Both my children are interested in a more sustainable way of living. I love that they are always coming up with ways to cut down on waste at home and find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. My son recently became a travel ambassador at school, encouraging more people to walk or cycle to school and reduce unnecessary car journeys.

Preparing for the Future campaign

My kids are real digital kids, never happier than with a tablet in their hands. But this is something we encourage them to do. They are also members of Cubs and I think they strike a great balance with their online and offline activities. Plusnet have been working with Scouts to encourage them to use technology to help change the world for the better via the Preparing for the Future partnership.

Plusnet recently held a hackathon to encourage young people to develop ideas that tackle real world issues, such as the environment, mental health and homelessness. The hackathon saw young people use the power of online connectivity to code solutions to help solve these issues. Plusnet asked if we would like to try the same activity at home and I knew this was something my children would enjoy.

Plusnet Hack at Home

We were gifted a Plusnet Hack at Home pack, a kano kit, along with other goodies to help live a sustainable future.

Using the hack at home pack, the children were challenged to identify an issue that they wanted to solve. They were able to read about how the internet can help you work towards a solution of your own. Inspired by the Scouts digital camp hackathon, we learned how to work on a project step-by-step and how you can use your skills and the internet for positive change. My son was really excited by the Kano computer kit which he set up super quickly!

He loves a challenge and we sat around after school talking over his ideas. He’s really passionate about rubbish and micro-plastics so designed an ocean cleaning robot. He loved planning what he could do, writing post it notes and putting them in order. We were unsure how to translate his idea using the Kano computer kit, so instead he drew his design on paper.

He couldn’t wait for his Dad to come home from work and tell him all about it! His robot was solar powered, with grabbing arms to collect the rubbish as it drifted along in the sea. Don’t you love the Go Pro attached to the front?

He’s excited to learn more about coding, the Kano computer kit and how technology can change the world for the better. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!