Get Ready Edmonton for Screen-Free Week
What is Screen-Free Week?
Get Ready Edmonton for Screen-Free Week! Annually, children are invited to experiences beyond their personal devices to play and explore, even rediscover the joy which can be found additional to ‘entertainment screens’. Entertainment screens are those used to play games, ‘Netflix and chill’, or just to scroll.
During the first week of May (May 4-10, 2020) families, participating schools and communities make an educated choice to put down their entertainment screens for seven days and commit to fun, connection and discovery with the people and surroundings beyond their fingertips.
Even though this is a screen free week, it is not about going without and more about what you can gain! An hour watching connected YouTube videos becomes an hour spent outside building a snow-family; 20 minutes wiled away on Insta can be transformed into doodling or a family board game; a movie on a cold Edmonton afternoon is replaced by eyes-closed listening to your favourite audio book or reading; texting can be replaced with playdates or visits to the local amenities (some even free being offered for Screen-Free week).
“You can celebrate Screen-Free week at home, in your school, in your community or anywhere – just put down those entertainment screens and literally do anything else!” (https://www.screenfree.org/about/) You might be surprised at how much you enjoy your surrounding environment.
Why Screen-Free Week?
A child growing into a healthy adult with good screen habits is important and this healthy childhood depends on one surprising thing: Play! Creative play allows children the mind-space to explore their physical world alongside their imaginations which build on their curious thinking skills. To their detriment, plenty of time spent on entertainment screens with paid ads, can displace the types of creative play kids need to thrive.
From the creators themselves:
“It was this displacement that worried Henry Labalme and Matt Pawa when they created TV Turnoff Week in 1994. Over the years, millions of kids and families joined Henry and Matt in turning off their TVs and going outside, playing, and having screen-free fun. In 2010, TV Turnoff Week became Screen-Free Week and it found a new home at Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
Not only does Screen-Free Week allow people to enjoy time away from news feeds, targeted ads, and autoplay videos, but it gives families and communities an opportunity to come together and connect with each other”. Source: (https://www.screenfree.org/about/)
Get Ready Edmonton for a Screen-Free Week
Date: April 30, 2020
Event times(choose 1): 1PM or 4PM or 7PM
Location: The Orange Hub, Edmonton, AB
Join Shannyn Rus, a Certified Information Access and Privacy Protection Professional, Early Childhood Educator and mom of two tweens for this 2 hour workshop, which will leave you feeling empowered to celebrate a screen free week at home, in your school, in your community, or anywhere. Take away entertainment materials to use between May 4-10, 2020 to make your week a success!