Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

Technology definitely has a time and place in our schools and we owe it to our pupils to teach them proper ways to use their devices for learning and communicating. However, we can also probably agree there are some downsides to all of this tech in our student’s lives.

Technology which opens our students up to a variety of pitfalls of dangers that range anywhere from cyberbullying to the health consequences of inactive lifestyles.

As educators, it’s no great surprise today’s technology is changing the way we monitor our children, communicate, interact, and engage with our students and, everyday we are on the frontlines watching and coping with the consequences as they unfold.

This makes it essential that we slow down and re-evaluate the role we allow technology to play in our classrooms. This is especially vital when we consider teens are digitally connected for 9 hours everyday! Yes, that is almost the same amount of time spent in school. If that statistic isn’t jaw dropping enough, we need to factor in that their younger counterparts clock in over 6 daily hours and children younger than 8 net nearly 3 hours a day!.

This data inevitably means that our children are missing out on important opportunities and activities to interact, explore, observe, and learn about the world around them. Instead of building new relationships or mastering valuable life skills, our boys and girls are inevitably living a distracted life. This is difficult for us to face, because we can only control what our students do during the hours we have them entrusted to our care. One simple way we can counteract too much technology is by examining the importance of outdoor activities and find ways for kids to strike a happy balance.     

Why Outdoor Activities are Essential for Kids

Over the course of the last few decades, a lot has changed in education as we strive to include more technology and teach for the test. While this has helped push in more STEAM activities and HAL opportunities, it has also led to a significant decrease in the amount of time allocated for recess, physical education, and the fine arts. To put this trend into perspective, according to the National Wildlife Foundation, today’s children are spending approximately half the amount of time outside than we did when we were kids.

Why outdoor activities are essential for kids:

• Poor indoor air quality is common in many schools. Fresh air is healthy!

• There is an increased risk for obesity, hypertension, and more that comes with reduced exercise and sedentary lifestyles.

• Green spaces have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety levels in children- and even adults. 

• The outdoors provide exposure to dirt, germs, and bacteria which boost a child’s immune system.

• Activities like gardening in the outdoors can help students develop observational skills and learn science concepts.

• Sunlight provides beneficial vitamin D which can help energy levels and strengthen bones.

• Adequate exposure to sunlight also helps set a child’s circadian rhythms, which will help them develop a proper sleep schedule to enhance social and educational performance in school.

• Outdoor activities and green spaces naturally improve many of the symptoms related to ADHD in children.

The Dangers of Too Much Technology

The reasons why outdoor activities are essential for kids is pretty solid, but we can’t overlook the possible dangers associated with too much technology. Our students’ devices might be entertaining, but there are real reasons educators need to be concerned. The following list shows why we need to help students find a healthy balance with technology in their lives:

• Direct links between overuse of social media and increases in depression, feelings of low self-esteem, and anxiety have been documented in young people.

• Devices can interrupt or cause distraction during key learning times in a classroom.

• Our kids might be set up for a lifetime of joint and neck pain if they don’t embrace proper ergonomics.

• Digital devices and fast paced stimuli can actually physically alter a child’s brain.

• The glow from our screens and constant notifications can disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep schedules leading to poor sleep.

• Overusing technology limits one-on-one communication opportunities for kids which may inhibit relationship and social skills development.

Benefits of Being Outside

Technology is obviously here to stay, and we can’t feasibly ban all devices from our schools. However, a little mindfulness and proactive planning can go a long way. With a little creative thinking we can help students find a healthy balance with technology and nature. Encouraging your children to play outdoors regularly needs to be more then just talk.  Give them ideas and take part in the fun as often as possible.

 

With so much access to technology as compared with human interaction and physical activity, it easy for to begin to feel run down and get bored. We may feel unchallenged mentally and soon realize that watching TV is not as fun as it seems.

If you want to challenge yourself and have fun, it’s important to realign your goals and seek more knowledge. Learn something new, try a challenge you consider undoable, change your life’s path if you can, or stretch your limits and imaginations beyond what you previously thought was humanly impossible.

To start you off, here are productive activities and fun ideas to help you beat boredom.

1. Learn a new language

Learning a new language, local or international, is a good way to remain mentally active and improve your life while at it. Set a goal now to work at it a little each day to learn Spanish or Mandarin, for example. This is your chance to learn an extra local lingo if you come from a multilingual country, or even learn the American Sign Language. All you need to learn a new language these days is a language app or an online class that teachers a new language. 

