what you find? for example baked bean can hands weights or obstacles, circles of string to make 'hoops' to hop into an out of?

Have a look at the ingredients list? on the packages? what observations do you have or questions do you have about the words and numbers on the list? Choose a packet or tin and design a more interesting or colourful packet or label with coloured pencils or textas. Can you sort the food into categories? Write down your plan to organise the cupboard in a better way by category. In the book Cloudy with a chance of meatballs the main character invented a machine to rain food down on his town. Could you imagine a kind of machine that would be useful to make or serve food to people or animals? Can you draw it? Can you write an interesting poem or story about food? for relaxtion Read a book with a food theme to yourself or to a family member.

What can you build on the floor with the food packets and cans in your cupboard? A food city? a racetrack for a vehicle? a game?

Investigate how much things weigh? can you find a packet and a can that is the same weight? what other investigations about how much things weigh could you do with kitchen scales or good guessing by holding one in each hand? For example does one packet and one small tin or two small tins weigh about the same as one big one? write down what you discover. Collect some data on the fresh food you are eating each day.

Through my window

You might have read at school or heard of the book Window by Jeannie Baker. You might find Jeannie's notes about this book on her website a useful reference. Can you find a window in your house and describe what you see outside in words or in pictures? can you make a collage like Jeannie Baker makes to illustrate her book with leaves and paper and other things you find inside or outside your home? Can you imagine what your friend or a family member sees outside their window? Is the view from your classroom window at school different? how? what can you remember seeing outside that window? Can you describe that scene in words or with a drawing. How has where you live changed over time? do you have photos in your house that shows things that have changed where you live? Perhaps you could talk to someone in your house who is older about what they think has changed as they have grown up. Can you measure your window? how big is it? What is the area? Can you make a cardboard box house from recycled materials with windows? Perhaps this could be a house for a toy you have.

Shadows

Use your body to explore shadows outside. What shapes and numbers can you make? does your shadow get longer or shorter at different times of day? You may even want to try this at different times of the day to catch the sun in different positions. Do the shadows get longer or shorter at different times of the day? can you measure them and keep a record of that data? If it’s a rainy day, try a flashlight indoors instead. In the story of Peter Pan something funny happens to Peter's shadow. Why don't you read the story to find out that was?

Can you make a shadow puppet with a lamp or torch inside? where does the light have to be? above, behind or at the side of the puppet for best effect. You could make a shadow puppet theatre with a box or maybe a sheet or tea towel.

Did you know the earth is in shadow at night time? what could be some ways you could investigate this idea? You might like to make a sundial. This is how people used to tell the time a long time ago using shadows created by the sun.

How about some shadow art? if you have some chalk you could create the outlines of some of the things in shadow outside. You could try this outside with toys or other object using the shadows from the sun. Another arty project could be to make a shadow portrait by having someone trace the outline of your shadow on a piece of paper for you to decorate.

What kind of shapes and angles can you create by making shadow with objects? Can you take photos of interesting shadows using a phone camera?

Low tech, no tech tinkertime/makerspace projects - design a solution

Plan out the setting, characters and storyline for a video game you might build later

You might like to read this webpage on the writing process vs game design for inspiration or try some or all of these ideas:

  • Write, sketch or cut out images from catalogues, magazine or newspapers to create a kind image collection of what your character(s) might look like make up a poste or a board to collect your ideas together.
  • What world or environment would they live in? what would it look like? write it up or sketch it out.
  • Write down a list of features you liked from games you have played before. Decide which if any of these might be in your game.
  • Design the user interface from your game. What would it look like in colours, buttons and other interactive elements.
  • Write a narrative that describes the world, characters and motivation for playing the game for a user.
  • Sketch out the flow of your game in a flowchart or algorithm that shows what might happen.
  • Survey people around you or ring a friend and interview them about what features makes they like to play a game.
  • Imagine you've been asked to write a review for a game or games you have liked for a gaming magazine. Wjat would you say about the game?

Challenges

What kind of challenges could you engage students in? Some examples could be:

Possum Magic themed activities

Read or listen to the story Possum Magic by Mem Fox being read. Look at a map of Australia. Find where you live in Australia. Locate the cities that Hush and Grandma Poss visit. Which states of Australia are they in? Mark them on your map of Australia. You might have a handout from your teacher or find one in a book or perhaps you or someone in your house could draw one.

What was the algorithm that Hush and Grandma Poss had to follow to turn Hush visible? Can you write it down or draw the steps they had to follow in the right order? Find some interesting word in the story that you could use in a narrative of your own.

Can you write your own story about an adventure you might have that is a little bit like Hush and Grandma Poss' adventure? What foods might turn you invisible and then visible again? What would be the algorithm that you'd use? Can you make a possum with some craft materials at home? Perhaps you could use home made playdough or salt dough (which can be baked hard in the oven to make a sculpture in 2D or 3D). How could you decorate you possum?

What ingredients do you have at home? Could you make one of the foods that hush needs to make herself visible? If you don't have ingredients perhaps you could pretend to make the food.

We're going on a bear hunt (or other animal) hunt

During the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a lot of interest on social media and in the news about learning centred around the picture book We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen. Students could go on a bear hunt in their neighbourhood when they go out with a family member. Lots of people are putting bears in their windows for just this reason. If this isn't happening in your neighborhood perhaps you could phone a few friends and organise it. If you live on a farm or a place where you can't go hunting for bears why not go hunting for other animals that you know live nearby? (cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, kangaroos or lizards - get creative). Teachers could visit this website https://www.jointhebearhunt.com/play/ to print some activities for students to try at home in a take home pack.

Can you retell the story in song with rhythms included (clicking, clapping, tapping etc or actions)? Can you draw a map of the places that the family visited in the story? what was the order or sequence they visited each location? This is called an algorithm.

