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Get Your Child Offline and Outdoors
Filed under: Activities: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Activities: Big Kids, Expert Advice: Big Kids, Activities: Tweens, Expert Advice: Tweens, Expert Advice: Teens, Summer Fun
Summer offers a great time to enjoy your children -- unplugged. Credit: Getty Images
That's not an exaggeration, either. A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates kids ages 8 to 18 spend an average of seven and a half hours a day with cells phones, computers, televisions and other electronic devices.
That means the only things keeping kids away from electronic devices are eating, sleeping and school. And, during the summer months, of course, you can generally remove school from the equation.
So, does that mean we are bequeathing our planet to a race of junior cyborgs who can only appreciate a bird if it's electronic, angry and part of a computer game?
There are ways get kids offline and plugged back into the real world. Dr. Amy Wickstrom, a family therapist, blogger and mother of two, tells ParentDish it sometimes is a matter of if you can't beat them, join them.
"So many kids are becoming eReaders, parents can take their kids to the local library to pick out a book and read it together there," Wickstrom says. "Many libraries have special rooms just for children that are filled with toys and sometimes a stage with props for story time."
Wickstrom tells ParentDish this helps engage children their imaginations, spend quality time with a parent and develop their reading skills. And, there is another purpose in this age when kids are turning their backs to ink on paper to gaze relentlessly at screens.
"It also keeps them accustomed to old fashioned books instead of eBooks," Wickstrom says.
Wickstrom, who has been a contributor to Working Mother, OC Family and more, tells ParentDish it's important to get kids engaged in the real world.
And what do you know? There's an app for that.
The website Kidoff.com offers free software to boot your kid off the computer and say enough is enough. You want your kid to shut "Grand Theft Auto XI: I Kill Your Grandmother" off (don't get excited, kids. It's just a hypothetical game)?
You tell your kid one more minute, but before you know it, hours have gone by. The streets are running red with the blood of virtual grannies. You start yelling. Your kid starts yelling. Everyone is in a bad mood. Ah, but there's this software.
It lets your kids go ahead with their game, but from time to time, you can "talk" to your child's computer from another computer in the house. The kids don't even know. You can see how long they've been using the computer and send warnings to their screen.
And, when their time is up, it evens sends out an audible alarm. "Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!" (Well, maybe not that message.) You can make the computer shut down.
Such power. Feel free to laugh fiendishly.
But what do you do with your kids once you get them offline and outdoors? For that information, turn to the National Wildlife Federation and its "Be Out There" campaign. The effort urges parents to give their children a "green hour" each day.
The means one hour every day outdoors engaged in unstructured play.
One possibility is camping. You don't have to go to Yellowstone, either. You can camp out in your own backyard. The website for the Great American Backyard Campout offers some suggestions.
You've probably already heard of geocaching, where participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers called "geocaches" or "caches."
Believe it or not, people used to do this sort of thing well before the invention of GPS systems and all the contrapulatronic gizmos of the 21st century. It was called letterboxing. You simply hide an object and challenge others to find it by the use of clues.
Think of it like solving math problems -- without a calculator.
National Wildlife Federation leaders say this is a great way to have fun with kids outdoors, get some exercise and work on skills such as problem solving, map reading and math. They also suggest kids making a nature map of their neighborhood to learn how to define their own special natural places.
Donald Roberts, a Stanford communications professor emeritus and one of the authors of the Kaiser Family Foundation study, tells The New York Times it's important for parents to be more aware of how technology is sucking children away from the real world.
"Parents never knew as much as they thought they did about what their kids are doing," he says. "But now we've created a world where they're removed from us that much more."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 4)
7-16-2011 @ 8:19AM
mary said...Or, you can just tell them to get off the computer/tv whatever actually make them and go outside. Not rocket science. My kids are ages 23-16 and spent very little time in the house during the summer. I guess I have a hard time understanding what is so hard about making your kids play outside, tell them they are going to do and make them. We lived in an urban area when they were younger and they ran all day with friends to the park, playing sports, riding bikes, or just hanging out. They talk about how none of the parents would let them in the house unless it was 1000 degrees (it was actually not that, but you know how kids talk). All parents need to do is take back conrol of their own homes from the kids and give them some guidence. Most places in the country are actually safe for kids, the media has us scared of our own shadow abour stranger danger-most abductions are not from strangers.