2.  Have a campfire in the backyard

This is simple: Make a fire pit and share quality time with your family around the fire. You can even roast marshmallows or steak to bring out the real camping experience. If you live alone, reading a book around the campfire could also be fun. Try anything, conventional or unconventional. Normal is boring, after all!

Note: This is illegal in some regions, so you need to confirm with your neighbors or local authorities first.

3. Learn a skill online

Take an online dance class and practice with a family member. Try a pottery class and do pottery with your kids in the backyard. If you are a business executive, hone your listening or management skills. If you are into art, learn how to write movie scripts, draw, or even how to write interesting children storybooks.  Anything you are interested in has a free tutorial online.

4. Cook

Does one person in the home do most of the cooking? Why not lend a hand while learning how to cook? This is your chance to try out the recipe you brought back from your trip abroad. Try making varied dishes from all the trips you have made, or from the TV shows you’ve watched. With a little creativity, innovation, and improvisation in your cooking techniques, you will be surprised by how many “secret” recipes you will invent in the next month or so- recipes that will remain “family secret” for tens of your future generations.

5. Learn How to Code

While many parents are getting their kids to take online coding classes there are plenty of games that teach you how to learn how to create the games while you play.  Computer coding is the unique language that computer programmers use to create software, make websites work and invent games.

6. Play games

Your parents may have been trying to get you to reduce your time looking at screens. You know what it’s like to play your Switch, Xbox, PS4, and iPads until you can’t focus anymore. Now get the old board games and play Trivial Pursuit or poker with your family. Learn how to play chess or see how good you still are at the epic game of Monopoly. We are talking about the long versions here. After all, you have all the time to push your limit.

7. Make a DIY clock

Someone made a clock using Chrome running in Kiosk mode, a Raspberry Pi, and a spare touch screen. The clock is basically a JavaScript-based web display on a Raspberry Pi 4, with the display being a local website whose textual representation is minutes, hours, and days. If technology or coding is your thing, this is a good idea for making something mechanical for yourself, in an artistic approach.

8. Plan a Comedy Show

Choose a night when the entire family can get together. Create and print free tickets that you can give each family member. Rehearse these funny jokes for kids and then tell them from a makeshift stage in your family room.  It’s your own comedy show.  Many of the world’s famous comedians started at home telling jokes to their mom, dad, brothers and sisters.

9. Exercise

There are tons of exercise and fitness apps/online platforms. If you love hitting the gym, look for trainer videos, and keep the momentum going. If you are new to this, you don’t have to jump directly to full-blown workouts; start with the calming Yin Yoga, short sprints in the backyard, or jumping rope for 10-20 minutes.

10. Paint By Numbers

This activity is a great way for family members of any age to see if they like painting.  Even beginners who try painting by numbers are able to achieve satisfying results while learning how to paint with a steady hand.  For school aged children, it also helps them a develop a myriad of skills as they learn and grow in the pursuit of art and creativity.

11. Learn How to Play Cribbage

Cribbage is a card game that combines elements of strategy, arithmetic, and probability, where the objective is to be the first player to score 121 points through card combinations in hand and play. This game is particularly beneficial for kids as it encourages mathematical skills, critical thinking, and strategic planning, making it a fun and educational pastime. Learn how to play

Conclusion

If you feel like time is becoming rather blurry, that is a sign that whatever you are doing is becoming monotonous. Don’t let boredom dim your spirit. Move on to a tougher challenge and by all means, make sure you have loads of fun in the process. 

We all have days at home that are boring.  You can’t think of anything to do that’s fun and exciting.  You just feel like just hanging out in bed watching videos on your phone. After all, what else is there, right?  Wrong. You don’t have to fly across the country or spend lots of money to have a fun, interesting time.

No matter where you live, bored kids can enjoy creative fun activities that will also bring world of adventure into an otherwise boring day.  All you need to do is use your imagination.

Here are a few ideas. Once you start thinking about the world around your home, you’ll see other activities that you can do to have fun without spending any money. By the way, you still get to use your phone when doing these things.

1. Take something apart.

This is really cool, but you need a parent to help you. Ask for a broken machine. It can be a lawn mower or a tower computer or an old toy or bike. Then ask your parents for the tools you need. Before you start, go online and read about the safety steps you need to do the work. You might need eye protection or gloves. Then grab a screwdriver and get going!

You’ll see how gadgets do what they do. You’ll learn about the insides of machines and maybe even figure out what is wrong with them. This also a great way to learn how to use tools, something everyone needs to know. Taking something apart is perfect for when your parents are doing a task beside you.

