Connect. Create. Celebrate
Family Toolkit: Unplugged & Off the Grid
Kids Unplugged goes off grid.
We experience the adrenaline rush of reeling in a snapper, bush bash to a secluded snorkelling spot and try tasting fresh kina with John and Ezra.
Let’s Ponder & Pātai Together
-
Play: John and Ezra turned the bush into their playground. What fun worlds have you imagined in places like the bush, streets, or backyards?
-
Discover: The boys learned lots of real-life skills growing up off-grid. Brainstorm the skills you noticed the boys had and who they learned them from.
-
Unplug: What might some positives be about the family’s decision to wait until 16 before giving their kids a phone?
Activity Ideas
Real Life Video Games
Create a real-life adventure game together outdoors. Ideas could include...
-
capture the flag
- obstacle courses
-
scavenger hunts
-
backyard survival games
-
treasure maps
-
team challenges
Encourage creativity, movement and teamwork instead of competition.
Afterward, discuss:
-
What made the game exciting?
-
What felt different from playing online games?
Build From Scratch
Challenge the family to build something useful or fun from scratch.
Ideas could include...
-
a backyard fort
-
bird feeder
-
driftwood sculpture
-
mini shelter
-
a rope swing or bike ramp
-
knit a scarf
Reflect afterward on:
-
how creativity grows through hands-on activity
-
the satisfaction of making something yourself
-
how problem-solving feels in real life
"Boredom" cards
Using an old deck of playing cards, cardboard cut-outs, or dice, create a simple set of “Boredom Cards” filled with quick, go-to activity ideas.
Whenever someone in the family says “I’m bored”, draw a card (or roll a dice) and do whatever it says — no debating, just try it.
Ideas can include things like:
-
Build a fort using what you can find at home
-
Go outside and find 5 interesting objects
-
Scribble lines all over a page, then find hidden objects in the doodle
-
Cook or invent a snack together
-
Tell a story where each person adds a sentence
-
Paint a map of your neighbourhood from memory
-
Do a mini challenge (e.g. “quietest person wins for 5 minutes”)
You can keep adding new ideas over time, so the deck grows with your family.
The goal is to turn boredom into action, creativity, and shared moments — instead of screens.
parent reflection
How can you rethink the balance between screen boundaries and real-world freedom in your own home?
explore further with whānau...
Play mode
-
John says they used to build forts and “raid each other’s huts.” Where around your home feels like it could become an adventure space?
-
The boys didn’t like fish at first but learned to enjoy it over time. Have you ever tried a food you didn’t like but grew to enjoy?
discover mode
-
“There’s just so much you can do up here.” What would be fun about living off-grid? What would be challenging?
-
Who is someone who has taught you something important, and what did they teach you?
unplug mode
-
The episode explains that screens and real-life adventures both release dopamine. Take a moment together to look up what dopamine is. Then chat about the kinds of everyday things that lift your mood or give you a sense of reward — at home, at school, or outdoors.
We’d build little forts – we’d have like video games but in real life.
We’d go and raid each other’s huts.
We were the video games.
– John Hunter
