national turnoff tv week, april 21- 27
Tammy
National Turnoff TV Week
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with
our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn on life.
Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in
1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every background and all walks of
life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as families or individuals.
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with
our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn on life.
Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in
1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every background and all walks of
life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as families or individuals.
Joyce Fetteroll
On Apr 16, 2008, at 5:06 PM, Tammy wrote:
week" so we can watch, create and do. And connect with our families
and engage in our communities.
I think that will be even more effective since book reading is so
isolating and immobilizing.
Oh! How about "No socializing week"? I mean, really, unless your
discussing something enlightening, what use is it? So unless you have
something weighty or educational to discuss, don't spend time
chatting with people for a whole week. Imagine all the engaging
discussions people will have all week! And all the more creative and
useful things they can do with that time.
And "No computers week". Let's shut the lists down. Everyone turn off
the computers. Go use the library. Write a real letter by hand. Look
up words in the dictionary. Because all of those are impossible
choices with computers. It's evil computers fault that we don't do
any of that. Demons. Controlling evil spirits.
about why they watch TV rather than to treat it as some drug they
need to the kick the habit of.
I would bet good money that most people who feel the TV controls
their lives are people who work or go to school and use TV to relax
or had TV controlled or limited as children.
I watched a lot of TV as a kid. As soon as I came home from school,
all the schlocky (now classic!) shows (Love Boat and Lost in Space
and Charlie's Angels ...), Saturdays cartoons, Saturday matinee,
Chiller Theater on Saturday night. I even remember watching bowling.
Fortunately my parents were happiest when I was engaged and I got
good grades. As far as I know they didn't give much thought to my TV
watching. I think they just didn't want to mess up what was working! ;-)
When I worked my husband and I often watched rerun TV with dinner
and the shows after. It was a way to relax.
As much as I love TV, I just don't find as much time to watch it now.
There's way too much to do. We do watch a show or movie with dinner.
And despite that, we're a close family. No, actually, because of
that. Okay, it's not the single factor that will connect any
family ;-) but it's a shared history we have. We often make TV and
movie references in our lives. We talk about the shows and the
characters. We anticipate the return of House together! We even do
other things too that aren't TV related ;-)
TV is another thing in our lives like the cabinet of games, and
Guitar Hero, and way too many books. It's not evil. It's not
controlling. It's something fun to do.
Ranting about the evil TV belief is one of my favorite activities ;-)
and I've collected lots of them at:
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com
(Obviously I not only watch TV but find time to be inspired by it ;-)
Sandra has a lot of writings collected too:
http://sandradodd.com/tv
Joyce
> Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read,Yes! Good idea! And next week we should all do "Don't read a book
> create, and do. To connect with
> our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn
> on life.
week" so we can watch, create and do. And connect with our families
and engage in our communities.
I think that will be even more effective since book reading is so
isolating and immobilizing.
Oh! How about "No socializing week"? I mean, really, unless your
discussing something enlightening, what use is it? So unless you have
something weighty or educational to discuss, don't spend time
chatting with people for a whole week. Imagine all the engaging
discussions people will have all week! And all the more creative and
useful things they can do with that time.
And "No computers week". Let's shut the lists down. Everyone turn off
the computers. Go use the library. Write a real letter by hand. Look
up words in the dictionary. Because all of those are impossible
choices with computers. It's evil computers fault that we don't do
any of that. Demons. Controlling evil spirits.
> an interesting challenge!A far more interesting challenge might be to get people to think
about why they watch TV rather than to treat it as some drug they
need to the kick the habit of.
I would bet good money that most people who feel the TV controls
their lives are people who work or go to school and use TV to relax
or had TV controlled or limited as children.
I watched a lot of TV as a kid. As soon as I came home from school,
all the schlocky (now classic!) shows (Love Boat and Lost in Space
and Charlie's Angels ...), Saturdays cartoons, Saturday matinee,
Chiller Theater on Saturday night. I even remember watching bowling.
Fortunately my parents were happiest when I was engaged and I got
good grades. As far as I know they didn't give much thought to my TV
watching. I think they just didn't want to mess up what was working! ;-)
When I worked my husband and I often watched rerun TV with dinner
and the shows after. It was a way to relax.
