Can you imagine life without television?
That's how Jake and his family are going to live for one weeklater this month. Starting April 24, they'll be participating inNational TV-Turnoff Week.
Sponsored by an organization called TV-Free America, the weekis endorsed by dozens of national organizations, including theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians, the President's Council onPhysical Fitness and Sports and the National Parenting Association.Why should health, education and family oriented groups likethese care about turning off television sets in American homes?Because they believe that watching fewer hours of television is goodfor children's health and fitness, and good for families. It's goodfor health and fitness because kids who watch less TV spend moretime being physically active. And it's good for families becausemoms, dads and kids whose televisions are turned off spend timedoing things together.Turning off the television could give your family lots ofextra time. According to a 1996 study by A.C. Nielsen, a companythat tracks television viewing, Americans watch an average of morethan four hours of television every day. That adds up to two monthsof TV-viewing each year. At that rate, someone who lives to be 65would spend nine years of his or her life glued to the tube!Of course, there are worthwhile shows on TV, but there's a lotof violence too. Educators and health experts are convinced thatwatching violence is harmful to children, and that it promotesviolent behavior in real life. '{Violence on TV} is a public healthproblem,' says John Nelson of the American Medical Association.Maybe it's time to take a break. The organizers of TV-TurnoffWeek say that 4 million people and 25,000 schools around the countryand abroad took part last year.'I got to spend a little time talking to my mom because sheturned off the TV during dinner,' says Katie Tower, a sixth-graderin Donora, Pa.'Students were well-motivated for the week,' says teacher SueBeck of Douglasville, Ga. 'Parents found it more difficult!'If you decide to try a television turnoff in your house, youmay need some suggestions for other ways to fill your time. Theorganizers of TV-Turnoff Week have come up with a list of 101 ideas.Here are 21 of them, three activities for each of the seven days:1. Get out the family photo album. Research your familyhistory.2. Play hopscotch.3. Organize a neighborhood scavenger hunt.4. Construct a kite. Fly it.5. Write a letter to your grandparents.6. Visit the library. Borrow a book.7. Go bird watching.8. Bake cookies and bread. Make jam.9. Go through your closets and cupboards. Donate surplus itemsto charity groups.10. Go to a museum.11. Take a nature hike.12. Watch the night sky through binoculars and learn toidentify the constellations.13. Prepare and share a family dinner.14. Learn sign language.15. Write a letter to your favorite author. Mail it to thewriter's publisher.16. Meditate.17. Play charades.18. Play soccer or touch football.19. Do yard work and start a garden.20. Play chess or checkers.21. Have a conversation with friends or family.At the end of TV-Turnoff Week, sit down as a family and talkabout the experience. Did you have more fun? Did you get moresleep? Was it easier to get your homework done? Before you turn theTV back on, think about your viewing habits and make some decisionsabout how much TV you really need to watch.Jake is looking forward to TV-Turnoff Week. Last year, he and hisdad worked on a model airplane. He and his mom had longconversations as he helped her organize the box of familyphotographs. He and his brother and sister had a marathon Monopolytournament. It was fun.TV-Turnoff Week begins on April 24. Try it. You just might likeit!Tips for ParentsTo learn how to organize a local TV-Turnoff in your school orcommunity, contact TV-Free America, 1611 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite3A, Washington, DC 20009 or call 202-887-0436. An organizer's kitwith bumper stickers, guidebook, posters and pledge cards costs $10.For You to DoHave you decided to give TV-Turnoff Week a try? Maybe youshould plan how you're going to use that extra time. Make an 'Un-TVGuide' for the week. Draw a grid on a piece of paper, and fill inactivities that you will do as an alternative to watching TV. Chooseactivities from the list above, or make up your own. Ask for otherfamily members' ideas too. Include some things that you can doalone, such as reading or writing letters. Include some familyactivities. And make sure that some of your plans get you off thecouch and out into the springtime air.
