Based Brainbreak Website

A simple, ad-free website for sharing brain break activities. No trackers, no cookies, just helpful activities to energise and engage students.

What is a Brain Break?

Brain breaks are short mental or physical activities that help students refocus, energise, and prepare for learning. They typically last 3-10 minutes and can involve movement, games, puzzles, or relaxation exercises.

Acknowledgement

This website is based on Based Cooking by Luke Smith. The original source code is available here. The site uses Hugo with this simple theme.

How to Contribute

There are three ways to help:

1. Add a brain break - Share your favorite classroom activities
2. Add images - Create simple illustrations for existing brain breaks
3. Fix errors - Correct typos or improve instructions

Submitting a Brain Break

Quick Start

1. Look at existing brain breaks in the content/ folder for examples
2. Create a new file following the naming format: activity-name.md
3. Write clear, step-by-step instructions that teachers can read aloud
4. Submit via GitHub (instructions below)

Writing Guidelines

Your brain break should:

• Use "we" language (e.g., "We're going to play...")
• Include step-by-step instructions
• Be clear enough to read word-for-word without improvisation
• Use simple, concrete language

GitHub Submission Steps

1. Create a GitHub account (if needed):

   • Visit github.com and click "Sign up"

2. Fork this repository:

   • Go to github.com/brainbreaks/brainbreak
   • Click "Fork" in the top-right corner

3. Add your brain break:

   • Navigate to the content/ folder in your fork
   • Click "Add file" → "Create new file"
   • Name it using hyphens: my-brain-break.md
   • Copy the format from example.md

4. Commit your changes:

   • Write a brief commit message
   • Click "Commit changes"

5. Submit a pull request:

   • Click "Pull requests" → "New pull request"
   • Click "Create pull request"
   • Add a title and description
   • Submit for review

File Format Requirements

• Location: All brain breaks go in the content/ folder
• Naming: Use lowercase with hyphens between words (e.g., silent-chairs.md)
• Format: Follow the structure in example.md
• Line endings: Unix-style (\n) - automatic on Linux/Mac

Tags

Use existing tags when possible.

Images (Optional)

• Location: /pix folder
• Format: .webp for small file size (<100KB preferred)
• Naming: Match your file name (e.g., silent-chairs.webp)
• Additional images: Use two-digit numbering (silent-chairs-01.webp)
• Linking: Use absolute paths (/pix/filename.webp)

Author Credit (Optional)

To add your information:

1. Create data/authors/your-name.json

2. Include any of these fields:

   • website
   • donate
   • email
   • btc, xmr, eth (crypto addresses)

3. In your brain break file, use: author: your-name

See data/authors/example.json for the format.

License

This website and all content is in the public domain. By submitting content, you waive ownership claims but are encouraged to credit yourself as the contributor.