TV-Turnoff Week, which is now known as Screen-Free Week, takes place the week of April 18 - 25, 2011. This event was first started in 1994 as TV-Free America by the Center for Screentime Awareness.
What is TV-Turnoff Week?
This week is a national celebration where children and families turn off the television, video games and computers for seven days and enjoy nature, crafting, books and family time.
Spend Time Outside
- The Screen-Free event takes place in the Spring of the year when the weather is getting warmer and flowers are blooming. This is a great time to have a picnic at a park or in your own yard. Just make a simple sack lunch and take it outside to eat it and enjoy nature.
- Go for a walk or ride bikes.
- Play outside games like hide and go seek, tag and jump rope.
- Plant something in the yard or garden. If you have no room for a flower or vegetable garden, you can still plant things in flower pots or even coffee cans. Use your imagination and the things you have on hand.
Things to Do Inside
If you are not an outside family or if the weather doesn't allow outside fun, then try the following activities.
- Read a book or magazine. Find a chapter book the whole family would enjoy and have a time set aside each day to have a family read aloud. Don't forget some snacks and try to tie the snacks to the book you are reading to make it even more fun.
- Draw or color a pretty picture. Many coloring sheets can be found online to print of free. This site has a big variety of free coloring book pages to choose from.
- Make some cute and easy crafts to keep or give as gifts for the holidays that will be coming up during the year such as Mother's Day and birthdays.
- Cook with the kids. Let them plan out a meal and help you cook it and serve it up to the rest of the family. Cake and cookie mixes are easy to make and taste good as a snack or dessert after dinner. Cooking with kids does not have to be hard but it can get messy and be great fun.
Five Quotes About Television Time
Many things have been said about television and I hope you enjoy these five quotes I have picked out to share.
" I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book." ~ Groucho Marx
"Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object." ~ Author Unknown
"Today, watching television often means fighting, violence and foul language – and that's just deciding who gets to hold the remote control. " ~ Donna Gephart
"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home." ~ David Frost
"TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book." ~ Author Unknown
Your family may not be very willing to do a full seven days without screen time of any kind, so you may need to find what works for your family. Even an hour that is TV-free is a beginning and can lead to more free time each day.
References:
Commercialfreechildhood.org
Quotegarden.com. "Quotations for TV Turnoff Week" (accessed March 1, 2011).
Angela Billings - Angela S. Billings is a Contributing Writer for Suite101.com where she writes about recipes, crafting and homemaking.
