How an Aussie Dad Stopped his Kids from Spending Hours on the Computer

A father managed to get his children off their screens and spend time outside cleaning up beaches and parks in a move that "immediately' made them more 'active and engaged'.

Sydney father Jon Owen, 47, was inspired while watching a documentary on nature with his children Molly 10, and Eve eight.

He began by taking his kids along with their friends to the beach where they would do different projects.

One day, the kids went to Bondi and picked up trash at the basketball courts. Minecraft servers

'They got so excited, it became competitive, to see who could take home the most. They had so much fun,' Mr Owen told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Owen said that his kids, Eve, 8 (pictured at Bondi's basketball court) and Molly (10 (pictured second from right), are'so thrilled about the projects that he has given them.

The app lets kids tackle real-world challenges, such as gardening, making worm farms, bird boxes and even frog hotels.

Two-time dad says he noticed the difference in his children 'instantly' after he began giving them mini-projects.

Mr Owen also gave the kids tasks like making a meal using leftovers and doing craft using old clothes.

He noticed the positive changes in his kids "absolutely instantly" with the added benefit of educating them about responsibility and making them more environmentally conscious in a fun manner. Minecraft servers

Jon Owen (pictured) said that he would like to provide children with a fun way of learning how to live sustainably

Mr Owen decided to invest in ensuring that primary school children in Australia get the same experiences.

He co-founded Genus which was a start-up in the field of technology which developed an app that 'enables' kids to go on real-world missions and learn life skills.

The Genus app is being trialed in 40 schools in Australia and works as a platform to take children out to work on environmental projects.

You can build bird boxes, worm farms Frog hotels, worm farms, and other crafts using the app.

After completing the task after which they upload their photos to the app, and move to the next stage.

Mr. Owen conceived the app as an environmental and educational alternative to the popular games that kids are immersed in, such as Minecraft and Fortnite.

It also provides word searches, as well as quizzes based on environmental themes. There are also activities where students utilize math to determine how much soft material they can divert from the landfill. Minecraft servers

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Owen said that it was about taking kids on a fun adventure with a tangible benefit.

'Saving the planet was always thought of as hard and boring... Genus is making sustainability fun for young people,' Mr Owen said.

Mr Owen acknowledges that, while today's kids are raised in the digital age, there needs to be a balance that helps kids become more active and engage in physical activities.

The app is free to schools but from 2023 will cost students two dollars a year.

Genus's mission is to utilize technology to solve real-world problems. The app will be a crowdfunded project to fund its development.