Why Grammies Love Screen-Free Week

Why Grammies Love Screen-Free Week

by , , , | Apr 19, 2017 | Uncategorized

Times have changed. Life is more serious for today’s children: they have learned about the impact of humans on the earth, food allergies, and the need for sunscreen and antibacterial soap. Supervised far more closely than in years past, they have play dates rather than spontaneous pick-up games, are delivered by car to most destinations, and rarely play outside their own backyard. They are tightly scheduled with structured sports programs, daycare, music lessons, and academic tutoring to “keep up.” And the children of today are bombarded with TV and movie characters: on their clothing, their backpacks, their toys, and even birthday party themes. Today’s preschoolers are robbed of the freedom to make individual choices.

But some things never change. In spite of the differences in the world for young children today, their needs remain the same. Your grandchild needs the same kind of love and attention you gave his parent. He needs free time—time to explore, experiment, make choices and make mistakes. Most of all, he needs time to play. His play is his work, and it is how he learns and makes sense of his world. Young children deserve time to be children.

Experts are concerned about screen time. Every day, we continue to discover more about how children learn. Anthropologist Melvin Konner in The Evolution of Childhood concludes that play is nature’s primary means for developing the brain. Now more than ever, in this high tech society, children who sit passively in front of screens (TV, computers, handheld games, and smart phones) are robbed of valuable playtime. Furthermore, excessive time in front of a screen can impair a child’s learning potential, lead to dependency on passive entertainment, and promote an addiction to fast-paced, constantly changing visual stimulation. Attention spans should lengthen as children age, but if youngsters become overly accustomed to short action/short response scenarios, they may be unable to hold a thought or concentrate for very long.

Grandparents can play a role in healthy development. Parents having one-on-one time with children is a limited luxury in many homes today. This is where a caring grandparent comes in. Bring out the crayons, blocks, and other open-ended toys. Be attentive and patient answering endless “Why?” questions. Feeling energetic? Play tag, throw a ball, or take your grandchild for a walk. Most of all, be there for him—someone he can talk to and laugh with. Your time, attention, and unconditional affection are the most important gifts you can give.

The bottom line: Children’s face-to-face interaction with adults is critical. You cannot fight the influence of screens completely, but you can offer your grandchild a healthy, fun alternative for his mind and body and a haven from the onslaught of commercialism when he is with you. Turn off any and all screens and be fully present to play with your grandchild, and you will both reap the benefits.

Need ideas for games, music, books and art? Check out The Grammie Guide (on Amazon or www.thegrammieguide.com) for over 500 ideas for indoor and outdoor activities for fun with young ones. It will prove an indispensable resource for ways to spend precious time and build wonderful memories with the young children in your life.

Lynne Noel, Jan Eby, Laurie Mobilio, and Cindy Summers are authors of The Grammie Guide.

Screen-Free Restaurants are a Win-Win

by | Apr 14, 2017 | Uncategorized

Have you ever gone to a restaurant with your family in hopes of enjoying warm conversation over a delicious meal, only to be thwarted by the large, distracting television screens in the dining room?

As the parent coordinator for The Waldorf School of Atlanta’s Parent Initiative for Media-Lite Living, I have felt resigned to this situation at restaurants and cafes. Then one evening, while out with my family, I was delighted to discover that there were alternatives to screen-full dining.

My family went out for dinner at a local restaurant. I noticed there were no screens inside the restaurant (and not even recorded music!) and asked to speak to the manager. The manager came out and pleasantly addressed me, perhaps looking a little nervous for the complaint she thought I was about to make! However, instead of a complaint, I thanked her for not having screens in her restaurant. She beamed a big smile and seemed so pleased to hear that! She explained that the owner had been skeptical, and thought maybe they should get screens, but she (the manager) held firm. She told me she thought it was so important for people to dine without screens. I agreed, of course! She told me that many patrons, young and old, have also commented on how much they enjoyed the screen-free dining.

