Changes to Screen-Free Week for 2024 and beyond!

Changes to Screen-Free Week for 2024 and beyond!

by | Nov 15, 2023 | screenfree, Uncategorized

Thank you so much for being a part of Screen-Free Week in the past or your new interest in our event! At Fairplay, there are so many things we love about Screen-Free Week: the real life connection, the giggles, the chances to explore new things.

We also love how unique each celebration is. Last year’s celebrants hosted game nights, put on magic shows, had tea parties, and read lots of books. Some people celebrated in May while others found it easier to unplug during school vacation. To allow for even more unique participation, we’ve made some changes to Screen-Free Week, making it even more flexible than ever!

The new! Screen-Free Week:

  • Can be celebrated anytime! We’ve removed the dates from many of our resources so that your celebration can happen when you want and where you want. You can always feel free to celebrate during the first full week of May (next year, it’s May 6-12, 2024), but you don’t have to!

  • Can be celebrated anywhere! Our robust resource library is filled with resources to help you host a celebration or celebrate yourself, whether at home, at your library, at school, at a business, and more! The resource library will remain available and FREE!

  • Doesn’t require registration. We’re making participating as simple as possible: no need for registration or pledges through our website.

  • Can be renamed at your discretion. Many people have expressed that the name just doesn’t work for them anymore. We don’t care what you call the week (okay, maybe not “We Love When Big Tech Companies Monetize Kids Week”) as long as you celebrate!

This year, you’ll see fewer emails from us promoting Screen-Free Week, but the spirit remains the same. Plus, we’re still here for you– email us at screenfreeweek@fairplayforkids.org with your questions!

Happy unplugging!

​

Screen-Free Week 2023: You did it!

Screen-Free Week 2023: You did it!

by | May 11, 2023 | screenfree, Uncategorized

That’s a wrap on Screen-Free Week 2023!

It was another great year, with more than 33,000 people pledging to participate or attending a registered Screen-Free Week event (and thousands more participating on their own). All told, our marketing efforts were seen by close to a million people!

People from across the world joined us for Screen-Free Week 2023, from the US and Canada, as well as Mexico, UK, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Columbia, Nigeria, Cyprus, Pakistan, India, Cameroon, Fiji, and Australia.

Our largest event series continues to be in Wisconsin, where Screen Free Week Washington Ozaukee hosted a whopping 19 events including a King’s coronation tea party and a story walk (pictured).

Families of all shapes and sizes participated this year, spending time outside and in, and going on adventures in their community. For example…

We went to the Children’s and History Museums as well as the Science Center. We went to the park, we learned a lot of new card games and played some board games. We generally just enjoyed each other’s company.

-Devyn Shaffer

Hundreds of schools got in on the action this year too! Roanoke Ave Elementary School started their week with a “Read Aloud Milk and Cookies Night.” Ben Franklin Elementary School painted rocks for the school garden and brought in an ice cream truck. Mathewson Elementary School had a magic show.

Perhaps our biggest success this year was the growth in events sponsored by libraries and librarians around the world (have we mentioned lately that we love libraries?), as well as book publishers, many of whom offered discounts on their titles throughout the week.

The WWP Library in Farmingdale, NY collected pledges for kindergarteners (pictured) and did crafts. The Berkhamsted School Library in England had Screen-Free Bingo and games. Bronxville Public Library produced a “May the Fourth: Star Wars Lego Challenge.” Chilton Public Schools District Librarian, Sue Salzsieder produced a full week of events with a swim night (pictured above) and a chance to design your own couch potato (pictured right)!

This year’s Screen-Free Week also held some surprises for us! A host of new types of organizations, companies, and individuals participated in the week, like Wi-Fi free coffee shops, grocery stores, cabin rentals, healthcare systems, pediatricians, travel agents, workout studios, toy companies, IT and cellular service providers like US Cellular! Even a police department and heating and plumbing company participated!

We’re thrilled to see that the idea of Screen-Free Week resonates with so many different types of people!

