Tag Archives: screen free

Weekend “screen free” challenge No 15 – Make a rain shadow

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This weekend the weather forecast is for rain showers.  The perfect weather for this weeks “screen free” challenge, making a rain shadow.  Remember we are not talking about going on a total screen ban,  just try putting down those screens for an hour or so  on Saturday and Sunday and rush outside for an exciting outdoor adventure.  Given freedom to enjoy time outside, children learn new skills, find out about judging risk, and become healthier.  Young people equally at ease with technology and nature will be better equipped for life.

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Before it rains, lay a large plastic sheet over a patio or the pavement.  Run outside when the rain starts; remove the sheet and lie down. Jump up and photograph your rain shadow.

Try and make them as amusing as you can and then post your images on twitter using the #screenfree and #goingwildnet for a chance to win a signed copy of one of our books.

“The Big Disconnect” by Catherine Steiner-Adair; here’s how you and your family can re-connect!

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Take a look at this new book “The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age” by, Catherine Steiner-Adair EdD.

Catherine Steiner-Adair clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard, a school consultant, and a therapist in private practice, interviewed over a thousand children between the ages of 4 and 18 looking at how technology was effecting their relationships and their social and emotional lives. Hardly surprisingly she found that the amount of screen time was detrimental to childhood development; and because of their parents’ obsession with their devices children were having to compete for their parents attention, harming communication and even fracturing families.  In an interview with the Huffington post she suggests 8 important things all parents should know about “screen time”. Take a look, very few of us have escaped completely and even we are a little guilty of some of these!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/ways-screens-are-ruining-your-familys-life_n_3860927.html

But the solution is simple, if you are guilty of disconnecting, help your family re-connect by making a conscious effort to go outside and have some fun in the natural world at least once a week. If you are short of ideas for outdoor adventures, buy one of our books or have a go at our weekend “challenges”.

boats wild weather launch-16Every Friday we will post a simple idea for a fun activities you can have a go at that weekend.  It’s not a “screen” ban, just an opportunity to have some fun outdoors with your children for a couple of hours every week.  Have a go and post some of your adventures on twitter with #screenfree and #goingwildnet for others to share and a chance to win a signed copy of one of our books.

Going Wild Weekend “Screen Free” challenge – Make a mud cake!

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For a truly healthy diet for your kids try going “screen free” for a couple of hours every weekend.

To help you do this we will be posting a challenge every Friday for you to have a go at. Take a photo of your adventures and tweet it using the hash tags #screenfree and #outdoors and we will send a signed copy of one of our Going Wild books to the most creative fun ideas.

This weekends challenge, Make a Mud Cake! 

Forget about sitting indoors watching Bake off’s on the TV.  Have a go yourself but in Nature’s Kitchen.  It’s one of the only diets where you can make cake and feel it is doing you good; fresh air, a good dose of mud (plenty of that around at the moment) and exercise are the best ingredients!mud pies cakes-1 Try adding a few frost crystals for sparkle decoration or some juicy slugs as a special treat!

Looking forward to seeing some of your delicious creations!  Don’t forget to tweet….

Happy baking.

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