Welcome to Refresh @ Home

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has changed the daily lives and routines of people living and working on the Central Coast.

To help you during this time, we’ve relaunched our Refresh – Kids & Families page to become Refresh @ Home. Here you’ll find a collection of our resources, as well as information and advice on a number of topics, from exercising at home, to cooking healthy meals, mental health support, activities and games.

Please continue to check this page for further updates. You’ll find new updates are now marked *NEW* so you can quickly spot them. You can also subscribe to our new Refresh @ Home newsletter to stay updated about new resources and information added to this page.

Last updated: 17 September 2020

Activities and Games
Exercise
Healthy Eating
Older People
Alcohol Reduction

Activities and Games

With kids at home, families will need plenty of games and activities to keep them occupied. Fear not, we’ve got you covered with a number of resources and programs to help keep you and your family both active and entertained.

• *NEW* Our Magic Lunchbox storybook has been brought to life through animated storytelling. The story, written by Central Coast author Angela Barrett, supports children aged 4–6 years to understand everyday healthy food choices and “the magic made, when you put good food inside.” Watch a reading of the story below. You can also download more Magic Lunchbox resources and a copy of the book here.

• *NEW* We’ve created a series of videos of our Family ACTIVation games. Family ACTIVation is a fun-packed resource to help parents and carers of 5–12-year-olds get active with their children. It’s full of quick and easy games to play at home, in the park, or wherever. Games that reinforce the fundamental movement skills like throwing, catching, hopping and skipping… the same movement skills being learnt at school. Why not try our Tricky Catches game by watching the video below. You can download the Family ACTIVation resource packand watch the full set of videos here.

• Keep your kids entertained with Jack’s FUNtastic Day. Written by Central Coast author Angela Barrett, Jack’s FUNtastic Day is a story for 3–6-year-olds about a boy named Jack who leaves his screen behind for a day to embark on a fun-finding expedition. Click the image below to take you directly to the story or here to a page with related activity books for pre-school and primary school aged-children.

• To get your kids fitter, healthier and happier, why not try our next Go4Fun Online program, which starts on Monday 12 October. Go4Fun Online is a free 10-week program for families with children between 7–13 years old. Parents and children view weekly online sessions where they learn tips and tricks for healthy eating and keeping fit. Families also receive weekly personalised phone support from a Go4Fun coach at a time convenient for them, as well as email and text message support to keep them on track.

• *NEW* Queensland Health has developed a new children’s book called Birdie and the Virus, The book has been specifically designed to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of babies and young children, their parents and families, during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can download a copy of it or watch a video version of it here.
• Our Get Active Today tool has some ideas on simple games and activities you can play to support the development of children ages 4–8.
• Northern Sydney Local Health District has produced Keeping Kids Active – a range of outdoor activities for primary school children. From balls games and treasure hunts, to obstacles courses and chalk challenges, you’ll find lots of ways to keep your kids active and entertained.
• Kids Health has compiled a helpful page with a number of play ideas for children, including indoor and outdoor games and educational and sensory activities.
• While we’re all spending more time at home, reducing screen time can be a challenge. Watch this video full of handy tips to help your family sit less and move more. Check out NSW Health’s screen time page for more guidance and tips.
• Our friends at Northern Sydney Local Health District have produced Brain Breaks. They’re short three to four-minute movement breaks that give children a break from learning and have been shown to improve behaviour and concentration, increase physical activity, manage emotions and enhance learning outcomes.​

Exercise

Exercise is more important now than ever before – both to support our physical health and mental health.

As we spend more time at home, many of us will be looking at converting our living rooms and gardens into exercise spaces, or looking for new ways to stay active. Here are some great ways to exercise, covering all ages and abilities, to ensure we continue to give our body and mind the work out it needs.

• *NEW* With October just around the corner, the Biketober Business Challenge is nearly upon us. There’s never been a better time to enjoy riding bike. It’s a great way to ensure you’re getting enough daily exercise, boost your mood and your immune system and an easy and fun way to travel from A to B while avoiding crowds. Biketober is a fun, free competition amongst individuals and businesses in NSW to see which workplace can get the most staff to try riding a bike in October. There’s leaderboards to compete on and loads of prizes to win for riding and encouraging friends and colleagues to ride too. What’s more, anyone who registers before 1 October will be in the running to win a brand new Bosch-powered e-bike worth $3,899. Click on the image below to register or find out more.

• NSW Health’s Get Healthy at Work program has developed a Being Healthy While Working From Home guide with lots of information – from physical activity, to healthy eating and mental health advice.
• On the subject of mental health, NSW Government has produced a factsheet with advice on how to look after your mental health during COVID-19.
• *NEW* The Department of Education School Sport Unit and The Arts Unit have produced a range of videos called [email protected] to teach kids a range of fundamental and sport-specific skills using items found at home in their living rooms, in a fun and engaging way. Watch the video on skipping for children ages 3–6 below and check out the rest of the episodes here.

• Looking for a series of engaging, fun and healthy workouts your kids can do at home? Then look no further than this YouTube series from The Body Coach.
• NSW Health’s Make Healthy Normal website has some simple exercises to do from home or outdoors. You can view and download a range of workouts, from beginner, low-intensity and high-intensity workouts.
• The NSW Institute of Sport has put together a High Performance at Home page containing a selection of videos by some of Australia’s top athletes to help us exercise at home, including improving your running technique and full body 30-minute workouts. Check out its 15-minute full body workout for beginners or daily flexibility routine for working from home.
• As many of us begin to think about returning to our places of work as restrictions lift, why not consider active transport to work. Central Coast Health Promotion runs a Go Active 2 Work Day every third Wednesday of the month, with monthly gatherings in William Street, Gosford. To join the Go Active 2 Work community, receive a welcome pack and updates, visit our Go Active 2 Work page.