Screen Free week

Turnoff YOUR TV Week Dates

Purpose: To re-think the role of television, why we use it and how and what for. Assess its impact on students, teachers, parents, children, individuals, etc.

How: UNPLUG YOUR TV for seven days and engage in a wide range off substitute activities.

Who: Everyone!

Where: Anywhere you may watch TV


We don't watch TV. So this won't be hard for our family to do. When we got rid of our TV a few years ago it felt so liberating. We do have the internet but we try hard to limit ours and the kids access to it. We love spending time outside, going on nature walks, discovering new places in the woods to explore. There are so many wonderful things you can do other than sitting in front of a machine.




 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TV
Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
Percentage of children ages 6-17 who have TV's in their bedrooms: 50
Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70
Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

Discover Nature

So now you say what am I going to do for a whole wee without TV??  Here are 52 fun inspiring things you can do instead of watching TV:

Go on an Easter Egg hunt!

1. Learn to play musical instrument.
2. Attend community concerts.
3. Clean up your street get rid of all that litter!
4. Put together a puzzle.
5. Play a game
6. Go ice skating or roller skating.
7. Listen to the radio.
8. Visit the zoo.
9. Visit the library
10. Attend library activities.
11.  Go for a nature walk
12. Paint a picture, a mural or a room.
13. Attend a high school sporting event.
14. Find out about your area's community center or park's activities.
15. Go swimming.
16. Read a book aloud to your younger sister/brother.
17. Plan a picnic or barbecue.
18. Go bird watching.
19. Volunteer for a community organization or charity.
20. Play with your pet.
21. Go dancing.
22. Write a letter to a friend or relative.
23. Learn to cook.
24. Plant a flower, vegetable or herb garden.
25. Read magazines or newspapers.
26. Plan a slumber party.
27. Start a neighborhood basketball, soccer, or kickball game.
28. Go camping (even if it's just in the backyard!).
29. Go through your closets and clothes. Donate surplus items to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or a local rummage sale.
30. Start a diary/journal.
31. Go to a museum.
32. Take a nature hike. Collect seeds and leaves. Make a collage with the materials you collected and post it on the refrigerator.
33. Play cards.
34. Start a community exercise group that power walks, runs, or bikes.
35. Read a story to your younger brother or sister.
36. Get out the family photo album. Research your family history.
37. Go listen to a local band.
38. Make crafts to give as gifts.
39. Make up a story and write it down.
40. Learn to say simple phrases in a few different languages.
41. Ask an older family member to tell you a story about his or her childhood. Write about it.
42. Learn some new riddles or jokes.
43. Bake two batches of cookies; one for your family and one for a neighbor.
44. Watch the night sky through binoculars; identify the different constellations. Observe the moon.
45. Visit a local bookstore.
46. Go to a movie with your family or friends.
47. Walk to work or school.
48. Train for a 5K race.
49. Teach a neighbor about a computer program.
50. Go fishing.
51. Begin a family project.
52. HAVE A PARTY TO CELEBRATE A TV-FREE WEEK. 

What do you have planned for the week? Any special activities you plan on doing with your family?