As much as I love TV, I just don't find as much time to watch it now.
There's way too much to do. We do watch a show or movie with dinner.
And despite that, we're a close family. No, actually, because of
that. Okay, it's not the single factor that will connect any
family ;-) but it's a shared history we have. We often make TV and
movie references in our lives. We talk about the shows and the
characters. We anticipate the return of House together! We even do
other things too that aren't TV related ;-)
TV is another thing in our lives like the cabinet of games, and
Guitar Hero, and way too many books. It's not evil. It's not
controlling. It's something fun to do.
Ranting about the evil TV belief is one of my favorite activities ;-)
and I've collected lots of them at:
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com
(Obviously I not only watch TV but find time to be inspired by it ;-)
Sandra has a lot of writings collected too:
http://sandradodd.com/tv
Joyce
ENSEMBLE S-WAYNFORTH
A crap idea. An idea that says that watching television is a mindless activity that isn't engaging that isn't interesting that isn't inspiring. It also argues that television is something we have no control over, so much so that there needs to be a week assigned to turn it off. I have the chance to think, read, create and do every day and my television is on most days. Sometimes the things coincide, I'm often thinking and creating and doing and even reading (I like closed captioning) while watching television.
My dad loves finding some sacrifice to give up every year for lent, he finds something joyous in martyring himself and his pleasures to his god. But that is what he likes to do. When I was a child, the Unitarian kid growing up in a Catholic neighborhood, all my friends would come over and watch television reflected in the mirror at my house, 'cause they could get around their lenten sacrifice in their head by saying they were just watching a reflection. I don't know what guilt they carried for fudging the rules, but I know it didn't give them a happy and good relationship either with television or with their religion.
Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message ----
From: Tammy <jjandtammy@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, 16 April, 2008 10:06:46 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] national turnoff tv week, april 21- 27
National Turnoff TV Week
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with
our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn on life.
Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in
1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every background and all walks of
life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as families or individuals.
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My dad loves finding some sacrifice to give up every year for lent, he finds something joyous in martyring himself and his pleasures to his god. But that is what he likes to do. When I was a child, the Unitarian kid growing up in a Catholic neighborhood, all my friends would come over and watch television reflected in the mirror at my house, 'cause they could get around their lenten sacrifice in their head by saying they were just watching a reflection. I don't know what guilt they carried for fudging the rules, but I know it didn't give them a happy and good relationship either with television or with their religion.
Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message ----
From: Tammy <jjandtammy@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, 16 April, 2008 10:06:46 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] national turnoff tv week, april 21- 27
National Turnoff TV Week
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with
our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn on life.
Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in
1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every background and all walks of
life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as families or individuals.
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-National Turnoff TV Week
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
-=-
If the idea of turning the TV off is an interesting challenge, life
isn't very interesting or challenging!
It's interesting that people will assume that unschoolers are anti-
TV, or that everyone is or should be anti-TV. I haven't watched TV
since I saw the last 20 minutes of Boston legal Tuesday night.
Tonight I'm planning to watch Lost. What purpose would be served if
I miss that? Then on Sunday I'm going to watch Desperate Housewives
(if it's on). That's it for my TV plans for a week.
Mass boycotts for spurious purposes are a bigger waste of time than
TV could ever be.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
an interesting challenge!
-=-
If the idea of turning the TV off is an interesting challenge, life
isn't very interesting or challenging!
It's interesting that people will assume that unschoolers are anti-
TV, or that everyone is or should be anti-TV. I haven't watched TV
since I saw the last 20 minutes of Boston legal Tuesday night.
Tonight I'm planning to watch Lost. What purpose would be served if
I miss that? Then on Sunday I'm going to watch Desperate Housewives
(if it's on). That's it for my TV plans for a week.
Mass boycotts for spurious purposes are a bigger waste of time than
TV could ever be.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Nancy Wooton
On Apr 16, 2008, at 2:06 PM, Tammy wrote:
that?). Since, unlike smoking, my family doesn't view viewing as a
bad habit that needs breaking, we'll pass. No paternalistic group-
think will come between us and Battlestar Gallactica.