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7-16-2011 @ 8:38AM
karen said...@ Mary--- I couldn't agree more! Very well said. I guess we're "old school'. LOL
7-16-2011 @ 12:50PM
TRO said...I agree with you 100% Mary. we need to take back our lives and the lives of our children's from the clutches of this false cyber world.
7-16-2011 @ 9:05PM
RobertaG said...I am a single mom and wanted nothing more than to get my kids out of day care..... I kept looking for a way out until a friend of mine told me that she found a way a to make a great income from home . She told me that she found out about it at this website ( HTtp://tinyurl.com/OnlineBizSystem ) I was very skeptical but I figured that I had nothing to lose by checking it out. I ended up getting a great work-at-home situation and I not only make good money now but I get to spend most of my day doing what I love… being a mommy!
7-16-2011 @ 5:07PM
tim said...There is a wonderful organization out there that specializes in getting kids (boys) outside,its called Boy Scouts.As an Eagle Scout and current Scouter, I know 1st hand this is a GREAT program that encourages youth to get outdoors and learn cool stuff.
7-16-2011 @ 5:34PM
Mike said...You're absolutely right Mary, you've stated exactly how I others feel on this topic, enough said.
7-16-2011 @ 8:39AM
Brian said...or you can just turn off the computer and tell them to go outside,its pretty easy
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7-16-2011 @ 5:17PM
anni said...Exactly, who is the parent here? I cannot stand wimpy parents who let a child walk all over them. Why not hand the kid the keys to the liquor cabinet and car? If you do not treat your children with respect and have them give respect, you will pay for it your entire lifetime.
7-16-2011 @ 5:57PM
wood079 said...Thank you Anni, you are absolutely right. Lets all stop pussyfooting around and act like parents. Just turn off the computer and tell the kids to go outside and not come back until lunchtime/dinnertime or whatever.
7-16-2011 @ 5:53PM
Amanda said...That's one of the things we do, Brian. Our kids know that they have to get their chores done before they can get on the computer or watch TV-there's a two-hour limit for both in our house, and if you max out the time on say, the computer, then you don't get to watch TV at all that day. If they spend longer than that on the computer, we'll do something drastic like go into the garage and turn off the circuit breaker to the dining room (although that's a little harder to do now that the high-speed/digital phone modem is in there now). Oh well-that's what computer passwords are for.
No trouble getting my kids to play outside-they've been playing outside since they could walk. In fact, I have a hard time getting them inside-they'll play out there no matter what the weather is like!
That having been said, I can't believe that there are actually parents out there who have to be INSTRUCTED on how to take charge of their kids' electronic time. There's a big difference between technology that actually helps us and technology that is taking over the world with very little in the way of benefits to society to show for it. Sadly, we're seeing more of the latter these days, and the cost to us as human beings is not going to be pretty!
7-16-2011 @ 9:01AM
Stephanie Webster said...I actually do live in a place where it is 1000 degrees outside, or at least it feels that way most of the summer. Most days it is mid-90s and very humid with heat advisories. So it actually feels like it is over 100 degrees almost every day. This summer we even added smoke to the equation with smoke blowing up from the Florida wildfires. So, yes, it is very hard to keep my 10 and 12 year old boys unplugged and outside when I, myself, don't want to stick my nose out the door. It is a challenge every summer to find some indoor activities where they are not glued to a screen.
