Safer Internet Day 2023
On Tuesday 7th February the whole school celebrated Safer Internet Day. The children were introduced to this year’s theme ‘Want to Talk About It’ through an in-class assembly. 170 countries took part in the celebration. Each class discussed the large variety of ways the internet can be used but also the potential dangers behind it. They thought about questions like: What would they do if they were sent a nasty message online? Who would they talk to if they had a problem using the internet? What do they do if they see something they don’t like? The children came up with some really thoughtful responses about how they could stay safe.
All children were reminded of the importance of keeping their personal information safe and what they should or shouldn’t share online. It also gave children the chance to talk about ‘Hector’. Hector is used on all school computers – if the children see something on the screen they do not like, they are able to click on Hector before proceeding to get an adult.
Each class also read a story, each one had a moral behind them, which the children discussed afterwards and shared their own experiences of being online. Each year group then completed an activity linked to ‘Want to Talk About It’ which they completed in groups or pairs. Below you will find a summary of what each year group completed.
Reception
In Reception, the children talked about internet safety day. We read the story of Digiduck and the Magic Castle. We then chose which mask we would like to create, Digiduck, Eagle Owl or Wise Owl. The masks were stuck on to a poster that we created detailing some of the rules of internet safety we had learnt.
Year 1
In Year 1 we have been learning all about who we can trust to keep us safe when on the internet. We talked about how we use the internet both at school and at home – watching videos on YouTube, playing games, Purple Mash, downloading apps and chatting with our friends. We then shared the story ‘Digiduck and the Magic Castle’ by Lindsay Buck. The book led us to discuss how we should always be careful when typing our password on websites and how we must only share our passwords with adults that we trust. We then discussed who we would go to if we needed help keeping safe on the internet - our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and teachers were all adults we felt we could trust to help us. We then had a go at drawing these people to help us remember those we could ask if we ever need help online!
Year 2
In Year 2, the children began by talking about how they use the internet at home. Lots of children played games, looked up facts and watched videos. We talked about what the children would do if they saw something that made them upset or worried online at both home and in school. The children were able to tell us that they would tell a grown up or press Hector the dolphin if they were in school.
We then read the book ‘Chicken Clicking’. The children thought the chicken was extremely naughty as he bought so many bits online without asking an adult and that the chicken was using the farmers laptop without asking. After this, we took some time to think about what information we would and wouldn’t be safe to share online and we sorted them into two categories. The children were spot on with this task and knew straight away which pieces of information were safe to share online and which weren't. We learnt how important it is to keep safe online and we must never share any personal information with anyone online. We also learned that that if there was anything that we were unsure about or anything that made us feel uncomfortable, that is it OK to talk to a grown up that we know and trust.
Year 3
In Year 3, we discussed how we use the internet in and out of school. We then talked through the various threats of being online, including scams and online bullying. We talked about how this might make us feel and what to do to protect ourselves, in particular closing the content and speaking to an adult straight away.
Following this, we read the book 'Webster's Friend' and talked about how we may not know online friends as well as we think we do, and to always be cautious. In particular, we spoke about not sharing personal information or agreeing to meet up with anyone we do not know.
Finally, we thought about how well we 'really' know the people in our lives and completed the concentric circles activity, categorising the different people in our lives.
Year 4
In Year 4, we discussed how the internet can be a wonderful thing, but can also have some dangers, and that this brings up a variety of emotions. We created emoji feelings fans and used these to respond to some e-safety scenarios and the story "#Goldilocks - A Hashtag Cautionary Tale" to show how we would feel. Many of us had the same responses, but we did discuss the mixture of emotions some of the scenarios brought up.
Year 5
In Year 5, the children began by thinking about all the things they enjoy doing online. This was mostly based around gaming and the various consoles that allow them to connect each other. We then talked about scenarios when things could go wrong on the internet and what solutions we could come up with to support us with this. We recapped the importance of keeping our personal information safe and not to share our passwords with anyone. Afterwards, we read ‘Tek The Modern Cave Boy’, Tek loved technology so much that he never went outside, but one day he got disconnected! This gave all the children a “Ahhhhh” moment as they talked about times when their internet at home didn’t work and they didn’t know what to do! Tek soon realised that the outside world was such a beautiful place but he had got so caught up with technology that he never made the time to explore. The children decided the moral of the story was to ‘enjoy technology, but don’t let it take over!’ Following this, the children completed an activity; they had to roll a dice, the number they rolled came up with a scenario – they had to write a short story with a positive solution at the end describing their feelings along the way.
YEAR 6
Consideration of Safer Internet Day began with looking at the KS2 Assembly PowerPoint. They then wrote incredibly long lists of all the activities children used online with some eye-opening responses to their negative experiences online. We discussed the merits of online activities and the fact that it was important to be ‘on guard’ and aware at all times, regardless of how simple or innocent the online activity might be. Children were clear as to appropriate actions to take if they were ever unhappy/unsettled by anything witnessed online and were also reassured that, whilst some may feel fearful of telling their parents, it was only that parents are equally concerned for their safety and well-being and that keeping them in the loop of any inappropriate material/communication was crucial.
‘Troll Stinks’ by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross was read and the parallels drawn between the events and the children’s own experiences.
The children then went on to write their own recipes for a ‘Healthy and Happy Experience of Online Activity’.
Please scroll through the photos below to see some examples of the children's work.