Nancy
> National Turnoff TV WeekBased, I guess, on the Great American Smoke-Out (do they still do
> Turnoff Week 2008 April 21th - 27th
>
> an interesting challenge!
>
> Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create,
> and do. To connect with
> our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn
> on life.
>
> Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-
> Turnoff Week since it began in
> 1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every
> background and all walks of
> life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as
> families or individuals.
>
that?). Since, unlike smoking, my family doesn't view viewing as a
bad habit that needs breaking, we'll pass. No paternalistic group-
think will come between us and Battlestar Gallactica.
Nancy
Joanna Wilkinson
I haven't watched TV
watched every episode (and they are 2 hours long!). I missed the
finale... It was Bob's b day and we had an awesome, totally unplanned
day. We were home almost a half an hour before I remembered it was
Tuesday and I MISSED IT! I would do it again though.
I caught the first 5 minutes of Oprah today and it was about giving up
all the electronics and fast food, and being wasteful.....The family
they showed and the lifestyle they lived was so crazy to me. I only
saw the first clip of them, and I don't know where it went from there,
but it seemed to me, that shutting it all down and having to be with
just themselves and each other might not be such a bad idea. Not that
any of the "stuff" is bad. It's just that so many people use it to
check out and not be present, and that might be good for a lot of
families to examine for themselves.
Joanna W.
> since I saw the last 20 minutes of Boston legal Tuesday night.My only "must see tv" all winter, has been The Biggest Loser. I have
> Tonight I'm planning to watch Lost. What purpose would be served if
> I miss that? Then on Sunday I'm going to watch Desperate Housewives
> (if it's on). That's it for my TV plans for a week.
> Sandra
watched every episode (and they are 2 hours long!). I missed the
finale... It was Bob's b day and we had an awesome, totally unplanned
day. We were home almost a half an hour before I remembered it was
Tuesday and I MISSED IT! I would do it again though.
I caught the first 5 minutes of Oprah today and it was about giving up
all the electronics and fast food, and being wasteful.....The family
they showed and the lifestyle they lived was so crazy to me. I only
saw the first clip of them, and I don't know where it went from there,
but it seemed to me, that shutting it all down and having to be with
just themselves and each other might not be such a bad idea. Not that
any of the "stuff" is bad. It's just that so many people use it to
check out and not be present, and that might be good for a lot of
families to examine for themselves.
Joanna W.
Ren Allen
~~
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create,
and do. To connect with our families and engage in our communities. To
turn off TV and turn on life.~~
Hmmm..
UTILIZING the tv gives us more chances to think, read, create and do.
Toconnect with our families and engage in our communities. TV is part
of a busy, rich and interesting life around here.
It's amazing that people would continue to use TV if they really
believe it keeps them from connecting, thinking, reading and
engaging!! Every tool we have in our home is part of that.
In families that stay connected, there is no tool that hurts this
connection because everyone cares about each other in a whole
different way.
Turn off tv week is a really silly idea.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create,
and do. To connect with our families and engage in our communities. To
turn off TV and turn on life.~~
Hmmm..
UTILIZING the tv gives us more chances to think, read, create and do.
Toconnect with our families and engage in our communities. TV is part
of a busy, rich and interesting life around here.
It's amazing that people would continue to use TV if they really
believe it keeps them from connecting, thinking, reading and
engaging!! Every tool we have in our home is part of that.
In families that stay connected, there is no tool that hurts this
connection because everyone cares about each other in a whole
different way.
Turn off tv week is a really silly idea.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Ed Wendell
Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with
our families and engage in our communities.
If I stick my nose in a book to escape and relax then I isolate myself. If I dig in my flower garden by myself then I isolate myself - well someone might join me in the endeavor or they might not. But if I made him turn the TV off and help with the garden & he griped and complained to the point of ruining the relaxation for me - what good would that do??? Usually he will come dig with me a bit and it is true connecting then.
If I choose to join my son on the couch and we watch a show together then we are discussing and connecting with each other; socializing & laughing together. My son is a talker and discusser - in fact sometimes I have to ask him to wait until the show is at a commercial to talk or we'll miss something. This is why we like DVD's - we can pause it to discuss while we are "in the moment" and that thought is in our heads.
