This week’s theme:
Mysterious News: This Week in History
Fact of the day:
On 3rd July 1985 ‘Back to the Future’ starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd was released.
Resources list:
Bits and pieces from your recycling; Youtube; Pens and paper; Instruments; a box or bottle.
Activity 1:
In the film, inventor, Doc Brown builds a time machine out of a DeLorean car to travel back to 1955.
Using boxes, and items from your recycling, make yourself a scrap and junk time machine filled with lots of different textures, colours, buttons and switches. You could add fairy lights. You could have a dial on the front, made from a circle of card, that you could spin to land on a date that you’ll travel back to. Step behind the machine, turn the dial and act out whooshing and whizzing back in time. What noises and actions will the machine make?
Activity 2:
The film was released in the 1980s. Try out some 1980s dance moves – can you moonwalk backwards like Michael Jackson, Vogue like Madonna, or try any of the dances in this video like the robot, the running man, or the worm?
Activity 3:
In the time machine, Marty and Doc travel back in time 30 years to 1955. In the 1950s futuristic looking designs were cool, and ‘atomic’ or ‘starburst’ designs featured on wallpaper and fabrics.
On paper, try drawing your own 1950s sunburst wallpaper pattern. Share your designs with us on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or send it to melanie@purplepatcharts.org and we’ll put it online for you!
Activity 4:
In the film, Marty McFly rides a Skateboard. Take a ride on an imaginary skateboard around your room – learn some hints from this video on how to jump on, put your best foot forwards, push off with your back foot, move your feet straight and sideways, and do some tricks like bunny hops, stretch your arms out for balance.
Skateboarding takes balance – try moving around on your imaginary skateboard while balancing something light on your head. Can you keep it balanced on there while dancing to this song?
Activity 5:
At the start of the film, Marty McFly is appearing in a Battle of the Bands competition. Get out your air guitars, any instruments you have at home, percussion shakers, and pen drumming on a table to play along with your own version of the theme tune to the film, ‘The Power of Love’.
Activity 6:
A time capsule is a container that holds present day items, such as photos, newspapers, letters and more. It’s typically hidden away for somebody in the future to open.
What items would you put in a time capsule that would teach people in the future all about what 2020 was like? You could put them into a box, or seal them in a decorated bottle.
You could write notes telling who you are, and describing your life or your week, or what lockdown has been like; you could draw pictures of your life and the things and people in it; you could write a letter to yourself in 30 years time; you could take photos of things that you see; you could write predictions about what you think the future will be like; you could write out the lyrics to your favourite song; you could write a poem about 2020; you could draw your family tree; you could gather items of packaging, newspaper or magazine clippings, something specific to your neighbourhood, or print outs of websites to put in your time capsule. You could do a questionnaire with everybody that you live with and write down their answers to questions such as what do you think you’ll be doing in 3 years, what’s your favourite songs, films, and food, etc.
Activity 7:
Our Programme Leader, Lorna has drawn an amazing Back to the Future colouring in sheet; why not print one out and try colouring in a DeLorean!