I'm bored!

This summer will be the longest summer of the recorded history of my parenting journey - TWELVE full weeks with TWO nine-year olds! I know I won't be bored but I am certain I will hear that phrase at least 216 times each week. (BTW, I did the math to come up with that number! It is impossible for me to put that many number words into a sentence without doing the calculation. The math specialist in me is still there!!)

While the following two resources will only lower the "I'm boreds" by a small fraction, anything helps!

Prior to diving into any digital game, social media tool, or new technology made available to children, I strongly encourage parents to do a bit of research to be sure the resource meets the expectations and norms of your family. I refer often to sites like Common Sense Media when deciding what works for my own children as well as in my classroom. Sites like this offer reviews and feedback regarding apps, books, movies, television programs, and more. The following is from the "About Us" page of Common Sense Media's website. ​"Common Sense is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. We empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives. Media and technology are at the very center of all our lives today -- especially our children’s. Kids today spend over 50 hours of screen time every week. The media content they consume and create has a profound impact on their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Learning how to use media and technology wisely is an essential skill for life and learning in the 21st century. But parents, teachers, and policymakers struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing digital world in which our children live and learn. Now more than ever, they need a trusted guide to help them navigate a world where change is the only constant." The learning opportunities below are resources I have vetted thoroughly and use personally to avoid the "I'm boreds" in the Houpt House. I would recommend these resources to my friends and family however I do encourage you to do a bit of your own research to be sure they are a good fit for your family.

​DIY www.diy.org

​DIY is a safe online community for kids to discover new passions, level up their skills, and share their love of learning and doing with other kids just like them. The site is like a digital scouting experience where kids can earn digital badges for exploring and "doing" new things. Students can use this site as a starting point for learning a new activity. While some activities require kids to spend time in front of a screen, most do not!

My own children have been inspired to explore cooking, astronomy, and photography - all tasks that were hands-on, minds-on and completed independently or with a little parent support. They chose a task, made a plan, created something, and then posted a photo or video of the final product. The parent dashboard allows me to approve their postings and monitor the feedback they receive from as well as provide to fellow DIYers. My favorite tool on the children's dashboards is the "To Do" list. Whenever one of my children utters the dreaded phrase "I'm bored", I quickly refer them back to their "To Do" lists and wait to see what they make next!

Tynker: Coding for Kids www.tynker.com

Tynker is available online and is a complete learning system that teaches kids to code. Kids begin experimenting with visual blocks, then progress to JavaScript and Python as they design games, build apps, and make incredible projects. Many activities can be explored without paying a fee however a variety of fee based options are available if your student is interesting in digging deeper.