A father was able to get his kids off their screens and spend time outside cleaning up beaches and parks in a move that 'immediately increased their 'activity and engaged'.
Sydney father Jon Owen, 47, was inspired while watching a nature documentary with his children Molly 10 and Eve eight.
He began by taking his children and friends to the beach and then they would work on various projects.
The kids went to Bondi one day and picked up trash from the basketball courts.
Daily Mail Australia's Owen said that the kids were so excited that it became a game to determine who could take home more.
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Mr Owen said that his children, Eve, 8, (pictured left, at the far left of Bondi basketball courts) and Molly, 10, (pictured, second from right) get'so excited and competitive' about the projects he gave them.
The app sends kids out on real-world challenges for example, gardening and building Frog hotels, worm farms and bird boxes
The dad of two kids said he noticed the difference in his kids "immediately" after he started giving them mini-projects
Mr Owen also challenged the children with various challenges such as making a meal from leftovers or making a project with old clothes.
He noticed the positive changes in his children "in a flash" and with the added benefit of educating them about the importance of responsibility and making them environmentally aware in a fun and engaging way.
Jon Owen (pictured) stated that he wants to make it fun for kids to learn how to live in a sustainable way.
Mr. Owen decided to invest in enabling Aussie primary school children to have the same experience.
Genus was founded by him with his co-founders. Genus is a tech startup that created an app that 'enables' children to take on real-world challenges and develop life skills.
The Genus app has been tested in 40 schools across Australia. It can be used as a launching point for students to take on environmental projects.
Some of these include building Frog hotels, worm farms, bird boxes and doing arts and crafts, with the app showing how to do it.
After completing the task after which they upload their photos to the app and then move to the next stage.
Mr Owen conceived the app as an environmental and educational answer to the popular games that children are immersed in, like Minecraft and Fortnite.
It also provides word searches, as well as quizzes based on environmental themes. There are also exercises where students can use math to calculate the amount of soft materials they can divert from landfill.
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Mr Owen said it's all about taking children on a fun journey that will have a tangible benefit.
"Saving the planet has always been viewed as hard and boring... Genus is making sustainability a fun activity for children,' Mr Owen stated.
Mr Owen admits that even though youngsters today are raised in the digital age, there needs to be a balance that helps kids become more active and get their hands dirty.
Schools can download the app no cost, however it will be charged to students in 2023 for two dollars per year.
Genus's goal is to use technology to solve real-world problems. The app will be crowdfunded to fund its development.