Ever since that evening, I have discovered, along with other parents at my school, a multitude of screen-free restaurants. Over the past three years, I’ve worked with WSA’s Community Chairperson, Emily Zdan, and our fellow WSA parents to create a useful resource for our school community: a list of screen-free restaurants in metro Atlanta.  

As much as possible, parents at our school are encouraged to approach the managers of the listed restaurants to thank them for not having a screen while eating.

This kind of resource is certainly a win-win for our school community and the restaurants on the list. It’s easier for WSA families to find screen-free dining, and restaurant owners have a real reason to keep screens out of their dining rooms. We want people to know: there are restaurants where you can enjoy a meal without the impact of television! The list also avoids being “against” restaurants that do have screens—instead, it focuses on ones that don’t. Essentially, we are advocating for screen-free dining experiences and appreciating the restaurants that offer that to our families.

Here are the steps you could use to create a Screen-Free Restaurant list in your community:

  1. Choose one or two parents to take the lead on searching for screen-free restaurants and creating the list.
  2. Those parents should dine in one or two screen-free restaurants.
  3. After the meal, thank the manager and share with them what a difference it made to have a screen-free environment while eating.
  4. If children were present at the dining experience, let the manager know why you want this for your child.
  5. Tell the manager you will be spreading the word in your school or community about their screen-free restaurant by adding it to your list.
  6. Invite other parents/community members to notice screen-free restaurants they dine in, and inform the list leaders, so those new restaurants can be added.
  7. The list can be brought to the forefront and added to throughout the year—for example, just before school vacations, so parents can have fresh copies before the break.
  8. Once or twice a year, review the list: invite parents to report if a restaurant on the list is still screen-free.
  9. Definitely promote the list during Screen-Free Week!

The Screen Free Restaurant list is part of WSA’s Parent Initiative for Media Lite Living, founded in August of 2014. In addition to resources like this, we’ve also added 3 Book Lending Libraries to the WSA campus, and convene groups of parents for support in healthy child development in the digital age. We’d love to hear what other schools and parent groups are doing for Screen-Free Week and beyond!

As a trained Waldorf Early Childhood Educator and mother of 2 boys (WSA alumnus and current WSA grade 4), Sara Michelson knows firsthand how children of all ages thrive with less electronic media.  At WSA, Sara joins fellow parents in engaging, informing, and empowering other parents to go with less electronic media for their children–including mobile gadgets–so there is more reading, more playing, more creating, more discovering, more exploring…and more living!

Reading is a great way to celebrate Screen-Free Week!

by | Mar 31, 2017 | Uncategorized

Reading is one of our favorite screen-free activities any time of year, so we’re very excited that in 2017, Children’s Book Week is the same week as Screen-Free Week! An annual celebration of books and reading, Children’s Book Week holds events in bookstores, libraries, and communities, connecting children with their favorite authors and illustrators in person. Find an event near you, or check out the simple steps for hosting your own book-focused Screen-Free Week event.

Screen-Free Week kids’ books

Get in on the screen-free action early with books about unplugging! We’ve put together a list of great titles to read with kids—or for kids to read themselves—before the week kicks off. They’re full of ideas for screen-free activities that you can use to help inspire your own plans. Read them ahead of time, and then again during (and after!) Screen-Free Week as a reminder that kids of all ages benefit from time to play, unwind, be bored, and connect with family, friends, and nature.

Why reading?

In the Guardian, author Neil Gaiman makes a passionate case for books and libraries. Reading changes everything, he says—it gives children the drive to know more, to turn the page, to navigate their world and express themselves with words. We especially love his encouragement for families to read together:

“We have an obligation to read aloud to our children. To read them things they enjoy. To read to them stories we are already tired of. To do the voices, to make it interesting, and not to stop reading to them just because they learn to read to themselves. Use reading-aloud time as bonding time, as time when no phones are being checked, when the distractions of the world are put aside.”

And reading together doesn’t just build family bonds. As Gaiman says, books help kids unlock their imaginations and expand their horizons—kind of like turning off screens helps them avoid corporate messaging encouraging consumption over creation!