Lastly, we want to thank our 2023 event partners—Let Grow, The Digital Wellness Institute, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and Children’s Book Week—for their support of this year’s event. We’re also sending a big shout out to our many awesome endorsing organizations. We appreciate every tweet, Facebook post, Instagram story, or email mention you sent out on our behalf!

Don’t forget! If you participated in this year’s Screen-Free Week, we’d love to hear how it went (doing so will enter you in a drawing to receive a free book!) Our online feedback form will be open until Sunday, May 21!

 

Search for Treasure Everyday: Have Fun as a Family Without Screens

Search for Treasure Everyday: Have Fun as a Family Without Screens

by | Apr 21, 2023 | Uncategorized

Each year, we invite the authors from our Screen-Free Children’s Booklist to contribute to our blog, to illustrate why unplugging from screens is important to them! In this post, republished from Lawley Publishing with permission, Treasure Hunt author Stephanie Wildman offers some awesome screen-free activities and discusses how she uses the book to inspire creativity! Also be sure to check out Stephanie reading Treasure Hunt here and additional resources for use with the book here. Treasure Hunt is illustrated by Estefania Razo. También en español (Búsqueda del Tesoro).

by Stephanie Wildman, author of Treasure Hunt

 

Screens are everywhere in modern life. From television to smart phones to computers, children see us engaging with screens. Naturally, children want to know what screens are about and want to watch, too.

Treasure Hunt character Luis holds up clues to his younger siblings.

Doctors have found that too much screen time is not healthy for cognitive, social-emotional, and overall development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting digital media use to no more than 1 hour a day for ages 2 to 5. A Journal of American Medical Association 2019 study showed screen time adversely affects brain development in pre-school-age children. (Find that article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2754101).

A 2022 study by the same authors in Scientific Reports further reinforced concerns about brain structure and functions, even while recognizing that the use of screens has continued to expand. (Find that article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20922-0#Sec1).

We all understand that the screens are here to stay. When used judiciously, they can provide a kind of downtime for children and parents. Nonetheless, we all want to avoid overdoing the screens for our children and ourselves. We want kids to read books, not just stare at screens. We want them playing outside, moving and being active, and engaging indoors with puzzles, board games, cards, baking or cooking, as well as reading books. We want them to search for the treasure in every day, not just spend time glued to a screen.

Providing an alternative to screen time can be challenging. In this post I want to share some activities my family developed. These ideas, generated during the pandemic, led to the story in Treasure Hunt, illustrated by Estefania Razo, where Luis, the older brother, creates a fun substitute for his twin siblings’ screen time using empty toilet paper rolls and a cardboard box.

Crafts with Empty Toilet Paper Rolls and Cardboard Boxes

When parents worked from home on screens and the oldest of my grandchildren attended school via zoom, I spent a lot of time with the youngest, who would otherwise have been attending pre-school.

He and I created puppets out of toilet paper rolls. We wrote a story using the puppets about a little boy who saved the rainbow after overhearing someone tell a child to “eat the rainbow.” With the help

of a wise wizard, the boy in the story travelled to all the rainbow colors’ houses to warn them of the danger. At each home, the boy found delicious fruits and vegetables in the gardens that matched that rainbow color. It turned out that “eating the rainbow” meant fashioning a diet full of these colors – the rainbow wasn’t in danger after all! We drew illustrations for the gardens and created a puppet theater out of an old cardboard box to put on a show for the family.

Websites with ideas for creating puppets out of toilet paper rolls abound, findable with a simple search. Results will include YouTube videos and puppets ranging from simple birds and animals to copyrighted movie characters. Encourage your children to tell you a story with puppets or make puppets to fit a story.

 

Treasure Hunting

Whenever the grandkids came to my house for a sleepover and I had bought them small gifts, I would hide these items throughout the house. Searching for these gifts was just as much fun, if not more, than opening the gift itself.

Because of their age difference, I had the grandkids hunt as a team, as Luis does in the story, so that the oldest wouldn’t automatically win every time. Each person finding the treasure (usually the oldest, but not always) would stand in the center of the room without revealing the location of the hidden object.

