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People encouraged to shut their screens down for a week

People have been known to live without television.

And they've even been known to live without Guitar Hero, Wii and Xbox.

What did they do?

Well, they sat in their living rooms and stared at the places where their televisions would have been.

No, sorry, that's not true.

Here's what they did: They talked to one another, listened to music, read books, went outside to play, cooked and ate meals together, played board games, told jokes or pursued hobbies.

From April 20 to 26, communities, schools and individuals are celebrating "Turnoff Week."

It used to be called, "TV-Turnoff Week," but then people turned off their televisions and turned on their computers to play games, watch television shows recaps, or search for deals on PlayStation 3.

Now, Turnoff Week encourages people to leave their television, home computers and video games off for a week.

The goal isn't to send us all back to the good ol' days but to put us in charge of our electronic tools so we can use them in ways that "enhance the quality of life," according to the Center for Screen-Time Awareness.

The center was formed in 1994 by Henry Labalme and Matt Pawa as an environmental organization. Now it deals with a variety of issues including childhood obesity, illiteracy, violence and the social impacts of electronic media.

The statistics are pretty grim:

-- American children spend between 22 and 28 hours a week watching television, more than any other activity, except sleeping. By the time they are 70 years old, they will have spent seven to 10 years of their lives watching TV, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

-- The average American watches more than four hours of TV daily—the equivalent of almost two months of nonstop TV per year, according to a A.C. Nielsen Co. survey.

-- Children in households where the TV is on "always" or "most of the time" are less likely to read than other children, according to a study cited on the center's Web site.

-- Consistent, heavy television viewing—more than two hours a day—throughout early childhood can cause behavior, sleep, attention and weight problems, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

And having a television in the bedroom, "has been reported to be a strong predictor of being overweight," even in preschool-aged children.

Educators always have known the importance of turning off and tuning in.

Dr. Steve Sperry, principal of Edison Middle School in Janesville, makes a point to get information about Turnoff Week to his staff and students.

"Really, the purpose is to think about what the role of television is all about," Sperry said.

Of course, he doesn't want students to increase their time in front of other electronic screens.

"I want them to do some interacting with other people," Sperry said. "It's going back to basics, reconnecting with families."

This year, the school district is focuing on "core values and character traits." Creating strong and healthy relationships is one.

"We want parents to make connections with kids and kids to make connections to parents," Sperry said. "Television, screen games—those allow us to disconnect from one another."

Jamie Swenson, children's librarian at Hedberg Public Library, echoed his sentiments.

"I personally think that when people start turning off their televisions, they start looking at each other," Swenson said.

Since the beginning of Turnoff Week, the library has celebrated with a family game night.

"It's about remembering how much fun we have as a group, it's about building community," Swenson said. "That's why it's important to me."

At Swenson's home, the rule is no television on weeknights and only 45 minutes in front of the computer screen. She has two children, a fourth- and a seventh-grader.

Like many parents, she's startled by the amount of violence and sexual content during prime time.

That's an issue for many "Turnoff Week" supporters, but no one denounces the medium as all bad.

"I'm not saying that all television is garbage," Sperry said. "But I don't know that kids are watching PBS or the Discovery Channel."

Sperry suspects that many people, without even thinking about, have made television-watching part of their routines, a habit—"people get into those ruts."

"You can go a couple of days without watching television," Sperry said. "It's not torture; life goes on."

Instead of TV

You've unplugged the television, signed off the computer and put the video games away.

Now what do you do?

For adults who grew up in the age of three channels—or no channels at all—that question will seem absurd. Since when did play become rocket science?

Well, here's how bad it's become: The lack of play has prompted government and nonprofit agencies to create ad campaigns encouraging kids to play for 60 minutes a day.

The Center for Disease Control campaign was called, "VERB: It's What You Do."

During Turnoff Week, Edison Middle School Principal Steve Sperry offers tips and ideas for nonscreen activities.

"Most of them are common sense things that we knew when we were growing up," Sperry said.

The Web site www.insteadoftv.com, offers a variety of idea and product suggestions for families trying to break the television habit.

