Building Digital Safety Skills with Melbourne Puppet Kerfuffle

Last Friday our Year 1 students enjoyed a visit from Chris and Rob of Melbourne Puppet Kerfuffle for a specialised lesson on online cyber safety. This puppet show is designed specifically for young children to help them understand complex digital concepts through a fun and easily digestible performance featuring colourful characters like Calvin, Bruce, and Reboot the Robot. During the presentation the children learnt the importance of not sharing private information and were encouraged to treat people with kindness online just as they would in person. The show also taught them to avoid sending or responding to nasty messages and emphasised always telling a parent if they encounter anything unpleasant while using technology.

A highlights of the incursion was the Wheel of Cyber safety game show segment where students could answer questions to help the puppets win prizes. This interactive approach helped reinforce the lesson that devices should be kept out of bedrooms and instead used in common areas like the kitchen or living room in the presence of an adult. The students also explored ways to take breaks from screen time and practised making strong passwords that avoid simple words like password. By using humour and storytelling to tackle these modern challenges, the performance provided our students with valuable knowledge to help them become responsible digital citizens.