The Experiment

Finally got the toy room in order!

These days, we’ve noticed that at least one member of our family will most likely have their face glued to a screen for some part of the day. If it’s not the kids watching TV, playing on the Wii or taking over our laptop to play cbeebies... it’s Rich and I glancing through facebook, or our emails as we pass by the said laptop on our way to do something else. It’s just seeped into our lives, and now with the bad weather it’s just been escalating. The kids request to either watch TV, or go on the computer whenever they find themselves at a loose end for five minutes, and seem to have lost the knack of amusing themselves... not the mention the knack of actually playing with some of the 1000’s of toys they have accumulated between them.
We’ve just had a lovely Christmas, where they kids have been given so many new and wonderful toys. Since we got back from Cumbria Rich and I have been busy worker bees, sorting out the playroom into some sort of order, throwing away or freecycling toys that the kids have out grown, and trying to make the play room nice and accessible for the kids. There is a nice shelf full of crafty stuff that I’m sure Amie would love to get busy with, if only we had the time... and tomorrow that’s what we plan to do. The idea is, that every Sunday is going to be what’s called (don’t ask me why), Screen Day. This means that for that day, no-one in the family looks at a screen (don’t think I’ll quite stretch it to mobile phone screen, but that’s on a strictly text message basis.. I WILL not sneak online). We’re not having the TV or the computer on all day... which doesn’t sound like too much of a struggle, but with the rate of dependence we’ve been building up lately, it’s a pretty daunting prospect.
But already I’m getting excited. We’re going to let the kids help us cook breakfast tomorrow, and may aim for pancakes if we’re feeling adventurous. We’re going to gather up all the toys that are out of batteries and lying unloved around the place and get them up and running. There’s going to be a table full of glitter, glue and other such mess making things that we normally can’t be bothered to get out to use. We’ll possibly cheat and head out into Reading to do a spot of shopping too. There’s going to be tears and tantrums I’m sure, but as time progresses hopefully the day won’t seem like a punishment (as we often say to the kids they’re not going to be allowed to watch TV if they don’t behave themselves... so it’s a bit tricky trying to sell a day of no TV to them as a good thing), but as an opportunity for the kids to do some things they want to do, like bake biscuits, make experiments, spend one on one time.. things they just don’t seem to get done with the hours that get eaten away by screen time. I love watching TV, but it worries me too... if as an alien visitor you were to look into people’s living rooms and see people sitting motionless staring at a box in the corner for hours on end, you’d probably think there was some form of hypnotism at work... and you’d be right. Not only is it hypnotising, it’s also addictive... so that’s why we’re trying to be proactive and switch it off for a while.
I’m looking forward to being free of the distraction of the internet for a day. Free of the constant need to “just check something” every once in a while, just in case I’m missing something really important that I can’t live without knowing. Tomorrow will be a change from normal, and we’ve said we’d give it a month... just to see how it goes. I’m hopeful it will be a positive experience!