Amber Price, the mother of two boys and the owner of My Sweetdreams Baby online store, created this list for kids and parents who are stuck.

1. Go on a nature walk and collect different things. Make a collage with those things.

2. Make cookies together.

3. Draw a family picture.

4. Play charades.

5. Finger paint with shaving cream on paper.

6. Make homemade Play-Doh and sculpt with it.

7. Go to a park and swing on the swings.

8. Go to the zoo.

9. Visit a fire station and take a tour (call ahead.)

10. Fly a kite together.

11. Go to a pond and feed the ducks.

12. Plant a garden.

13. Go to story time at the library.

14. Make instruments out of items around the house.

15. Decorate picture frames or outlet covers.

16. Paint with watercolors.

17. Make paper dolls that look like each child.

18. Work on a scrapbook together.

19. Make homemade ice cream.

20. Make a piñata with papier-mâché.

21. Go on a picnic.

22. Go for a walk.

23. Sing songs together.

24. Make a gingerbread house out of graham crackers.

25. Find a local farm and take a tour.

26. Go play at an indoor playground (at a mall, restaurant, etc.)

27. Play a sport together.

28. Look through magazines, cut out pictures and make a collage.

29. Visit a children's museum.

30. Make pudding and finger paint with it.

31. Trace the child's silhouette on paper and let him color it in.

32. Make a card for someone.

33. Let the child help you make dinner.

34. Make a paper cup telephone.

35. Go to a movie

36. Learn more about your state's history. Draw the state flag, learn about the state animals, etc.

37. Make crafts with Popsicle sticks.

38. Go for a walk after it rains and stomp in the puddles.

39. Ride bikes together.

40. Rent a video, make popcorn and have a movie night.

41. Plan a family vacation together.

42. Go inline skating together.

43. Write a story.

44. Read a book together.

45. Make a birdhouse or pinecone bird feeder.

46. Make holiday decorations.

47. Have a tea party.

48. Write a poem.

49. Have a backyard BBQ.

50. Play a family board game.

51. Sleep in the backyard.

52. Go to a professional sporting event.

53. Go bowling.

54. Play hide-and-seek.

55. Decorate a T-shirt with paints or markers.

56. Make a homemade journal.

57. Decorate a brown paper bag and play dress-up in it.

58. Put on a puppet show.

59. Go to a children's theater.

60. Make a cereal necklace.

61. Play catch.

62. Take silly pictures and print them or get them developed.

63. Blow bubbles.

64. Play group games such as Mother May I; Red Light, Green Light, or Duck, Duck, Goose.

65. Go to a lake and play on the beach or ride in a boat.

66. Go sledding or skiing.

67. Build a snowman.

68. Roast marshmallows over the stove and make s'mores.

69. Play Frisbee or Frisbee golf.

70. Do science experiments together.

71. Go mini-golfing.

72. Make "obleck." Obleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. Made of cornstarch and water, the substance acts like a liquid when poured and a solid when force is applied to it.

73. Go to a museum.

74. Exercise together.

75. Go hiking.

76. Put on music and dance.

77. Have a paper airplane-flying contest.

78. Teach child to sew and make a blanket or a pillow.

79. Go swimming.

80. Make a paper plate mask.

81. Build a crystal radio.

82. Play 20 questions.

83. Spend time learning about another culture.

84. Do the child's handprints.

85. Start a collection together—stamps, coins, stickers.

86. Paint clay pots and plant flowers in them.

87. Draw with sidewalk chalk.

88. Go out for lunch or dinner.

89. Go camping.

90. Tell jokes.

91. Make a meal that you can eat with just your fingers.

92. Make smoothies.

93. Draw pictures with your toes.

94. Go to the mall and eat in the food court.

95. Play with a pet.

96. Color pictures in a coloring book or print out coloring pages from the Internet.

97. Make a noodle picture-paint uncooked noodles and glue them to paper.

98. Write letters to family or friends.

99. Have a tickle war.

100. Do a crossword puzzle or word search together.

101. Give them a big hug and tell them you love them.