Endorser Spotlight: Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read, an organization that helps pediatricians across the U.S. encourage families to read aloud together, is endorsing Screen-Free Week in 2017!

Reach Out and Read knows the importance of reading: when families read aloud to their young children, kids’ vocabularies soar! They also have a better foundation for brain development, social-emotional health, and school success. Unfortunately, while many families enjoy story time, it’s so easily displaced by apps, games, videos and TV shows. That’s why, says Executive Director Brian Gallagher, “Reach Out and Read is happy to support Screen Free Week as a break from digital devices, giving families more time for reading and helping establish a love of sharing books together!”

Children’s Choice Book Awards

Children’s Book Week is the home of the Children’s & Teen Choice Awards—the ONLY book awards chosen by kids & teens! Check out the 28 finalists in 4 age categories, and help your kids vote for their favorites at www.everychildareader.net/vote.

For more screen-free ideas and a list of events happening around the world, visit www.screenfree.org. You’ll also find essential resources like flyers, pledge cards, certificates of achievement and more. And if you haven’t yet, make sure to let us know how you’re celebrating! Others will be inspired by what you’ve planned, and it’s great to see so many schools, community groups, and homes unplugging together. Join the fun!

Screen-Free Week Events from 2016

by | Nov 10, 2016 | Uncategorized

Whether you’ve been participating in Screen-Free Week since it was known as TV Turnoff Week, or this is your first year, taking a break from TV, laptops, smartphones, and video games is easier–not to mention more fun–when you’re taking a break with others!  Going screen-free means more options than just reading a good book (though that’s certainly one great way to enjoy the week).

Here are just a few of the great events that happened throughout the country. Use them for inspiration! Planning something for 2017? Register your week and we’ll list it!