Only when all searchers met in the middle could the hiding spot be disclosed by the one who had found it first. They especially delighted in hunts where grandpa joined in and the kids found the treasure before he did.

Craft supplies (like the ones Luis hid for the twins), stickers, and pens are all fun objects to hide. To minimize wear and tear in the house, we had rules like “it’s in plain sight, so you can’t move anything” or “you can only open cabinets below your chin” or “no closets.”

With the found treasures, in addition to puppets, you can create a blank book with paper and staples for stickers and drawings. Have your child draw and use stickers to tell a story. You can add words if the children aren’t writing themselves yet.

 

Write a Poem

If your child isn’t drawn to a story, try a poem. Yes, really! You can create a “fill-in-the-blank” poem template like the one below or make up your own. For this example poem, give the instruction to write about “your important person” (mother, father, grandparent, aunt, caregiver). Note the last line should end with the important person’s identity like “She is my mother.” The first line should be a descriptive noun, like “protector,” “influence,” “comfort,” or “encourager.”

She is my __________________.
When I am as sad as ever,
She _______________________.
When I go crazy like a bucking bronco,
She _______________________.
When I go to a friend’s house,
She _______________________.
With the rising sun I see her _______________.
And as it sets, I see her _____________________.
I see her talking on the phone,
and I feel __________.
I want to tell her I love her.
She is my _______________.

Another fun idea for older children is creating a reverso poem, where the first half of the poem repeats in reverse as the last half of the poem. Picture book author and poet Marilyn Singer offers this example in her blog post on the topic (which you can find here: https://www.readbrightly.com/reverso-poetry-writing-verse-reverse/).

A cat
without
a chair:
Incomplete.

Incomplete:
A chair
without
a cat.

In a reverso, the poet changes capitalization and punctuation to make the words meaningful.

For a tour de force of this genre, I recommend Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Tracy Subisak, about a child’s visit to a grandma and the grandma’s visit to the child.

Read, Read, Read

Reading books with children, of course, provides a non-screen focus with wonderful time together.

Many of the books available through Lawley Publishing have educational materials available, which you can do as an activity after reading the book. For example, the extensive resource guide for Pigs Dancing Jigs by Maxine Rose Schur, illustrated by Robin DeWitt and Patricia DeWitt-Grush, includes activities aimed at Pre-K through first grade that cover every letter of the alphabet, even X! (Find it here: https://lawleypublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pigs-dancing-jigs-learning-activities.pdf ). You can find the educational material under the “Resources” tab at the top of the Lawley Publishing website. Activities, including coloring pages, for Treasure Hunt can be found here: https://lawleypublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/treasure-hunt-resource.pdf

Baking

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 stick Butter
  • 1/4 c. Apple Sauce
  • 1 c. Honey
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Dark Baking Cocoa
  • 2 ½ c. Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/3 cup quality Chocolate Chips (I favor Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In large bowl, cream together butter, apple sauce, and honey. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and then mix in.
  3. Add cocoa, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips
  4. I use two spoons to create balls on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Baking should also work with parchment or a greased sheet as well.
  5. Bake for 9 -13 minutes, depending on your oven.

Notes

Sometimes I add 1 tsp. of mint or vanilla. You can also use this recipe to make 6-8 giant cookies.

So skip the screens; read some books; write stories and poems; bake some cookies; and search for treasure in every day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephanie Wildman is the author of Treasure Hunt (illustrated by Estefania Razo; translated into Spanish as Búsqueda del Tesoro by Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave) and Brave in the Water (illustrated by Jenni Feidler-Aguilar; translated into Spanish as Valiente en el Agua by Cecilia Populus-Eudave).

Meet Our New Screen-Free Week Coordinator

Meet Our New Screen-Free Week Coordinator

by | Jan 18, 2023 | Uncategorized

Hi, my name is Jen, and I’d like to find more joy in my life.

Care to join me? 

For more than 25 years I’ve been working in marketing, communications, and events, promoting all sorts of stuff to all sorts of audiences.

Most of this work happened during the digital revolution, which meant I was an early adopter and a promoter of countless digital platforms and tools. I trained CEOs to tweet, created endless piles of online content, and helped ordinary people become “influencers,” (my apologies).

