Screen Free Week 2014 by Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

Welcome!

he Early Childhood Community Council is pleased to invite you to join us for SCREEN FREE WEEK 2014. A big thank you goes out to all the community partners who make this event possible. A lot has changed with technology since the advent of Screen Free Week in 1994. Today, screens are fully integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives from our alarm clock to helping us safely back out of a parking spot. The same message still holds true today, however. “Instead of relying on screens for entertainment, participants read, daydream, explore, enjoy nature, and spend time with family and friends.” How’s that for a prescription for fun? Over 300 million people have

taken part in the turnoff, with millions participating each year. Positive, healthy changes occur in our lives only after we take the time to become aware of our habits. Perhaps a better name for the movement is Screen Smart Week. Join us for any or all of the fun and engaging activities offered each day. We challenge you to come up with your own screen free activities, too!

Marie Lowe, Early Childhood Community Council Coordinator Screen Free Week 2014 Planning Committee: Cindy Christin, Lisa Curry, Deneen Pancari, Marie Lowe, Holly Crane, Katie Bark, Kerry Williams, Laura St. John, Libby Hancock, Rebekah Kamp

Bridger Backpacking Powerful Predators ... and many more!

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

Screen Free Week Schedule, May 5-11, 2014 Monday, May 5

Wednesday, May 7

Thursday, May 8

Saturday, May 10

Bike Rodeo, 5:30pm, Bozeman Public Library South Parking Lot Bring your bike to our mechanic tent for a tune-up, ride through an obstacle course, and join us for a guided bike ride down the trail. Free helmets available as needed. Call Lisa at 587-7786.

Early Release Game Day, 1:30-3pm, Belgrade Community Library School’s out early so come to the Belgrade Library for a bit of fun competition. Life-size Jenga, bean bag toss, Twister, and other fun screen-free games. Grades K-5. Call Rebekkah at 388-4346.

Bike Rodeo, 5:30pm, Saddle Peak in Belgrade Bring your bike to our mechanic tent for a tune-up, ride through an obstacle course, and join us for a guided bike ride. Free helmets available as needed. Call Lisa at 587-7786.

Dance Center Performance, 11am, Bozeman Public Library Community Room What is in a name? Well, if you can imagine... a dance is in your name. Join The Dance Center’s Performing Ensemble to see how we use our names and cliches to create movement. The 18-member ensemble, ranging in ages 10-16, will perform for you and then audience members are invited to dance with ensemble members using guided improv to create dances. Call Anna at 920-1247.

Becoming a Screen Smart Family, 6:30pm, Bozeman Public Library Community Room Join Mary Sheedy Kurcinka to explore what pulls us to the screen, strategies for effectively taming screen time, and ideas for creating a family routine that eliminates rushing, protects sleep, allows time for fun, and uses screens wisely. Kurcinka is the author of Sleepless in America and Raising Your Spirited Child. Call Cindy at 582-2404.

Tuesday, May 6 Unplug & Play, 2-4pm, Bozeman Public Library Community Room Play is the work of young children. Join us to explore a variety of play that encourages your child’s development and imagination. Children from 0-5 invited to enjoy building things, painting on an easel, sensory table activities, and more fun. . . before or after their nap! Call Cindy at 582-2404.

Family Game Night at the Story Mansion, 5:30-7:30pm No screen time this week! Let’s play some games! Good ole’ cards and board games--some new and some old. This will be an unforgettable evening at the historical Story Mansion on S. Willson Avenue, and is sponsored by Rook’s Comics and Games and City Parks and Recreation. Healthy snacks, beverages, and games provided. Call Holly at 582-2290. PercOrchestra, 7pm, Bozeman Public Library Community Room This unique orchestra is made up of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra’s percussionists, so this is the night to bring your family to enjoy rhythms from around the world! Formed in 2000, PercOrchestra performs contemporary marimba ensembles, percussion ensembles, ragtime and world music. Call Cindy at 582-2404.

