Unplug to Groove: A Screen-Free Saturdays Guide

by | Dec 15, 2020 | Uncategorized

The days are getting shorter, the blankets are looking cozier, and our bodies are feeling slower. Now is a great time to shake off the sleepiness, turn up the tunes, and get groovin’. This month, we’ve compiled a few different musical opportunities for your families as you turn off your devices.

For Screen-Free Saturdays, let’s unplug to groove, baby!

Growing up in a musical family was a blessing I didn’t understand until much later. Dad was always playing guitar on the porch, my brother would practice multiple horned instruments, and humming was happening at all hours. The sounds and the soul of music were alive in our little home. It wasn’t until I was a pre-teen that the music experience changed – mp3 players, smartphones, and YouTube took over the music world, and soon, music wasn’t just an auditory thing. Instead, I’d spend hours cultivating playlists, organizing my music downloads, watching, and consuming – all on a screen. The experience of listening to music changed.

So, what does it look like to experience music in a back-to-screen-free way? Try out these groovy activity ideas for your family on Screen-Free Saturdays – all involving music! 

Musical Activities for the Family

DIY musical instruments. Music can be made from just about anything. Bring out pots and pans, tissue boxes wrapped with rubber bands, glasses filled with water, and toilet paper tubes turned trumpets for a creative experience!

Musical charades. For a more complex version, one person puts on earphones, does an interpretive dance to the song. The rest of the family members have to guess what the song is!

Plan your playlists ahead of time. Avoid getting stuck on the screen by setting up your playlists before your screen break. Or, plan to use CDs or radio devices to crank up the tunes! Check out one mom’s evaluation of Screen-Free Music Options.

Shake it and make it! Playing music while creating art is a well-known pair, but what does it look like for your family? Try out painting to different tempos and styles of music. Or, maybe cook to your favorite beats. Incorporating music into other creative activities can freshen up the experience!

Check out live, socially distanced music. The Arts field is struggling right now due to the pandemic. Beyond some fantastic digital concerts and experiences to check out when you’re plugged in again, there are some groups that have offered socially distanced opportunities to see live performances. For example, groups like Long Beach’s Block x Block play on neighborhood porches to whomever wants to come listen from their own windows (shameless plug, this features my little brother as described above, now playing upright bass). Other musicians have offered concerts out of apartment windows. Seek opportunities in your area that will also support local musicians!

Have a jam session. You don’t need to know how to or be good at playing music or singing in order to jam out. Start a beat on your knees and see what happens. Who knows where it’ll take you!

Featured Resources

Homemade Instruments

Need more musical instrument design ideas? Check out this list of 24 Homemade Instruments here.

Music to cope with Covid

“Studies have found that singing decreases feelings of depression and loneliness. You don’t have to be a great singer to sing! Also, any kind of active engagement in music can help relieve stress such as playing an instrument or moving/dancing to music.” Click here to read an article about the benefits of music.

Community Connections

SAVE THE DATE: May 3-9, 2021

Screen-Free Week will look a little different this year, but we’re keeping the spirit alive. We’re missing our community celebrations, school-wide spirit, and in-person soirees, but we’re committed to helping families to celebrate Screen-Free Week 2021 as it works for them! More information coming soon! www.screenfree.org

Psst, did you see our new, super cute hours tracker for Screen-Free Saturdays? Download it today and get tracking! 

Happy unplugging,

Rachel

Unplug to Get Cozy: A Screen-Free Saturdays Guide

by | Dec 1, 2020 | Uncategorized

When I was a kid, my little brother and I used to wait at the door for any packages delivered to my dad. As a sales rep, sometimes Dad would get samples of products ranging from mugs to stuffed animals to (our favorite) candy. But usually, it wasn’t what was inside that I was waiting for. It was the box itself. The jackpot came when the box was the perfect size: taller than me and wider than my shoulders. I would drag the box up the stairs to our bedroom and set up the coziest little nest inside – pillows, blankets, a flashlight, and my stuffed bear, Broccoli. For the next several nights, I’d sleep in there; during the day, it was a house for play and a calm space when my emotions got big.

There is something magical about being in a kid-created space, whether it’s a pillow fort, a box, a closet, or a crawl space in the bushes outside. As the weather turns, we wanted to focus on saying yes to cozy kid creativity. So, pull out some blankets, tea, and maybe even light a fire. For Screen-Free Saturdays, let’s unplug to get cozy! 

Last month, the kids decided that we needed to build and sleep in a blanket fort in the living room. 8 chairs, 6 sheet sets, and a ton of clothes pins later, we snuggled up for a night of indoor camping. Even the dog loved it. While it would have been convenient to take it down the next morning, we ended up leaving it up for a while. The kids would go in to read, play, and even just to take a breather. Giving your kids a place to go throughout the week where there are no screens and cozy vibes is one solution to creating boundaries around screen time for your family. Check out our new resource with fun, fabulous fort ideas for your Screen-Free Saturdays and beyond!
Download the Full Resource

 

Kid-Friendly Soup Recipes

Warm up the whole family with these soup recipes that kids can help prepare! Find the recipes here.

 

Pandemic Time Capsules

Our friends at the National Association of Independent Schools offer this fun idea: making time capsules during the pandemic. Learn more here.

Community Connections

Ever wondered what teens think about their tech use? Or yours? Our brand new Dear Parents resource offers a new perspective, one backed by personal experiences as youth growing up in a digital age. In partnership with the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, two high school teens, Aliza Kopans and Celine Bernhardt-Lanier, created a resource to give parents more understanding, empathy, and skills around their children’s screen use.

Plus, check out the recording of out November 19 teen panel, Dear Parents: Messages from Tech-Wise Teens, moderated by Dear Parents creator Aliza Kopans and author Amy Crouch, with featured guest Max Stossel from the Center for Humane Technology.

And, share your stories with us. We’ll be highlighting stories of successful screen breaks this month, and we’d love to share yours! Reach out by replying to this email or tagging us on social media @screenfreeweek or using the hashtag #screenfreesaturdays (after Saturday of course!).

Happy unplugging,

Rachel

I'll go Screen-Free on Saturdays