By 2016, I noticed that many of these tools were starting to cause overt harm, compromising personal data, sowing societal division, increasing social inequities, monopolizing children’s time, fracturing attention-spans, and flooding the marketplace with some flat-out garbage information.

This sucked a lot of joy out of my life.

So, I made a change and shifted my focus to digital wellness consulting and eventually landed this unicorn gig where I get to promote…

  •     Opportunities for uninterrupted play and creativity
  •     Space for daydreaming and imagination
  •     Precious moments of social connection
  •     Lazy hours filled with deep rest and relaxation

They’re all things you can find during this year’s Screen-Free Week, an opportunity for you, your family, your co-workers, or your community to turn down the noise in your lives and find some room to breathe, think, and sit in the driver’s seat of your own life.

And that, my friend, is an idea that brings me oodles of joy.

Participate in this year’s Screen-Free Week however you like…

  •     Maybe your family goes a week without devices at the dinner table
  •     Maybe you have a roommate hide your gaming console for a few days
  •     Maybe you go for a walk every morning instead of scrolling the latest headlines
  •     Maybe you give up ALL your entertainment screens and take the big plunge for the whole week.

However it looks for you, however long it lasts, there are no wrong choices when designing your week. For me, it’ll likely involve banning Netflix binges and Buzzfeed quizzes. (Which means I’ll sadly never know which fruit matches my personality type!)

What else can I tell you about me?

I read an enormous amount. I love animals. I’m a mom. I live in Minnesota. (Yes, in January this is NO FUN. However, the summer here is truly magical. Everyone runs away “to the lake,” which is not terribly impressive considering we have 10,000 of them). Lastly, I’m pumped to go on this journey with you.

If you’ve read to the end, first know that this means I automatically like you. (Remember, reading is my jam!) Secondly, consider this post as a sign from the universe to join us May 1-7 for the 2023 Screen-Free Week!

Ms. Zalewski’s Class Shares What Screen-Free Week Means for Them

Ms. Zalewski’s Class Shares What Screen-Free Week Means for Them

by | May 31, 2022 | Uncategorized

Ms. Zalewski’s class celebrated Screen-Free Week in New York this year! All 43 students decreased their screen time dramatically, with 21 going completely screen-free. Amazing job, everyone!

At the beginning of the week. Ms. Zalewski spoke to her students about the dangers of too much time on screens; together, they brainstormed things to do instead of watching television and playing video games. During the week, the students baked, played outside, rode bikes, helped their parents, spent time with pets, drew, practiced instruments, played board games, cleaned, built forts, made cards for people in hospitals, communicated, and connected.

At the end of the week, her students reflect on what the week meant for them. Check out their brilliant responses below:

“This week taught me that my life isn’t my phone.”

“I felt like the days were longer and happier.”

“This week has taught me discipline and finding my own joy with things other than a screen in my face.”

“I felt more free…sometimes videos (and other things) might make people upset, mad, or even jealous, but when you don’t see the negative things, it makes you feel good.”

“In the beginning, I didn’t think I was going to be able to avoid screens, but now, I believe you can do anything if you put your mind into it.”

“This week taught me that electronics aren’t like oxygen, you don’t need them!”

“I think you should do this with your class next year because it shows who you really are inside.”

“This week taught me that you can find out a lot of things you are capable of doing if you are not glued to a screen!”

“I did a lot more, and I found out things I didn’t know I was capable of doing.”

Ms. Zalewski’s classs obviously made the most of Screen-Free Week 2022! A huge thank you to everyone who participated, whether for the whole week or just one day. As always, if you have screen-free stories, photos, or artwork, we’d love to hear from you and share your story!

In the Screen-Time Ring: Middle Schoolers Talk About Social Media, Screens, and Growing Up Today

In the Screen-Time Ring: Middle Schoolers Talk About Social Media, Screens, and Growing Up Today

by | May 24, 2022 | Uncategorized

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreakingly sad, over 100 kids in the “screen time ring” told us what it’s like to grow up in a tech-obsessed world…and what they want adults to know. Here, middle schoolers in a public school in Indiana answered questions about their own tech habits and views on screen time. So often, children are blamed for their tendencies towards tech use–in reality, they should be at the heart of the discussion. 