2. Become an ornithologist.

That long word looks terribly scary, but it means that you study birds. This is so easy and doesn’t cost much. All you need is a book from the library on local birds and a pair of binoculars. You could even use your phone. Just take pictures of any birds you see then go online to find out what kind of birds they are.

Warning: bird watching can be surprisingly fun and lead to a life-long hobby, not just something to do when you are bored.

3. Custom Stickers

Who doesn’t love stickers?  Least of all kids!  Did you know that you can create your own custom stickers that can be put on just about any thing you can think of?  It’s a great way to express your individuality. Stickers can be put on skateboards, leather items, water bottles, binders, phone cases, makeup cases, helmets, pencil boxes, and even car windows.

First, make a list of images you would like to put on a sticker, such as cartoons, a school sports team, or a personal sketch drawing of your. Stickers can also be created to display meaningful quotes, either written by the you personally or by a famous person. You can get custom made ones at sites like Jukeboxprint.com.

4. Create a Treasure Hunt!

You can go online and read about the different ways that you can arrange the hunt. The best way to get all your friends together and ask a parent to hide the treasure. It could be a batch of cookies or a gift certificate for a pizza or each child could bring one small toy to make up the treasure. Or you could be the treasure master, stashing the prize and making up clues that you hide in advance.

Clues could be something like “Look for the tree with the home-made swing,” or “Find the big grey rock and take three steps south.” Each clue leads to another clue and at the very end, the treasure. Maybe each of your friends could pick a day and hold their own treasure hunt. The hunts can be as long or as short as you want.  This is fun activity you could also do as a family together, outside or in the house.

5. Make a movie.

For this, call the friends who, like you, are bored. Get together and talk about what kind of movie you want to make. It could be a documentary, where your movie is about something real. It could be a drama, where you write a script and play pretend. Then start recording videos. You will need to learn how to write a script, how to talk clearly, how to question people and how movies really work.  Get inspired from watching family friendly movies, which is also another thing do to when you’re bored.

6. Color

It’s a lost art for many.  Coloring books.  That’s a funny little play on words since we are referring to the lost “art” being actual “art”.  Anyways, whether you use pencil crayons or wax crayons, it’s easy to find free coloring pages online of your favorite cartoons or drawings.  From animals to cars, princesses to superheros, sports themes to nature, what better way to spruce up your room’s decor with you very own artwork?

With coloring pages, you can also make a colorful wall montage.  Choose from all sorts of drawings and cover one of your bedroom walls with your own colorful creations. It will be like a wall mural but made up of individual pictures.

7. Have a Box Sculpture Contest!

This is easy.  Just ask your parents to get empty boxes from a grocery or chain store. Make sure you have a lot of them in a lot of different sizes. Then you need strong tape, glue and markers to decorate what you make. You could even decide on a theme, like box spaceships, box forts or box cars.  You can also get creative and spruce up your sculptures with items egg cartons, ribbons and show boxes.

There are so many things a kid can do when he or she is bored.  You just need a few ideas.  Creativity often works that way. Often, you first need to get the creative juices flowing and soon you’ll be coming up with ideas of your own.   Our activities list for bored kids came from brainstorming ideas.  It make be one of many art projects you’ve done in school, or new ideas you want to do at home.  Start by thinking about them.  Then perhaps share them with your friends and see what they think.

8. Build a bowling alley.

You need some outdoor chalk and a flat place—like your patio or driveway or the paved area around the school. With the chalk, draw the place where the “pins” will go, then outline a lane, with a line where you roll the ball. Get some empty plastic pop bottles and fill them about one-third full with water. Then get a ball—a baseball will do.

You will need to practice throwing the ball to make sure that the lane is the right length. The bottles may need more or less water. Play around with your bowling alley until the ball rolls right and the bottles are filled so that they need a good hit with the ball to tip over. Once you start building your bowling alley, you might be surprised by the people who stop to watch you and play.

9. Learn How to Fly a Kite!

Kites are relatively cheap to buy, but many kids prefer to learn about kites online and make their own. This activity requires you to follow the weather and look for good places to catch the wind, usually a park or a hill. This takes those reflexes that help you play video games and uses them in the real world. And it’s fun.  You can also take this activity to the next level and make your own kite.

10. Put on a Kids Clothing Swap!

Ask your parents what they think about this. It would be a good way to clean out closets as well as encourage everyone to recycle. Just make sure that all clothes are clean and mended when they are brought to the swap.