Imagine the family in the story were going on a bear hunt near where you live? What kind of weather and obstacles would they need to go over, under or through? Re write the story so it describes places to visit around you. How would something have to be so you couldn't go over it? do some measuring with a ruler, tape measure or dress makers tape to decide how tall something would have to be before you would go around it.

Teachers did you know that this book is a popular favourite to teach computational thinking and algorithms in Digital Technologies? Have a look at this activity to get some inspiration. You can download the grid here. You could draw or print pictures of the places the family visit on the story and then put them in the correct sequence. This is a kind of visual algorithm. You can see visual algorithms in lots of places like in posters explaining how to wash you hands. Do you have a visual algorithm for first aid somewhere in your house? These are often visual algorithms too.

If you go on a bear (or other type of animal) hunt you could even collect data on what you find.

During Easter you might like to participate in a variation of the bear hut by going on an Easter Egg hunt inspired by the The Big NZ Easter Egg Hunt instigated by NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. You could collect data about the types of houses you find them at for example, with or without fences, one storey or two storey, barking dogs or no dogs present etc.

Offline literacy and numeracy games

There are lots of great literacy and numeracy activities that can be done at home offline. Students will have fun squirting water from the hose or a water pistol at sight words, or answers to Maths questions written in chalk on the fence or concrete. See the idea demonstrated in this fire hose activity. You could make a step up reading activity (or along the ground if you don't have stairs). Word family slam is another great indoors or outdoors activity that will keep children moving and learning at the same time. You might also like to have a look at these Australian made literacy and numeracy games from 'Go Teach This' which can be downloaded and printed by parents or for take home packs.

Use toy cars or other objects to match numbers or create maths activities. There are also lots of interesting maths ideas to do with Lego or other building bricks.

You might also like to explore a Digital Technologies concept, data representation, by doing an art-based activity with Koala glyphs.

Being at home is a great opportunity for students to record what they are doing, how they are feeling and what they are learning. This COVID-19 time capsule journal (printable pages) by Graphic designer and mother, Natalie Long, is an idea that might give you inspiration for a journalling activity. If printed pages aren't an option for students, perhaps they could make their own journal and include drawings and things collected from nature like leaves and pressed flowers or data about what they are doing at home.

Digital Technologies unplugged

There are lots of simple ways you can design tasks to teach Digital Technologies without an internet connection. You might set spelling words or a writing task that has a focus on Digital Technology Vocabulary F-2 or similar tasks. ACA has developed some literacy tasks for Years F-2 & 3-4 such as their Find all the technology words on the sheet and in your house, an activity to improve younger students’ awareness of Digital Systems and develop their vocabulary and spelling. The full set of unplugged/ at home Digital Technologies from ACA can be found here. There are also a host of very useful ideas on the CS Unplugged at home website.

Understanding what an algorithm is and how and why we use them is an important concept in Digital Technologies. This resource gives some fun ideas of how to do this with making smiley face biscuits and other simple activities which would really suit learning at home. Making origami is another easy way to explore algorithms. Origami instructions are often in visual and written algorithms. If you don't have origami paper at home, you could use scrap paper or newspaper. Can you make a perfect square out of scrap paper?

Hello Ruby is a picture book that helps children understand how a computer works and discusses a lot of Digital Technologies concepts. Visit the Hello Ruby website for ideas on teaching Digital Technologies concepts.

You might like to set a task with board games or book with either a focus on a narrative about Digital Technologies or on the structure and sequence of a text as an explicit teaching strategy to demonstrate computational thinking or algorithms. Better yet, students could design a game with a home made board of with cards or other objects they have at home. Working on the sequence and rules can be linked to designing an algorithm with branching (depending upon the task).

How about trying to build a digital system out of cardboard boxes, paper or other recyclable objects at home? Perhaps you have some old or broken devices that you are allowed to take apart to see inside? Draw a labelled diagram of what you find? write down your questions about the things you wonder? Perhaps you could explore peripheral devices, input and output with these digital systems cards?

Data can be captured about what you are doing at home and what is going on in the world through bullet journalling.

Did you know that some online coding sites have downloadable versions that can be used on a computer without an internet connection? Such as Scratch Jnr for desktops and laptops, Scratch (visual programming) and Mu (text-based programming for Python)? and you might like to look at 5 coding activities you can do without a computer from Code Club.

Pollution/ Clean up the world (or at least your part of it)

What kind of litter is nearby where you live or where you go to school? How much is recyclable and how much is landfill? Data, which is an important concept in Mathematics and Digital Technologies, can help us make decisions on how to protect the environment and how to design solutions to bring positive change. This DTIF classroom idea might give you some inspiration.

What do you recycle at home? food scraps, plastic, containers? paper and cardboard? animal waste? other things? Can you write about what you household does and what your community does. Do you have any ideas on how recycling could be improved.

What can you invent/ design and make at home form recycled or re-purposed items? can you sketch up your designs and keep a record of what you made and how you think will benefit the environment?

STEM challenges

Podcasts and all things audio (via phone)

If children have access to a phone at home that can download podcasts these suggestions make for some great educational listening.

wellbeing and mindfulness

During times when we are all forced to stay at home and many children find it hard to understand whay they can't see their family and friends you might find it useful to build into the day activities to support relaxtion and mindfulness. This article by the converation has some great ideas to try at home" ‘Stupid coronavirus!’ In uncertain times, we can help children through mindfulness and play

Children could also try some relaxation exercise apps such as smiling mind and some other suggestion mentioned here. Relaxation procedures are also a great opportunity to talk about algorithms and branching (for example "if your mind wanders do this....")

Outdoor learning

Further examples F-2

Further examples 3-6

Further examples 7-10