While many did not see a problem with screens and social media, a majority of respondents expressed an understanding that things are not as they should be. Shockingly, it was not uncommon for them to spend 14, 15, 16, and even 17 HOURS A DAY on entertainment screens–as in, screen time unrelated to work or school. That means they’re not sleeping, not spending time with friends, not playing sports, and not making art or music. When totaled, the average daily screen time for these 12 and 13 year old respondents was 6.2 hours outside of school–excluding weekends and the ed-tech in their classrooms, which dramatically increases the count.

Perhaps surprising to some, even the kids who reported exorbitant amounts of screen time and did not see a problem with social media expressed a concern for children younger than themselves. This is reflected in answers like “heck no” and “NOOOOOOO” when asked “Do you think there should be an Instagram for kids under 13?” It was endearing to observe such empathy, humor, and understanding in kids going through some of the toughest years of growing up. 

But don’t take it from me–check out their discussion on social media, screen time, and how we can help below.

Can you imagine a life without screens? What would that look like?

“I can imagine life without screens. I think the world would be less toxic and hateful.” –Abby

“Like how it was in the 70-90’s, just all vibes and chills.”–Ramiro

“Boring, sad and hell.”  –Anonymous

“I think life without screens would be nice, the world would be less judgy and people would interact with each other more. You wouldn’t have to be worrying about what people are saying about you.” –Owen

“I would get more sleep.” –Blake

“I honestly can’t imagine a life without screens. It’d be impossible to communicate with friends who don’t live nearby, and for the people who are afraid to talk to people in person without getting nervous, it’d be really hard for them. As one of those people, I know from experience that it’s upsetting to talk to people in person when you aren’t a very social person.” –Alexandra

“Yes, I can imagine a life without screens. I would be able to read more, draw more, and hang out with my family more.”  –Kiara

“I really can, it would be great.” –Sarah

What are the worst things about social media?

“People posting things about how bodies should look or how girls should look because it makes me insecure about some things.” -Ashlyn

“A 2 year old with a tablet.” –Connor

“The worst thing about social media is that I am in my room a lot and not with my family.” –Katie

“The fake friends, ‘friending’ a person online but never seeing their actual face.” –Nathanael

“The worst thing about social media is when people can’t ever have their own opinions without someone hating or shutting them down.” –Sarah

“The worst thing about social media to me is how much it has lowered my confidence. I end up finding myself comparing myself to other people a lot. “ –Daelynn

“The encouragement of doing awful things to others/yourself.”  –Lillian

“How easy it is for people to find you.” –Amanda

“The amount that people talk about other people is crazy. That’s all that some people do as soon as they get out of school, they hate on other people” –Ramiro

“The cruelness of some people is the WORST thing about social media. Another thing is comparing yourself to models (that are FAKE). It just brings everyone down.” -Reese

What are the best things about social media?

“The best thing about social media is that some people can actually be very nice on social media. Some people are supportive, kind, etc., which can make people extremely happy. Another really good thing about social media is that whenever friends are texting each other, it puts both or all of the friends in a good mood.” –Alexandra

“The best thing about social media is seeing pictures and videos of the different places people go and the different ways they live their lives.”–Averie

“I like being able to post about fun things that I do.” –Darbi

“The best thing to me in social media is getting to see things like new craft ideas, or seeing how much someone loves their pet, or seeing new experiences, or when you feel down and someone makes you feel better.” –Markie

How can adults help YOU find more balance with screens?

“They can get off theirs too.” –Ashlyn

“They can remind us of the way things were, and how things can be now.” –Isabella

“I think that they can help us find balance by limiting screen time to hang out and do stuff together, and getting us to hang out with friends and be more social.” –Alexandra

“There’s not much they can do, maybe just if my parents paid more attention and talked with me more. Most of the time they are focused on my younger siblings, so there’s not much I have to do.  –Daelynn

“Hang out with me more and spend time with me.” –Kirsten

How does social media impact your friendships?

