 A friend and fellow Artsy Starter recently posted this video aptly titled "slug life" of a slug eating a blade of grass. I was spell-bound and was moments away from popping corn and settling in to watch it again when I realized ... my kids have got to see this !! That's right! I wanted nothing more than to plop my kids in front of the screen to watch this amazing natural phenomenon that they simply could not see in this way in our own backyard. I mean seriously check this out! The Problem with Going Screen FreeYou see, this whole trend toward screen free homes - while well intended - speaks to a fairly serious problem in the Western world. So dependent on technology are we and our children that we are developing damaging addictions. Going screen free is certainly one option for managing this issue but while going cold turkey works for some - for other kids it can actually have the opposite effect from what you intend. Namely, you can create a mystery and illicitness around the idea of the screen so that kids end up idolizing it in a way that they might not have had the family taken a more moderate approach. I have even seen some people cover up their screens with sheets which - far from eliminating their allure - ends up making them look like enormous birthday gifts waiting to be unwrapped. Who doesn't love a big present in the corner of the room? What if we taught our kids something different about screens? What if we used screens as a means of teaching impulse control and boundaries by ensuring moderate and targeted access to them as valuable tools for learning in our lives? Now there's an idea... After all, there is some very real value that the internet provides that you simply cannot get anywhere else! Take a peek at this ladybug unfolding its little wings to fly for example: 3 Awesome Ways to Use Screens with Your Kids!So. What are we to do? How can we incorporate quality screen time into our children's lives? Well. First we have to plan for it. We need to preview quality videos and schedule time to watch them with the kids. We need to realize that there's more to watch on rainy days than Moana for the fiftieth time and on sunny days we need to bring our mobile devices with us on our nature walks so that we can complement our learning with comparative virtual explorations! Here are 3 wonderful ways to use screens this summer! 1. Time Lapse & Slow Motion Videos2. Google Street View Treks 3. Live Cams How do you use screens wisely in your home? If you are looking for ideas, Artsy Startsy's R.O.A.M. program is chock full of quality digital content like this that can help you and your little one use screens wisely to explore books, nature, visual art, and music!
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