Media Kids

I ended up blathering on about media and kids in a posting to our homeschool group and thought I would share it here.....

We believe that media is an important part of our lives, it is integral to how most of the adult world functions, and it is something that our kids will be living / working / playing with for most of their lives. Moreover, the technologies that they will be using are inconceivable to us today.

I believe that there is a lot of good things in the media, and also a lot of mediocre or bad stuff there. And lets be honest, some of what is out there is down right evil.

So here is how media fits into our lives...we have a TV, but no cable. We as a family watch movies, minus the previews, and with parental supervision (at least the first time that they watch a movie). I have a good idea of what the boys enjoy, what they are comfortable watching, and what I am comfortable with them seeing. Sometimes that matches the noted rating on a movie, sometimes it doesn't.

We have a computer, that William (6 1/2) uses for educational games, research, and fun stuff (LEGO.com and National Geographic Kids, mostly!!) He uses the computer only when my husband or I are close by, and stays on his marked 'Favourites" unless we are right with him.
We listen to a lot of radio, mostly music or CBC (Will is a huge of Quirks and Quarks - who would have thunk it!)

We have a strict 'no news' policy in the house (with regards to the boys).

We try to limit the overall screen time that the boys have to less than 1 hour of 'recreational media' each day, and that is a mixture of mediums. If William has been playing video games as a bit of a break in the afternoon, we do something different in the evening. If we have been out all day and the kids (and parents!) need some 'down time' after dinner, I don't mind if they want to watch a movie before bed. In the summer we watch less, in the winter, a little more.

I think that I would be more worried about the amount of screen time that they have if we were not homeschooling - even with a few video games or movies mixed into some of their days, the boys still spend most of their time playing, running, exploring, creating, and learning.

We also talk a lot about the choices that we have made regarding media, and why we have made them. We talk about what our family believes, and how it might be different from what other people believe - and that that is alright. We discuss how important it is to us to learn about other people, places and things in the world, and how important it is to have accurate information from which to learn. We talk about the fact that just because something is written down (published or on-line) does not mean that it is true. We talk about differences in opinion, biases, and slander. We say (often) that other people may do things differently, but that in our family we do things this way.

We explain to the boys that once an image is in your head, you can never, ever, get rid of it.

We also talk a lot about marketing. I know that the boys are exposed to marketing each and every day. Even without TV, or exposure to media at school or through peers, it seeps into their consciousness. So we talk about it. We talk about McDonalds - why you might eat there, why you might not. We note how nice it is to buy foods from a farmers market or CSA, and how it is different from buying food that has been grown across the world in a big store. We talk about what 'cheap' means - in price and in quality, and how that should effect our decisions and purchases.

So I guess that sums it up - our family is media-friendly, but not media-run. I hope that the boys are learning how to enjoy technology and all of its benefits, and also to be critical of its drawbacks and risks. I want more than anything for them to be able to think critically about media, to enjoy what it has to offer, and to never forget that watching other people's 'lives' on television is no substitute for having a life of your own.

I'll let you know in about 20 years how it has turned out!

The right to learn

...we have come to realise that for most men the right to learn is curtailed by the obligation to attend school

- Ivan Illich

Carrot Fest at Everdale

We spent the afternoon today at Everdale, a fabulous organic farm and learning centre just a few minutes away. Along with a farm market and CSA, regular workshops and apprenticeship programs, Everdale is the site of Home Alive, a straw bale home featuring solar and wind power systems, renewable and non-toxic natural finishes, a rainwater collection system...Today was their annual Carrot Fest - and a great day to visit the farm. We all had fun collecting eggs, making our own ice cream, playing in the sandbox, petting the animals, exploring the maze, learning about seed saving, and in general enjoying fresh air, warm sun, and great, natural foods. Unfortunately I left the visit to the straw bale home to the end, and by that time the kids were too hot and tired to go for the tour. Maybe next time...I would love to take a look around.

Autumn

As Summer into Autumn slips

As Summer into Autumn slips
And yet we sooner say
"The Summer" than "the Autumn," lest
We turn the sun away,
And almost count it an Affront
The presence to concede
Of one however lovely, not
The one that we have loved --
So we evade the charge of Years
On one attempting shy
The Circumvention of the Shaft
Of Life's Declivity.


by Emily Dickinson

Not Back To School Party

"What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children's growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools, but that it isn't a school at all."

--John Holt

Today, this lovely, warm, sunny September day, about 15 families from our local Homeschool group headed off to the beach to celebrate not going back to school. The kids played, the parents visited (and knitted) or just sat in the sun. We chatted with old friends, and welcomed new families to the fold. The younger kids splashed in the water or played in the sand. The older kids disappeared into the woods to build forts and plan out complex battle strategies. And in the eight (yes, 8!!) hours that we were there, not a tear, not a scream, not a name called or feelings hurt. I really do love that about homeschooling gatherings. The kids, more used to being in groups of different ages and backgrounds, seem somehow more accepting of differences than I tend to see in traditionally schooled kids. Being different is alright, since they are all a little different, anyway.

Thanks to everyone who made this such a wonderful day in the sun!

Crystal Music

Do you remember doing this as a kid? Wonderful, coffee table music made with Mom's favourite wine glasses and a little bit of water. What a great, hands on (no pun intended) way to learn about sound waves. I came out of the shower to find all three of my boys (William, Charlie and Hubby Jim) gathered around the coffee table making beautiful music. Not sure where the inspiration came from, but they were sure having a lot of fun!

Let Them Play!!

I read this article about play from the New York Times this morning on the fabulous blog of another homeschooling Mama, and had to copy it here. Here are a few paragraphs, or follow the link to see the whole article. Thanks for sharing, Karen!

For most American children in the not-so-distant past, “going out to play” was the norm. Today, according to a University of Michigan study, children spend 50 percent less time outside than they did just 20 years ago — and the 6.5 hours a day they spend with electronic media means that sitting in front of a screen has replaced going out.

Through the lens of play research, we can see that there is a direct line between play deficiencies and some frightening public health and social trends: tragic statistics for obesity, 4.5 million children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an increase in childhood depression and classroom behavioral problems involving violence, and an inability to interact well with peers.

Evidence from around the scientific compass — neuroscience, psychology, exercise physiology, sociology and developmental biology — has revealed the importance of play. Deprive a social mammal like a rat or monkey of its normal rough-and-tumble play and it enters adulthood emotionally fragile, unable to tell friend from foe, poor at handling stress and lacking the skills to mate properly.

The differences in playfulness when adulthood arrives (I have followed more than 6,000 detailed play histories) validates the importance of lifelong play. Play-deprived adults are often rigid, humorless, inflexible and closed to trying out new options. Playfulness enhances the capacity to innovate, adapt and master changing circumstances. It is not just an escape. It can help us integrate and reconcile difficult or contradictory circumstances. And, often, it can show us a way out of our problems.

True play may seem pointless — it is done for its own sake, because it’s fun — but ultimately it is also useful. From an evolutionary perspective, the smarter the animal, the more they play. For humans, play reinvigorates us not because it is down time, but because it gets us in touch with our core selves and the joy of life.