“It takes me away from my friendships and socializing.” –Reese

“Social media impacts my friendships because my friends have other online friends and don’t spend much time with me. Also at sleepovers my friends never want to get off their phones to watch movies or do things I wanna do…she would even take it outside on the trampoline, like she’s THAT addicted to it… I can’t say I am not bad but I am not THAT bad.” –Olivia

“I feel that it has helped my friendships in a lot of ways. Like my best friend moved to Texas and we still talk all the time.” –Emma

“I’m not allowed social media, but I think a lack of social media can affect friendships. I don’t get references to modern popular culture, and I’m unable to talk to my friends out of school, while they get to talk to each other. It intentionally excludes me.” –Kamryn

“Social media impacts friendships because of the things people post. Sometimes it can bring people closer together because they enjoy the same content or post good things about each other, but it can negatively affect friendships because people could get into fights about what people say about each other.” –Isabella

What do you wish adults knew about social media/ screen time? What would you tell them?

“I wish that they knew how much it has impacted us. I would tell them how much it has done to us.” –Bruce

“I think that adults should know the dangers of being on the internet. I would tell them to check every once in a while on what their kids are watching or looking at.” –Gregory

“I wouldn’t tell adults anything except that they are on their devices a lot more than us kids and that they should have screen time limits too.”  –Sophia

“I wish adults knew the amount of hate, gore, inappropriateness and just disgusting acts on the internet.” –Jakob

“I wish they could realize that a lot of the time it’s a way to escape reality.” –Emma

“I wouldn’t tell adults anything because I don’t want them taking social media away from me.” –Mariah

“That adults should NOT let <13 kids be on social media, with many saying that you need to be over 13; if kids under 13 are using social media, it could be a hazard to them.” –Gage

“I wish they knew that sometimes when you’re struggling it’s a big help getting to talk to people that way.” –Kailey

“I wish that adults knew how it affects people’s confidence and self image problems.” –Emma

“I wish adults knew that being on a phone isn’t always a bad thing and doesn’t mean you’re lazy.” –Abby

“I would tell them that kids don’t need to have phones and/or social media at a young age, INTERACT WITH YOUR KIDS!” –Owen

What would you like to change about the way you use screens?

“I think the way I should change my screen time is to come off of them more and then work more on myself.” –Shelby

“How much I’m addicted like my mom.” –Connor

“I would like to change how much time I spend on using screens because I spent WAYYY to much time on it this past weekend. I am not gonna say how much because it’s awful.” –Olivia

“I would like to change how it might change your style to be like everyone else.” –Camryn

“NO YOUTUBE ADS FOR KIDS!” –Isaac

“I would like to change the way that I am ALWAYS on my electronics. I wish I was more active.” –Gregory

“I wish that we didn’t use screens as much and that we could just be together in person and enjoy the special moments in life.” –Leah

“The thing I would like to change about using screens is the content that little kids are seeing.” –Karmen

“I would like to change the fact that younger kids spend so much time on it now that they’re missing out on so many fun activities that are a part of mine, and others’ childhood.”  –Mya

“I want to change the fact that I doom-scroll a lot. Doom-scrolling is looking at a lot of negativity on the internet and bad events in the world, and is very unhealthy.” –Madison

What is the hardest part of unplugging?

“The hardest part of unplugging is being afraid I am going to miss something. For example, I am worried that I will miss a text message about a change in my sports schedule, or an update from my school/ team.” –Averie

“I think the hardest part of getting off social media is feeling the need to keep watching like it’s pulling you in.” –Ashlyn

“That i have no one to play outside with because people are on screens and i don’t go outside as much because of that”. –Hunter

“The hardest part of unplugging is feeling like you’re missing out on something, like if I can’t check my phone I just wonder what people are posting or who’s texting me or snapping me or if someone has liked one of my posts.” –Makenna

“The hardest part of unplugging is losing your streaks on snapchat or the spam app.” –Katie

“When it’s stuck inside the outlet.” –Connor