Friday, May 9 Baby Bob Dance, 4-5pm, Bozeman Public Library Community Room The Dance Center is excited to participate in Screen Free Week! Join us for a Baby Bob class designed for Parent and Tot to dance together. Dancing with your child supports bonding, language, movement and rhythm development and is great fun! All infants and toddlers welcome. Call Anna at 920-1247. Free Friday at the Children’s Museum, 5-8pm, Children’s Museum of Bozeman Enjoy museum activities and exhibits with your children and pizza from Tarantino’s for $1 slice. Call 522-9087.

Sunday, May 11 Museum of the Rockies, 12-5pm One free child admission with every paying adult today at the Museum. Call Angie at 994-6618.

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

Tips to tame the screen habit If your house has more screen-time then you intended:

Why is this happening?

You might try this:

Your child watches TV in the morning and doesn’t want to get ready to go

You want to sleep in or you need the time

Kids get all ready to go before breakfast and you use time at the table to connect with each other

Everyone looks at their tablet or device when you go to a restaurant

Its automatic or you are too tired or hungry to talk

Take turns telling one thing that happened during your day or play an easy game*

Your kids want to watch movies when traveling in the car

The drive is so long or it’s become a habit on trips

Plan ahead for drawing, games, audio books, singing, talking and looking out the windows

Kids turn the TV on when they get home from school

Its a habit....You are not home... You need a few minutes

Organize a play activity, time outside, craft, or friends over

You turn on a video when you are preparing dinner

You’re tired, you need to do it fast, you want time alone

Young kids like to play with water at the sink; older kids cab help chop or set the table; listen to an audio book together

Your kids watch cartoons every Saturday morning

You want to sleep in...or it’s become a habit

Make family breakfast or read aloud together or plan an outing

You give your kids your smart phone when you have to wait in line

You don’t want your children to be disruptive or bored

Find an app you can do together while waiting; bring books or audio books; play a game; draw

Parents: You may think of a lot more examples, or good ideas to try. The goal is to identify when there is more screen time than you like and then to figure out why that is and how you might find some solutions. It’s different for each

Butte, and I blow bubbles.” Another game is to play 20 Questions. One person thinks of a person, place or thing. Others get to ask up to 20 yes or no questions to figure it out.

family, and you know your child best. * Easy games to play while waiting include “A my name is Alice.” You all take turns with letters of the alphabet, and think of a name, where you live, and

what you do for each letter. “B, my name is Beth, I live in

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

Letting Our Kids Go For It in the Great Outdoors By Holly Crane and Kerry Williams

. . . getting outside! After a long winter, those words seem like magic. Even if we’re the type who prefers to lounge inside with a good book, the opportunity to send our kids out of the house to run and play is incredibly welcome. But then we wonder: What if he gets hurt? How far should I let her venture from home? What if there’s an emergency and I’m not there? What if some lunatic is roaming the streets, the parks, the woods? In short, we spend a lot of time worrying about the risks that come with playing outside. Logically, we know our kids will be absolutely fine the vast majority of the time. Though the 24-hour sensational news cycle may make it seem otherwise, the world is just as safe as it was when we were kids. As “good parents,” however, we can get ourselves worked up into thinking that if we are not there to protect our kids 100% of the time, we are not doing our job. Here’s the shocker: the truth is exactly the opposite. Our job as parents is to lay a foundation of good sense and then slowly back away to let our kids explore their own limits. Only by testing themselves can our children begin to understand what is safe and what is taking things too far. “Nature is a tool,” says Stephen Moss, naturalist, broadcaster and author, “to get children to experience not

just the wider world, but themselves.” So climbing a tree, he says, is about “learning how to take responsibility for yourself, and how – crucially – to measure

risk for yourself. Falling out of a tree is a very good lesson in risk and reward.” There are three components of risk that we need to stretch ourselves to accept, and they all have to do with trust. First, we need to trust ourselves. All the time and energy that we’ve put into helping our kids grow has