How oh how is relaxing with a book; sitting on the deck soaking up the new spring air, reading emails, reading on the net, reading the news paper, or anything else I do to relax, any different than watching TV ????? Each one could be described as time wasters if you wanted to pick it apart and look for the negative -
I really never watch TV on my own - but I do watch to purposefully connect with my son - same goes for movies. I really do love to read more than watch. But my son "learns" best with visual input and really enjoys the TV being on. Most discussions that happen in our home happen BECAUSE of something he/we have seen on TV or in a film of some type. My son knows more about world history than most schooled people because of TV and film format. Well I could say he knows more than most schooled people because of TV and film format. ;)
He/we watch everything from The History Channel, The Military Channel, nature programs, forensic investigation, to Looney Tunes cartoons and America's Funniest Video's reruns. Oh and he loves, Who's Line Is It Anyway and old MASH reruns.
When we first pulled him from school mid-third grade (age 8.5) we were worried that all he wanted to do was watch TV - we had glorious visions of him being outside or actively doing things - but he had the TV on all day no matter what we suggested. We didn't know about "de-schooling" at the time. If we got him out of the house to do something he would literally run in the house and turn on the TV when we returned home. Or worry about a program we was missing. So we decided we would limit not what he watched but how much. He could watch until noon and then again in the evening - TV off every afternoon. He immediately began to negotiate with us - he's always been a great negotiator ;) - trading certain times in the morning for afternoon times because there was something on in the afternoon he wanted to see. It became a huge time consumption to keep track of what he wanted to watch when, and what time he had available - in other words we soon realized it wasted more time worrying about how much and when than to just let go.
This is getting long but I wanted to ad that Zachariah is his most creative when the TV is on. He is also very active. TV has inspired some awesome Lego creations for example. Or he might see something that inspires him to go outside and do something similar. Archery or target shooting with his BB gun comes to mind or digging a fox hole for days on end in the back yard when he was younger. Anime shows have led to his love of reading graphic novels (specifically Japanese Manga)
All said: TV is often the inspiration / catalyst for him to think, read, create, and do. To connect with his family and engage in his community.
Lisa W.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
our families and engage in our communities.
If I stick my nose in a book to escape and relax then I isolate myself. If I dig in my flower garden by myself then I isolate myself - well someone might join me in the endeavor or they might not. But if I made him turn the TV off and help with the garden & he griped and complained to the point of ruining the relaxation for me - what good would that do??? Usually he will come dig with me a bit and it is true connecting then.
If I choose to join my son on the couch and we watch a show together then we are discussing and connecting with each other; socializing & laughing together. My son is a talker and discusser - in fact sometimes I have to ask him to wait until the show is at a commercial to talk or we'll miss something. This is why we like DVD's - we can pause it to discuss while we are "in the moment" and that thought is in our heads.
How oh how is relaxing with a book; sitting on the deck soaking up the new spring air, reading emails, reading on the net, reading the news paper, or anything else I do to relax, any different than watching TV ????? Each one could be described as time wasters if you wanted to pick it apart and look for the negative -
I really never watch TV on my own - but I do watch to purposefully connect with my son - same goes for movies. I really do love to read more than watch. But my son "learns" best with visual input and really enjoys the TV being on. Most discussions that happen in our home happen BECAUSE of something he/we have seen on TV or in a film of some type. My son knows more about world history than most schooled people because of TV and film format. Well I could say he knows more than most schooled people because of TV and film format. ;)
He/we watch everything from The History Channel, The Military Channel, nature programs, forensic investigation, to Looney Tunes cartoons and America's Funniest Video's reruns. Oh and he loves, Who's Line Is It Anyway and old MASH reruns.
