Screen Smart, the uniquely Revelstoke annual event that works to wean children off of electronic distractions is off to a running start this year.
Although RCMP Auxiliary Bike Rodeo was a washout due to cold and rain on Saturday, other weekend events went ahead and this week’s things to do look pretty enticing, too.
Screen Smart was conceived in Revelstoke several years ago as a way for parents, educators and concerned community leaders to address fears that electronic media was having a deleterious effect on the developing brains of young people. Here are a few facts to consider:
- 74 % of children under age two have watched television.
- 59 % of children under age two watch television for an average of 2 hours per day.
- 30 % of children aged zero to three years old have a television in their bedroom.
- 39 % of children between the ages of 0 and 4 live in households where the television is always on or is on most of the time, even if no one is watching.
- 70% of American children under the age of four have used a computer.
These statistics should alarm you. If you’d like to know what effect this kind of exposure has on the developing brains of your young children please go to www.screensmart.ca. Screen Smart enthusiasts here in Revelstoke believe the key to proper neurological development comes by limiting children’s access to computers, video games and television and ensuring they interact with other children and adults through other physical activities. Here’s the list of Screen Smart events still to be held this week:
Tuesday, May 6
10 am — Giggle, Sing & Swim (Aquatic Center)
3:15 pm — Greenbelt Scrabble Run (Worker’s Memorial)
7 pm – 9 pm — Free Teen Swim (Aquatic Center)
Wednesday, May 7
5:30 pm — Games Night (Okanagan Regional Library)
Thursday, May 8
4pm — Ash-teen-ga Yoga (Balu Yoga Studio)
Friday, May 9
10 am — Kiki the Eco Elf (Performing Arts Center)
10 am – 6 pm — Sky Trek’s Jungle Gym (kids free)
9 am – 5 pm — The Enchanted Forest (kids free, adults $11)
6 pm — Schools Art Exhibition (Visual Arts Center)
Saturday, May 10
10 am — Lego Creation Event (Railway Museum)
11 am — Parks Canada Geocaching (kiosk behind the Railway Museum)
Noon – 3pm — Fire Rescue Open House (Fire Station)