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7-16-2011 @ 8:44PM
Jimi said...Thank you, I'm 17 and probably one of the biggest "cyber junkies" out there are. I spend a majority of my time in my room watching T.V. or playing video games. Now just because I enjoy doing these things as entertainment doesn't mean the outside world with the big bright thing in the sky is completely foreign to me. I live in Florida where most days the weather is in the 90's with humidity around 60% and if it's not ridiculously hot, then it's stormy as if the celestial flood gates have been thrown open. I do understand these are merely excuses but, they are valid. Yet still I do comprehend why parents want to protect little Timmy from bleeding eye sockets, truely. I also am aware I may be an exception, but why not instead of mandating "computer time" create a "do anything un-electronical hour or two or three" This is different beacuse they can spend all day infront of the machines of fancy (save a few hours for macaroni art though), where as most parents seem to demand only two hours be spent doing so. From personal experience when my mother would tell me to stop playing xbox I would resent her because it's my free time to use not her's. So if they want to be plugged in I don't understand why they shouldn't be allowed to. Additionally not everyone enjoys the outdoors so why not sit down with them after dinner and play a board game, or cards, or go on a walk around the neighborhood? Times are indeed changing so as aware parent's one must demonstrate an authoratative relationship with their chidren (not to be confused with authoritarian) explaining why it's bad to be online all day and why exercise is benficial is a great way to start. It allows the children to reason with the parent and have an oppertunity to offer a rebuttal. Which of course should not be merely discarded as the mindless ramblings of a five year old. They have ideas and opinions just like the omnipotent mommy and daddy, so listen. By doing so you allow them to feel like a grown up and helping make their own decisions. Not as great of an idea idea to do as some parents have said and "take back the reins" as I believe it was worded. By removing all the power from the kids they may grow to be the generic 80's rebel without a cause motif.
To recap, the talking box and all its splendor is not utterly useless and void of purpose. It performs its job as the entertainer, much like a court Jester, except modernized via public broadcasting. Forcing children outside may not the way to go, similarly to the story above, try sepnding time the booger eaters inside or away from the home. Do not be bossy beacuse we hate that, instead be reasonable. and finally I feel obligated like to point out that the article did not consider the opposing side, which always fosters group polarization (like minded people begin to think even more like-mindedly when contradicting remarks are left absent).
I hope all of this did not fall of deaf ears, and if anyone would like to continue this arguement with me personally my email address is as follows: jimistone13579@hotmail.com I encourage you to formulate your thoughts and express them civily to me so that I may offer a conjecture.
Thank you,
Jimi Stone (yet another annoying teenager)
7-16-2011 @ 9:00AM
cathy said...yeah, who is in charge? the kids or the parents? the taxpayers or congress? everything is upside down today.
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7-16-2011 @ 9:05AM
Susie said...MY KIDS GET AN HOUR A DAY- ON ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICE- THAT'S IT- THEY KNOW, AND YES THEY ARGUE OCCASIONALLY, BUT THEY KNOW THEY WON'T GET MORE TIME.
DO PEOPLE REALLY NEED SOFTWARE TO DO THEIR PARENTING FOR THEM? TERRIBLE MESSAGE!!!!!
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7-16-2011 @ 9:34AM
addy692002 said...So I have a few issues with this...
Firstly, I completely agree with previous comments. Turning off the computer and/or unplugging it yourself is just easier makes more sense than this.
Secondly, after a brief skimming over the software's page just to see what it really was (because honestly, anything that allows communication like that between local computers is somewhat akin to how malware/adware works), I come to find out this article fails to mention that the software must be *running* on BOTH computers. A child could simply shut the program down and not even have to deal with what the parent attempts to do. With that in mind, even the site advises one rule of "kidoff must be running or your computer time is over" SO AGAIN... we're back to simply laying down the groundrules ahead of time and cutting off their comp. manually if they're broken. Why go through all the hassle if you must do the same thing in the end regardless...?
Thirdly (yes I know this list is getting long LOL) the article states:
"It also keeps them accustomed to old fashioned books instead of eBooks," Wickstrom says.
Wickstrom, who has been a contributor to Working Mother, OC Family and more, tells ParentDish it's important to get kids engaged in the real world."
... I'm sorry to apparently be the one to let you in on this - but reading books has nothing to DO with being engaged in the real world no matter what kind of books they are. Even non-fiction is still escaping true reality to be secluded in that wonderful land of black and white words and/or history. Your child can engage their imagination and creativity (and learn) through reading just as well online as they can through traditional books - even more so, honestly, as it's just more accessible online than it is to buy/rent actual books sometimes. Mind you, I'm a fan of traditionalism as well - but ignoring how much of a true tool the internet and computers can be and the options they present is just blatantly naive. In a day and age where computer knowledge is a must in most successful and in-demand career paths, it's honestly just future career suicide. Sorry to all who may disagree, but that's just the reality of the world we've created and our children are forced to live in.