  • In Charlotte County, FL, Healthy Charlotte and community partners are offering a variety of family-friendly activities throughout the week, including craft nights and a kids’ fishing tournament!
  • On, Monday, May 2nd, Waldorf School of Moraine Farm in Beverly, MA will be hosting a screening of the documentary “Screenagers”.  More information and tickets can be found here.
  • The Brandon Township Public Library in Ortonville, MI will be holding a Screen-Free Week Celebration Lock-in on Friday, May 6th, an all-ages evening of cards, crafts, games, and snacks.
  • Let’s Move! Missoula has partnered with local organizations to provide free and low-cost events for the community throughout Screen-Free Week, including the Let’s Move! Missoula: Unplug and Play! kickoff event on Sunday, May 1st, with over 20 fun outdoors activities for kids.
  • The City of Lafayette, CO will be providing K-12 students free passes to the Bob L. Burger Recreation Center, and students can turn in their completed Screen-Free Week activity logs for an award and free book courtesy of the Lafayette Public Library!
  • Villa Villekula Neighborhood Toy Store in Fernandina Beach, FL will be hosting its 2nd Annual Screen-Free Week with a kick-off party and activities throughout the week. Those that take the screen-free pledge qualify for discounts at local businesses.
  • Among several activities, the LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings, MN will kick off the week with Photography Day and celebrate the week’s end with a Mother’s Day high tea.
  • Students at Cottage Street Elementary in Sharon, MA will commit to going screen free and will be encouraged to spend time with family and friends, playing outside and doing creative projects.
  • Des Plaines Parks in Des Plaines, IL have some great activities planned for the week, including an ice cream social and a campfire night.
  • Alabama Waldorf School in Birmingham, AL will be taking their students on an afternoon hike of Ruffner Mountain, hold a school-wide singalong and have a teacher-student game of Space Ball.
  • The Charlotte County Library System in Port Charlotte, FL is holding a family game night at its Mid-County Regional branch on May 4th and afternoon story and craft time at the Englewood-Charlotte Library on May 6th.
  • The West Chicago Park District in West Chicago, IL is offering community members a variety of screen-free activities as part of its Healthy West Chicago Initiative.
  • Pre-K through 6th grade students and staff at Maplewood Elementary School in Austin, TX are going screen-free for the week with a poetry celebration, Cinco de Mayo, and an open mic night.
  • The Greater Pulaski, NY area has been celebrating Screen-Free Week for the past 8 years. This year, libraries, historical societies, and civic organizations in the area will be hosting volunteer projects, a zine-making class, and an amphibian adventure hike.
  • Kids World at the Eisenhower Public Library in Harwood, IL will have books, screen-free ideas, activities, and challenges available for all K-6 students who stop by the Kids Desk.
  • In Ithaca, NY, the Ithaca Youth Bureau will be working with their community to help kids unplug and play! Find out more on their Facebook page, or click here for a full list of events.
  • In Newburry, FL, all 102 students at Healthy Learning Academy will be going Screen-Free! Healthy Learning Academy has been participating in Screen Free Week for the past 10 years, and are always excited to hear about the many activities families participate in with their “new found” time! For more about their celebrations, see their Facebook page.
  • Dancing Bear Toys with locations in Ashville and Hendersonville, NC is sponsoring its 20th annual Screen-Free Week, offering free play days everyday after school and partnering with local businesses to offer a variety of screen-free activities!
  • The Hockessin Library in Hockessin, DE is celebrating the week with a scavenger hunt, Lego club, and preschool game day.
  • Northfield Elmentary School in Ellicott City, MD has been incorporating lessons about the harms of too much screen time and encouraging their students to bike to school, take fitness walks during recess, and taking sensory play breaks throughout the day.
  • Malletts Bay School in Colchester, VT is celebrating its sixth annual Screen-Free Week where students can commit to different levels of screen-free participation to earn certificates and prizes.
  • Canterbury Elementary in Crystal Lake, IL is celebrating with a literacy game night and ice cream social.
  • Franklin Academy K-5 will be discussing alternatives to screen time and encouraging families to participate.
  • Classrooms at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Golden Valley, MN will be competing to see which class logs the least amount of screen time and which class finds the most creative screen-free activity to do.
  • K-5 students at the Kids 1st Afterschool Program in Crescent, CA will be participating in engaging, after school activities that will include physical fitness, enrichment, science, art and reader’s theater projects. The week will end with a family activity night where the students teach family members how to play traditional parlor games from the 1950’s.
  • PS 102 in Brooklyn, NY is celebrating its 14th Screen-Free Week with students discussing screen use and taking the screen-free pledge in class
  • Carmel Mountain Preschool in San Diego, CA is distributing “1,000 books to read before kindergarten” posters and stamps to keep track to all students for Screen-Free Week.
  • LearningWorks AfterSchool in Waterboro, ME is celebrating National Screen Free week by hosting a Family Game Night. Traditional board games will be available, as well as game show type games, and minute to win it games.
  • Sunset Hills Elementary in Omaha, NE has a “Get Active” theme for Screen-Free Week, with a Bike rally and Taco ride, outdoor games, skating party, fun run, and prizes!
You’re doing WHAAAAT?

You’re doing WHAAAAT?

by | Jun 1, 2016 | Uncategorized

By Julie Williams, Ed. Sp., Grand Blanc West Middle School, Michigan

It was an unusual week for some 8th graders in Julie Williams’ class at Grand Blanc West Middle School in Michigan. They started the week prior to May 2 by logging their activities for seven days. Most people noticed what a large part technology played in their lives. Then the challenge was issued, and 30 brave students and families tried going screen free for seven days! Raffle winnings were drawn all week to keep students dedicated to their endeavor. The group met at lunch to commiserate and think of things to do without their beloved devices. They also met one evening to bowl the old fashioned way by keeping track of their own scores! Last, Mrs. Williams threw a Celebration Party at lunch after the week was over for all those who finished the challenge. She followed through with her promise and downed a live goldfish for only those special participants. All her students reported that her “golden promise” was what kept them motivated until the end. Way to go West!