How to Create Your Own Fun Activities

This list is just the beginning or all the fun things you could do when you are bored.  Pick out a couple and ask your parents if you need help to get the fun rolling.  Whenever your faced with boredom, try going for a walk in the fresh air and use your imagination.  You may just find that the adventure will never stop.  It may not feel like it right now, but there is so much fun waiting for you just around the corner.  Finally, when you’re bored out of you mind and don’t feel like putting much effort into anything at all, bring up this page of funny jokes for kids and tell them to your family members.

Did you know that all children are born with intrinsic attributes of a successful scientist? It is in their nature to experiment with new things, seek answers to endless questions, and they are always curious about everything within their sight. Young kids pick-up everything they find and show genuine interest in the world around them. That is basically what scientists do.

But what happens when they join the school to the extent that they lose their interest in science? The obvious guess would be that as they grow up, they stop seeing the world around them being as important as they initially thought. They go to school and hate everything about it, including the science tasks they so readily undertook as toddlers. Everything seems complicated, boring, and completely out of touch with their lives. If you remember correctly, at one point, you too probably thought that most science projects at school were unnecessarily tiresome.

Replacing Disinterest with a Love for Science

As a parent, what can you do to ensure that your kid doesn’t lose their interest in science even after joining the school? Simple answer: By creating a science-friendly home and encouraging kids to experiment, ask questions, and take part in all science programs in the community.

There are plenty more techniques that you can apply if you wish to inspire your own child to fall in love with science. If you are a parent that works and you find it difficult to manage their time, we believe that finding out where your time goes and how to manage it, will be beneficial to you and to your kids. However, here are 6 of those techniques:

1. Take them to science camps

 On top of providing your kid with hands-on learning opportunities, science camps bring together hundreds of young scientists who can influence your kid positively through one-on-one interactions. When kids come together to explore and analyze science, learning becomes fun. Science camps are easy to find within your locality but in case you have no idea where to begin, you can visit one of the universities in your hometown. Most science camp organizers liaise with local universities to run science programs.

2. Allow them room to explore

Many parents don’t warm up to this idea because of the mess kids make when they explore, but there isn’t any way around it if you want your kid to love science. Even the greatest scientists became who they are today through experimentation, sometimes through trial and error. Allow your kids to try things out on their own. If they want to observe a pool of water under the microscope, let them be. If they want to build something using dirt and water, the best thing to do is to dress them appropriately. Make it acceptable to get dirty in your household and while at it, buy them a science kit in order to make their work easier and more fun.

3. Allow them to play video games

Video games such as Minecraft will introduce the virtual world to kids and nurture their interest in the science of coding. Not all games will teach your kid the language of programming, but there are many that will. Help your child choose the right ones.  You may also want to check out these game applications that can help boost their mind.

Skills such as negotiating, customizing player qualities, and different game levels equip children with the needed skills for progression to higher levels. Such qualities come across as necessary in later life.  Therefore, video games come across as an excellent way of enhancing your child’s problem-solving skills.  The key to a healthy well rounded life is balance between work and play.  This includes a balance between computer play and physical play, developing both mind and body. 

4. Help them keep up with the latest discoveries

Kids are naturally eager to learn about how the earth came to be and how it operates. Topics such as Earth’s rotation and how day/nights came to being are very interesting for everybody. Now build on that interest by letting kids follow breaking news about major scientific breakthroughs. Now build on that interest by letting the kids follow breaking news about major scientific breakthroughs.

5. Go hiking

By walking through nature, you will be igniting curiosity in regard to the world around them. You will create a terrific environment for kids to bring up scientific questions on their own. For example, hiking can arouse curiosity about photosynthesis, how plants eat, breathe, and grow. Besides, you will be seeing lots of animal species, birds, and insects, all of which you can photograph and try to research their adaptations. Your kid will love doing that. He won’t even realize he is learning.

6. Quash science-related stereotypes

Many kids have the wrong impression of science, especially girls. Make it your job to demystify these stereotypes and change your kid’s attitude towards science. Explain to them that physics is as simple as building with blocks, or that chemistry is as basic as baking or doing laundry, or that the simple act of breathing and excretion is biology. The key here is to make children see that he/she uses science every second.

Conclusion

We cannot emphasize this enough: Learning, especially in science, is founded on curiosity. It is your job to create a climate for discovery for your kids. Don’t force kids to love science. Just answer their questions and stimulate curiosity. Teaching science in a fun way and making it something interesting a child can relate too is key.  Everything else will naturally fall into place.