We all know that getting kids off their devices is an impossible challenge. So when Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare was asked to provide an outdoor activity for up to 40 high school students, we knew that we would be competing with 40 mobile phone distractions. On top of that, out activity would be on the last day of school for the year, so we predicted that many of the kids would be tired, bored, and unmotivated to work on anything too onerous. Sigh.. What to do?
Well, how about we give them something productive to do that involves them using their phones? Bingo!
Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare group has recently received a small grant to educate the community about the plight of the Platypus in our region. These special creatures make their homes in sheltered areas of riverbanks, and have been spotted in several local waterways around central Wagga including Flowerdale Lagoon. We brought the students to Flowerdale Lagoon, and set them the challenge of designing a logo, brochure, poster or social media post to educate the community about the plight of the Platypus at Flowerdale Lagoon, and motivate them to take action to protect them. Students could use their phones to take photos, undertake research, and use design programs to complete their task.
Case Study LP59 – Kids and devices: Using them for good, not evil!
