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Screen free play ideas
Real, hands on things to do with what you already have in the house. Every idea is screen free, tied to one of our weekly themes, and written for children aged 4 to 11. Pick an age and the weather outside your window.
9 ideas for age 10 to 11, sunny day
Pond dipping with a washing up bowl
Scoop a little pond life into a shallow bowl, watch it closely, then put every creature back exactly where it came from.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Stick and stone sundial
Plant a stick, mark the shadow every hour with a stone, and tell the time without a clock.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Garden sound map
Sit still for five minutes, mark every sound on a map and discover how loud quiet really is.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Stone skimming and angles
Skim stones, count the bounces, then work out which angle and which stone wins.
10 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Bee cafe and pollinator count
Plant or place a few flowering pots, then sit still for ten minutes and count every visitor.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Bottle siphon water play
Use two bottles and a length of tube to move water uphill, then work out how it happens.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Tide line survey
Walk the strand line with two bags and sort what the sea brought in from what people left behind.
4 to 67 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Paper plane fair test
Fold three plane designs, throw each one five times and work out an average distance.
7 to 910 to 11IndoorSunny day
Blackberry ink and picking rules
Pick late summer blackberries, squash them into ink and write with a feather or a stick.
7 to 910 to 11OutdoorSunny day
Want the whole week planned?
Homeschool Club builds your weekly plan around ideas like these, keeps your records for you, and leaves room every day for the Wonder Hour.
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