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‘Your eyes will go square’ rings true in lockdown

The cliche, ‘your eyes will go square’ rings true in lockdown. So writes winner of the 2021 UNSW Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing winner, St John Bosco student Emilia Danne.

In her response to the 2021 theme The STEM in Everyday Life, Year 8 student Emilia explores how online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our health.

“I feel extremely humbled to have won the UNSW Bragg Science Writing competition,” Emilia said.

“I was ecstatic when I found out I was chosen from all of the incredible entries from across Australia.

“We rely heavily on our devices every day, but not everyone knows about what blue light is and what it does.

“I hope that my essay can shine the light on the importance of sleep and how our devices are affecting this.”

Read Emilia’s full essay below.

THE DARK SIDE OF BLUE LIGHT

Online learning. 

There are two words that strike fear into the lives of parents and caregivers, making them stop dead in their tracks. These two simple words paint a clear picture of utter chaos – online learning. 

Sugar-powered siblings and printer problems make home the least ideal place for education. With so much going on in such a small, enclosed domain, it’s easy to forget for how long someone has been staring at a screen. 

I looked at my average screen time a few weeks ago, only to find that I was at a new, all-time high of eight hours! 

Along with millions of other high school children, I’m now spending as much time on a screen as I am sleeping. 

The cliche, ‘your eyes will go square’ rings true in lockdown. 

Growing up surrounded by technology has allowed the current generation to take full …

Brain breaks students will love

Need a ‘brain break’ or just some inspo to get moving in lockdown?

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Randwick PDHPE teacher and wellbeing coordinator, Ry Kato, has you covered.

Mr Kato’s 10-minute daily family exercise and daily challenge videos were so popular during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown that he had to bring them back.

He’s made the videos available to his entire school community via Google classroom.

“My hope is that these videos can provide some sort of benefit to my students and families, physically and mentally,” Mr Kato said.

“Exercise and physical activity are the key to feeling good”

“The main aim of the videos is to get the students active, especially after potentially hours without moving while doing their remote learning,” Mr Kato said. 

“The response to the videos and challenges has been great. Many students and parents have let me know that they are enjoying them as a family.”

JOIN THE FUN

Reap the benefits of Mr Kato’s lessons with these simple exercises to get your blood and oxygen flowing:

1. Breathing exercises. Breathe in through your nose, hold for 3 seconds then breathe out through your mouth. Repeat 10 times.

2. Neck circles. Make 10 big, slow circles with your head clockwise, then 10 slow circles anticlockwise

3. Floor to roof. Touch the floor with both hands, then slowly reach as high as you can to the roof. Hold for 5 seconds, then repeat.

4. Swimming strokes. While sitting, do 15 seconds of freestyle, backstroke, breastroke, butterfly – and then repeat.

5. Ankle rolls/calf raises. Keep your toes on the floor while rolling your ankles around them in circles.

6. Squat holds. Stand up, then squat down (like you’re sitting on an imaginary …

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