WHY DON’T YOU GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND LEARN SOMETHING NEW INSTEAD?

Copyright © Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2018

Text by Emily Kearns

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Condition of Sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk

Summersdale Publishers Ltd
Part of Octopus Publishing Group Limited
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
LONDON
EC4Y 0DZ
UK

www.summersdale.com

eISBN: 978-1-78685-711-8

Disclaimer
Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss or claim arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made herein.
All information included in this book is correct at the time of going to press.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

 

Nature

Attract butterflies into your garden

Work out when the sun is going to set

Teach a parrot to talk

Build a bird feeder

Watch a meteor shower

Hold a chicken

Gauge the proximity of a storm

Outrun a crocodile

Learn animal family names

Know your collective creature names

Science

Get power from a potato

Measure humidity

Grow crystals

Stick a balloon to the wall

Learn the first 30 elements

Play glow-in-the-dark bowling

Wow your friends with space facts

Know your bones

Make jelly set quickly

Create giant bubbles

Make a home-made volcano

History

Memorise the English monarchs

Brush up on your US presidents

Know your twentieth-and twenty-first-century prime ministers

Learn about the major wars since 1899

Remember important dates

Discover pre-1066 monarchs

Learn about top inventors

Learn the Roman names for British cities and towns

Geography

Know the top 10 largest countries by area

Learn the shipping forecast areas

Learn all 50 US states

Work your head around population density

Know the counties of England

Learn about Antarctica

Measure the Earth

Know your continents

Learn the countries of Africa

Know your bodies of water

Words and Language

Try cockney rhyming slang

Write flash fiction

Compose a haiku

Send a postcard

Learn Roman numerals

Speak Pig Latin

Learn Morse code

Know your London taxi driver slang

Create your own language

Know your American English

Learn semaphore

Keep the art of letter writing alive

Food

Pickle onions

Know your plant food families

Grow your name

Master chopsticks

Make chocolate fridge cake

Roast sweet chestnuts

Crack a coconut

Dry chillies

Make an egg stand up

Know your pastas and how to serve them

Make your own granola

Chop onions without crying

Sport and Fitness

Hold tree pose

Take your own pulse (or someone else’s)

Learn the top ten most decorated Olympians

Build up to a 5k run

Know the top ten goalscorers in the Premier League

Eat a breakfast of champions

Meditate for ten minutes

Learn some new swimming strokes

Learn the top 100 m sprinters

Learn the top tennis Grand Slam winners

Know your rugby World Cup winners

Step it up

The Arts

Learn the five most expensive works of art sold at auction

Make an origami bird

Draw a face

Master the nose flute

Learn to play the castanets

Change the colour of a flower

Take a great photograph

Learn the top ten albums of all time

Create marbled paper

Know your recent Turner Prize winners

Learn the bestselling fiction books of all time

Etiquette

Wear flowers in your hair

Make bunting from old clothes

Tie a bow tie

Lay a table for a dinner party

Walk in heels

Learn about tipping practices

Wear a silk scarf

Dress for the occasion

Send thank-you notes

Make mocktails

Be the perfect host

Games

Turn right

Keep a poker face

Eat a doughnut from a string

Play Banned Words

Throw a boomerang

Learn some board games facts

Play How Many Pegs…?

Play Consequences

Play Wink Murder

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

We’re all guilty of reaching for our phones many more times a day than is necessary – whether it's to settle a debate with a search engine, browse social media or simply peruse its contents out of boredom. In moderation, this is fine, but too much screen time is not healthy.

So why not set yourself the challenge to use your phone less? You could leave it in another room when you go to bed, so you’re not tempted to reach for it as soon as you wake up. Or switch it off when you’re engaging in other activities or spending time with friends. You might also find that something as simple as tweaking the settings to offer fewer notifications has you reaching for your device less often.

To help you along the way, this book is here as your handy guide. Animate your interest and stimulate your senses with the host of trivia, activities, experiments, projects and practical tips in the following pages. Rest those screen-weary eyes and learn something new instead!