When we first pulled him from school mid-third grade (age 8.5) we were worried that all he wanted to do was watch TV - we had glorious visions of him being outside or actively doing things - but he had the TV on all day no matter what we suggested. We didn't know about "de-schooling" at the time. If we got him out of the house to do something he would literally run in the house and turn on the TV when we returned home. Or worry about a program we was missing. So we decided we would limit not what he watched but how much. He could watch until noon and then again in the evening - TV off every afternoon. He immediately began to negotiate with us - he's always been a great negotiator ;) - trading certain times in the morning for afternoon times because there was something on in the afternoon he wanted to see. It became a huge time consumption to keep track of what he wanted to watch when, and what time he had available - in other words we soon realized it wasted more time worrying about how much and when than to just let go.
This is getting long but I wanted to ad that Zachariah is his most creative when the TV is on. He is also very active. TV has inspired some awesome Lego creations for example. Or he might see something that inspires him to go outside and do something similar. Archery or target shooting with his BB gun comes to mind or digging a fox hole for days on end in the back yard when he was younger. Anime shows have led to his love of reading graphic novels (specifically Japanese Manga)
All said: TV is often the inspiration / catalyst for him to think, read, create, and do. To connect with his family and engage in his community.
Lisa W.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-How oh how is relaxing with a book; sitting on the deck soaking up
the new spring air, reading emails, reading on the net, reading the
news paper, or anything else I do to relax, any different than
watching TV ?????-=-
The book has no music, no accents, no great acting, no scenery of
foreign places, no historical costumes, no news of what's happening
today.
Put down that book and watch TV!!
Or... go to this blogpost, look at the pictures, and remember again
why you love books so much:
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/real-libraries-and-crows-
with-coins.html
And then remember that without the internet, or the book they're
talking about there (which is expensive), few people could see all
those things!
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
the new spring air, reading emails, reading on the net, reading the
news paper, or anything else I do to relax, any different than
watching TV ?????-=-
The book has no music, no accents, no great acting, no scenery of
foreign places, no historical costumes, no news of what's happening
today.
Put down that book and watch TV!!
Or... go to this blogpost, look at the pictures, and remember again
why you love books so much:
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/real-libraries-and-crows-
with-coins.html
And then remember that without the internet, or the book they're
talking about there (which is expensive), few people could see all
those things!
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
Or... go to this blogpost, look at the pictures, and remember again
why you love books so much:
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/real-libraries-and-crows-
with-coins.html
USE THIS ONE:
http://thinkingstick.blogspot.com
The cost of a free mailing list like this is side-adds that sometimes
cut off a link.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
why you love books so much:
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/real-libraries-and-crows-
with-coins.html
USE THIS ONE:
http://thinkingstick.blogspot.com
The cost of a free mailing list like this is side-adds that sometimes
cut off a link.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ed Wendell
That came off odd the way I said it.
I should have said "how is ...... any better than TV?" I know how they differ. ;)
Some people say turn off the TV and do anything else. That is how I took the post about Turn Off TV week.
I was trying to say that what I listed isn't any better / more valuable than TV. TV is very valuable for our son and our family - as I listed in my previous post.
Those were beautiful libraries though - The architecture was beautiful.
Gotta go, there is a show on about the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and the battleships that were in the battle group during WWII that Zac is watching.
Lisa W.
I should have said "how is ...... any better than TV?" I know how they differ. ;)
Some people say turn off the TV and do anything else. That is how I took the post about Turn Off TV week.
I was trying to say that what I listed isn't any better / more valuable than TV. TV is very valuable for our son and our family - as I listed in my previous post.
Those were beautiful libraries though - The architecture was beautiful.
Gotta go, there is a show on about the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and the battleships that were in the battle group during WWII that Zac is watching.
Lisa W.
----- Original Message -----
From: Sandra Dodd
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] national turnoff tv week, april 21- 27
-=-How oh how is relaxing with a book; sitting on the deck soaking up
the new spring air, reading emails, reading on the net, reading the
news paper, or anything else I do to relax, any different than
watching TV ?????-=-
The book has no music, no accents, no great acting, no scenery of
foreign places, no historical costumes, no news of what's happening
today.
Put down that book and watch TV!!
Or... go to this blogpost, look at the pictures, and remember again
why you love books so much:
http://thinkingsticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/real-libraries-and-crows-
with-coins.html
And then remember that without the internet, or the book they're
talking about there (which is expensive), few people could see all
those things!
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]