Fourth and finally - excess in anything is bad. That goes BOTH WAYS. You can't expect your child to live in a world where computers are so dominant but expect them to stay away from them most of the time. You can't whine that they don't "interact more with the real world" by cutting off their access to things that spawn topics their friends at school are bound to be talking about, because it WILL affect their social life. I'm sorry to be blunt, but kids can be highly superficial and if you're not "in the know" on some popular things (especially gaming, internet, etc.) then you may as well walk around with a post it note on your forehead ASKING people to single you out and make you feel out of touch with society.
Being *overly* forceful is just as bad as not being forceful enough, and if you're not careful you could permanently damage your overall relationship with your child in the process.
Exercise and playing outside - interacting in the real world with real people - that IS very important, but so is their interaction with electronics in this day and age. If you're going to set an example for your children, remember: "All things in moderation." That goes for you, too, and not just your child.
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7-16-2011 @ 9:44AM
addy692002 said...Also, many older people and "adults" complain that they were raised differently and had no need for all these "new-fangled things" - many older people and adults also have difficulty really functioning in this our modern world. There's a reason for that. O.o
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7-16-2011 @ 9:49AM
Marie said...And here I was hoping that something could *help* my computer addiction; just another AOL fluff piece. I go for walks on occasion and tan a bit; I suppose that's the best I can do without transport in a small town with *nothing* to do. My eventual kids aren't having a computer until they need it to type high school papers, and I'll only allow them to watch TV when I can be in their presence to explain things. There's a solution for *my* kids' generation. If they want to stay indoors, they can listen to music.
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7-16-2011 @ 9:54AM
Marie said...But, you know, there's something to be said for dragging your kid for a picnic in the park, teaching them to ride a bike, going down to the YMCA, taking them to the beach, actually *playing* with them and *raising* them, etc.
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7-16-2011 @ 10:30AM
The Fox! said...The best thing parents can do to get their children more active, and sociable outside of the computer screen is to stop being so hooked themselves! It's the grown-ups who are addicted to video games, porn, social networking sites, cell phones, and other gadgets! People don't talk and get together anymore. They text, they IM, and they email.
They spend hours a day, whether at home or even at work, on the internet facebooking, tweeting, and reading media blogs! They can't grocery shop, go to the mall, or stand in any line at a store or bank without talking incessantly! They are driving texting (yes they still do it) and talking on cell phones, to the point they drive ridiculously and dangerously. They've given their children these same habits and tools. You go to Barnes & Noble and every table in the food section is filled with people on laptops.
You don't have a place to enjoy reading and eating your muffin! Now, I know there are many good uses for education and to enjoy surfing. But, the amount of time being spent secluded from outdoors has decreased. And, they wonder why children are obese? The lack of socializing offline, has made it hard to hold a conversation with someone without them looking every second into their cell phone, or talking while typing on their facebook pages. People don't want to go out to do anything but drink, dance, or meet a hot guy or gal. They don't do libraries anymore. They don't have parties and play games together anymore.
Now, you have commercials where the whole family are up playing Wii games hitting at nothing. While you might say this helps with exercise and group activity, where is the real quality time spent actually having the time to talk and learn together, to have fun enjoying biking, rollerblading, frisbee throwing, swimming, or traveling together to scenic sites? It's really sad to see such an obsession with all things technical. We need them for certain things but it should never have gotten so addictive. It actually distracts people from listening skills.
Because, they can't pay attention to anything when they're waiting for the next text, playing bejeweled/scrabble online, or looking at pictures music videos or movies. Relationships are suffering because of the way people are meeting online and falling "in love" after a few emails and texts, and s/o's spending too much time playing games online or on their playstations. Marriages are suffering because of the easy access to those willing to meet up with married people. They even have sites for this! Yet, as it is with everything else that people have warned society about.
They mock and make fun while saying, "It's harmless." Then, you see this world we're living in now, and be so surprised when two sons kill their mother because she wanted to play Yahtzee on Christmas with them, and they didn't. Please let's get back to families actually spending real time with each other off of the internet and phones! Teach the kids about helping the less fortunate by getting them involved with something other than their own selves.
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7-18-2011 @ 12:11AM
MPEMario said...Welcome to the digital age. No one cares. Have a nice day.