made an impact. They have absorbed our lessons about safety and making good decisions. Sure, they may not make the best choices all of the time,

but that’s when learning occurs. Next, we need to trust our community. We live in an incredible place where people are kind and compassionate. It is important to remember that our neighbors are keeping an eye out for our kids, too. Finally, we need to trust our kids. How many times have we cautioned against

something our kid knows he can do, and then watch him completely ace it when he ignores our advice? This is a good thing! Praise her for knowing herself and having the confidence to take the risk instead of berating her for not listening. Remember, as parents, we are here to give our children whatever support we can to help them become the best person they can be. We want to look back and know that we aided in building their selfconfidence. Kids need to know what they are capable of, and the only way to accomplish that is by pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and finding their personal abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. So the next time you are out on the trails or at the park, don’t doubt yourself, even if the mom or dad standing next to you won’t let their kid jump into the creek or climb that tree. Say, “My job is to comfort them when they fall short from time to time, not to scare them out of trying.” If we all stretch ourselves just a little in this area, we will be amazed at what our kids can do! Holly Crane is a Recreation Leader for the City of Bozeman, and Kerry Williams is a Children’s Librarian at the Bozeman Public Library.

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

“Do you think kids spend too much time with screens?” Conrad, age 11 “NO. In a society where parents are using screens almost constantly, parents are the ones who need to cut down on their time more.”

Nina, age 11 “YES. Kids should spend one hour or less on a screen per week. Most kids I think spend more than that.” Sign a screen-free week pledge card and receive

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Jenny Radesky is another pediatrician who recently spent a summer observing groups of parents and young children, to determine how often parents ignored their kids in favor of a mobile device. Her results were reported on NPR’s Morning Edition on Monday, April 21. Forty of the 55

country

Your kids can “ExplodE into SummEr” on Saturday, June 14 from 10-noon at the Bozeman public library. Join the “Fizz Boom Read” summer reading program for kids of all ages (teens & adults too) and keep everyone reading all summer long.

Distracted Parents?

Bookshelf Celebrate Screen Free Week! 582-2404

626 East Main St. Come visit our PlaySpace and build with blocks anytime…Call 582-2404 for more info bozemanlibrary.org about fun stuff for families at the Library.

Books • Art Supplies Puzzles & Games Craft Kits

28 W. Main • Bozeman, MT 406-587-0166 www.countrybookshelf.com We’re your local, independent bookstore.

parents used a mobile device during the meal. The problem with that is that children learn language, learn about emotions, and how to have a conversation by face-to-face interactions. When parents ignore their children to focus on their devices, there are long-lasting consequences. Psychologist Catherine SteinerAdair says that these children feel “they aren’t interesting, they don’t matter, and that anything can interrupt their time with you.” The researchers found, not surprisingly, that kids with parents most absorbed in their devices are more likely to act out to get their parents’ attention. If you see any of this happening in your house, think twice before picking up that cell phone when you are with your child! For further information, see The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair. Cindy Christin is a Children’s Librarian at Bozeman Public Library.

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Turn off the screens, sleep is important! By Corey Fish, MD FAAP Pediatrician at Acorn Pediatrics, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine

this day and age, it’s hard to separate children from electronic screens of one sort or another. In fact, in my line of work, not only do I document patient encounters electronically, I use any one of several electronic medical databases to help take good care of my patients, so it’s an issue for me as well. However, when it comes to children and time spent in front of electronic screens, there is a wellestablished relationship between more “screen time” and less sleep. The association between screen time and sleep has been widely studied and, not surprisingly, more screen time is associated

with poorer sleep and worse health outcomes. This is especially concerning given that hours of screen time consumed by children 8-18 years of age has increased from almost 6.3 hours per day in 1999 to nearly 7.7 hours per day in 2009! A 2014 study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that not only does more screen time lead to less sleep, but that less sleep leads to more screen time, which in turn leads to a downward spiral of less and less sleep for kids. Another recent study from the journal, Pediatrics, just published ahead of print for May, 2014 and including over 1800 children, also

Are we building a sturdy foundation for Gallatin children?

