The Grass Stain Guru » TV

5 Signs Your Child Needs to Unplug and Go Play

Bethe — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:00:24 +0000

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, I offer you the following…

You know it’s time to unplug your kids when:

#5. The couch waits by the door for them to get home from school instead of the dog.

#4. Their TiVo/DVR list rivals the word count of War and Peace.

#3. When you tell them to go play they reply, “Is there an app for that?”

#2. They’ve taken to having their play dates on Facebook.

#1. Thanks to excessive texting and hand-held game play, they can bench press 25 pounds. With their thumbs.

In all seriousness, April is Children and Nature Awareness Month and those clever nature lovers at the Children and Nature Network are saying, Let’s G.O.! (Go Outside), and I couldn’t agree more.

So let’s unplug those kids (and ourselves!) and get outside! Mother Nature is waiting, and she has so much more to offer than any screen could ever dream of. And then some.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: AForestFrolic

Time to Pull the Plug?

Bethe — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:43:01 +0000

“Young people today live media-saturated lives, spending an average of nearly 6.5 hours a day with media.”

- Keiser Family Foundation

According to the report quoted above, today’s youth are increasing the amount of time they spend with newer media (computers, internet, video games) without reducing the time they spend with traditional media, such as television. Like with many things in today’s society, more is more. But is it anything else?

It’s a truly remarkable statistic, if you think about it. And that’s exactly what I would like you to do. There is much more to say on this subject, but for now, I leave you to mull it over and to enjoy the whimsical, winding words of Shel Silverstein, and his commentary on TV.

Jimmy Jet And His TV Set by Shel Siverstein

I’ll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet–
And you know what I tell you is true.
He loved to watch his TV set
Almost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all night
Till he grew pale and lean,
From “The Early Show” to “The Late Show”
And all the shows in between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,
And his bottom grew into his chair.
And his chin turned into a tuning dial,
And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,
And his face to a TV screen.
And two knobs saying “vert.” and “horiz.”
Grew where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail
So we plugged in little Jim.
And now instead of him watching TV
We all sit around and watch him.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: S.C. Axman

Little “n” Nature

Bethe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:50:03 +0000

Rain forest. Tundra. Lemur. Jaguar. As much as I love nature shows on public television and reading about far away places in wildlife magazines, they haven’t done a lot to bring nature closer to many of us living in urban and suburban areas. We learn. We delight. But we don’t really relate. Nature has somehow become a destination versus something that we all have access to every day.

No matter where you live, nature and wildlife are all around you. In the eaves of a house, a favorite tree in a park, or on ledge of an apartment building in the city. You don’t need to go to Yosemite or the Galapagos to experience nature — although, what amazing adventures those would be! My point is, don’t wait for a once a year or once in a lifetime trip to get to know nature. Start today.

I like to think of it as Little “n” and Big “N” Nature. Little “n” are things like song birds, rocks, and squirrels — things you can find in backyards, neighborhoods, and local parks. Big “N” are things like moose, bears, and giant sequoia trees — things that most of us have to travel to national parks or more exotic destinations to see. Both types of nature have value, especially for kids.

For children who have never been hiking or camping or even spent much time out in the backyard, watching nature shows can present a one-sided view of the natural world — that it is something to be dreamed about versus enjoyed up close or known. Giving them the opportunity to interact with their part of the natural world every day is an important part of childhood. Dirt, sticks, rocks, and local wildlife are there to be discovered. Every day.

Find the things that interest you and get the kids in your world excited. Some people fall in love with birds or bugs, while for others it’s trees or wildflowers. It doesn’t matter what it is — just spend some time exploring the Little “n” Nature near you. Know your world and introduce your children and grandchildren to it. If you are so inclined, explore further afield and treat yourself to the dazzling, real-life experience of Big “N” Nature. After all, if it wasn’t so cool, they wouldn’t make TV shows about it!

Now, if you will excuse me, the is a lot of Little “n” Nature waiting just outside my door. I am off to see what it has in store for me today. Remember, nature isn’t a destination. No ticket required.

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: Monika Szyma