Below are some talking points and activities to pass the time, all relating to today’s story.

Talking points

Discuss the ideas presented in the story with your family—at home or over video conferencing. Find ways to involve as many people as possible, especially those who you know are isolated by the lock-down.

• Looking through the photos, what kinds of words would you use to describe the places you see? Are there some that look fun to explore or that you can imagine playing in with your siblings or friends? What would animals think of the spaces?
• What is meant by an “apocalyptic landscape” in the sentence “What’s a city to do when an apocalyptic landscape lands right on its doorstep?”
• The diggers that respectfully demolished people’s houses (for safety reasons) left in the shrubs that marked “orthogonal” property boundaries. The word “orthogonal” refers to lines that are at right angles. Can you think about the orthogonal boundary lines on the properties in your street? What kind of shrubs and trees are planted along these boundary lines? What would your street look like without the fences and houses that are there now?
• What are some of the things you like the look or sound of? For example, the photo of the bike-riding circuit track that is marked out like a real road, or the idea of canoe-landings that allow people to get out of their kayaks and explore places like wetlands and farms?
• One idea is to create an “Eden Project.” Find out more about some of the Eden Projects around the world. You might like to find out more about geodesic domes, which are used in the Cornwall Eden Project – after looking at them and reading about them, how can you see them being a popular attraction?

Activity: Invisible Ink

Write a message to someone using invisible ink!

You will need:

• Lemon juice
• Paper
• A toaster

Step One: Squeeze some lemon juice out of half a lemon.

Step Two: Dip a kebab stick or similar slim item (the end of a thin paintbrush would work) into the lemon juice and write a message on the paper. Wait for the writing to dry; it should become almost invisible.

Step Three: Give the message to somebody. To read it, they will need to expose the paper to heat (without letting it burn, of course!) A good way to do this is to put the toaster on. Heatwaves will rise and burn the carbon in the dried lemon juice, making your secret message visible!

Send us a picture of your invisible ink message!