Who Is Invited:

Community leaders, businesses, families and educators are invited to join the Early Childhood Community Council for a film premiere, Raising of America, and community discussion panel.

May 15th 6-8 PM, Museum of the Rockies, Hager Auditorium Free childcare for families (ages 3 and up)

It’s FREE!

Join us for a film premiere and panel discussion. Panelist: Lieutenant Governor, Angela McLean Bozeman Schools Superintendent, Dr. Rob Watson Early Childhood Professional Educator, Dr. Christine Lux. MSU Health officer, Matt Kelley, Gallatin City-County Health Department Business owner, Spencer Williams, West Paw Designs Bozeman Mayor Jeff Krauss, introductions and moderator

Co-Sponsors:

Museum of the Rockies, Montana PBS, Montana Parent, Greater Gallatin United Way

For more information contact eccc@greatergallatinunitedway.org or call Marie Lowe at 406-587-2194

affirmed that more screen time leads to decreased sleep. This effect was especially severe for children who had televisions in their bedrooms. What makes this study particularly interesting is that media exposure for children as young as 6 months, decreases total amounts of sleep. Further, this study found that for every hour of television viewed, sleep duration is decreased by about 7 minutes. If we combine these results with the average amount of television viewed by children 8-18 years of age, this means that the average child is missing about one hour of sleep due to screen time.

Sunday May 4th

Consequences of decreased sleep are far reaching and concerning to me as a pediatrician. Several studies have shown the relationship between decreased sleep and social and behavioral issues, poorer grades, and increased obesity. In the face of such concerning evidence, the most important things we can do to help our children is to follow the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics and adhere to the following guidelines: 1. Avoid media exposure for children under two. Go for a walk outside, talk to your young child, read, or listen to music. Language development in young children is tied closely to how much spoken language they hear per day. 2. Establish screen free zones in the house, especially in childrens’ bedrooms. 3. Limit screen time to two hours per day or less for children over two. Sleep is one of the most simple, yet one of the most important things we can foster as caregivers of children. Make a commitment to your child’s health and encourage sleep and healthy screen alternatives. References 1. Magee CA, et al. Bidirectional Relationships Between Sleep Duration and Screen Time in Early Childhood. JAMA Pediatrics. 2014:E1-E6. 2. Cespedes EM, et al. Television Viewing, Bedroom Television, and Duration From Infancy to Mid-Childhood. Pediatrics. 2014;133:e1163-1171. 3. http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacyand-policy/aap-health-initiatives/pages/ media-and-children.aspx

See Schedule of Events Pg 3, May 5th for Becoming a Screen Free Family.

Big Sky Publishing

Screen Free Week 2014

Sunday May 4th

The Gallatin Early Childhood Community Council is a community-wide effort of partners working together to support children ready for learning and life. We are proud to underwrite Screen Free Week 2014!

Partner Organizations: ASMSU Child Care Center Aware Belgrade Public School Big Brothers Big Sisters Bozeman Deaconess Hospital Bozeman Public Library Bozeman Public Schools Child Care Connections Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum of Bozeman Child Development Center City of Bozeman Recreation Department Community Health Partners (Gallatin & Park) Family Outreach Family Promise

Gallatin City-County Health Department Gallatin County Commissioners Gallatin Mental Health Gallatin Valley YMCA Gallatin Valley Food Bank Greater Gallatin United Way Human Resource Development Council Livingston Public Schools Montana State University Montana Team Nutrition Museum of the Rockies Park County Community Foundation Thrive Youth Dynamics

For more information about the Early Childhood Community Council, contact Marie Lowe at 587-2194, or eccc@greatergallatinunitedway.org.