Screensnkids

Our guest today, Brooke Shannon is the founder and executive director of Wait Until 8th. A national organization that empowers parents to say yes to waiting for the smartphone. She was also gracious in sharing tips on what to do if as a parent you feel you could have waited a little longer to hand your kid a smartphone. Brooke is here to tell you its never too late.  I love their mission – Let kids be kids a little longer as is it is so aligned with our work here. Take a listen

#waituntil8th#delayistheway#letkidsbekidsalittlelonger#preservetheearlyyears#smartphones#kids#backtoschool#

RESOURCES:
Wait Until 8th Pledge -  https://www.waituntil8th.org/
The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade.  By banding together, this will decrease the pressure felt by kids and parents alike over the kids having a smartphone. 

Screen Strong  Families - https://screenstrong.com/
ScreenStrong is an alternative way to raise kids in a screen-dependent world. If you are ready to stop the screen conflicts in your home and prevent screen addiction, we can help. 

Through our ScreenStrong program, we empower parents to take the lead and rethink cultural childhood screen trends, rebuild life skills, and reconnect families distracted by screen overuse.

Our guests today - yes guests - today we have two guests! Jenifer and Kay bring years of experience working in the field of education – meeting both the socio-emotional and academic needs of kids.
 
As new moms, they had so many questions about screen time and couldn't find clear answers! Like many parents with little ones, they found it hard to navigate the minute limits, all of the different shows, and the guilt that comes with screens! This led them to dig into the research, ask the questions, combine it with their background as therapists to bring us a parent curated course and community -  Raising Tech-Wise Littles.

To quote from their most recent newsletter, "Our course, Raising Tech-Wise Littles, is NOT for everyone. We are organic and whole-child based, but we are super hippies that hang kale stalks off our necks. We are science-based, but not lectury or boring. We are for modern families who want realistic, research-backed tips they can use today. Families that have tech, use tech, love their iPhones, and still want tech health in their families. We stand for working families, stay-at-home families, and families who want to shed the guilt and gain confidence on tech.

They were so spot on - no beating about the bush - just hardcore research backed facts. If you have a little one, are expecting a little one - this is the episode for you! 

#techwiselittles#screenlite#screensnkids#

Our guest today, Marlene Power founded the Carp Ridge Forest Preschool ; Canada's first outdoor, nature-based Forest Preschool. She was also part of the creation of Forest School Canada, a national initiative to promote nature-based education through Forest School and Nature School professional learning, policy and research. Marnie was so graceful in sharing her journey to being at the heart of the forest school movement in Canada and she shared the language that is beneficial for kids around risky play that fosters their confidence.

Lots to learn, grab a coffee and lets dive in.

#forestschool#outdoorliving#friluftsliv#getthemoutside#nature#playbasedlearning

Resources:
The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada - https://childnature.ca/

Books Referenced
Balanced & barefoot

Quotes referenced:
"We do not stop playing because we grow old we grow old because we stop playing. "  - George Shaw 

" Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."

Our guest on the podcast today, co-founded The Family Dinner Project -  a non-profit based out of Boston, MA whose slogan is food, fun and conversations about things that matter. Dr. Anne Fishel is a clinical psychologist and director of the Family & couples therapy at Mass General Hospital. She describes family dinners as “a seatbelt in the potholed road of childhood & adolescence.” She is the co-author of Eat, Laugh Talk: the family dinner playbook and the book Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids. 

There are several research-backed benefits to families having dinner together at the table such as increased vocabulary especially in preschoolers, lower risk of substance abuse & depression and greater resilience just to name a few.

Some of my take-aways from this conversation were: 

• Family dinners need not be fancy or grand.
• The "secret sauce" to a successful dinner is the atmosphere we create - through conversation and even games
• There are many ways to engage picky (selective) eaters at the table
• Using technology practically to have conversations with tweens and teens during dinner
• Family dinners could even be breakfasts or late night snacks - its the connection, enjoyment and stability we should be focused on.

Resources
The Family Dinner Project - https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/

Eat Laugh Talk - the Family Dinner Playbook -order here -  https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Laugh-Talk-Family-Playbook/dp/1641701641/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Anne+Fishel&qid=1629428343&sr=8-1

Home for Dinner - order here - https://www.amazon.com/Home-Dinner-Conversation-Happier-Healthier/dp/0814433707/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Anne+Fishel&qid=1629428374&sr=8-3

Quotes 
It is the job of parents to decide what, where and when the kids should it; but it is the job of the kids to decide how much and whether to eat   - Emily Sader


#kids#familydinnerproject#conversations#screens#kids#fun#food#

When I found Jerrica Sannes account on Instagram, I felt a certain liberation to not feel the urge to constantly be thinking of ways to entertain the kids every waking hour. Instead, I am learning to give them the agency to come up with creative ways to engage with boredom and independent play.  Unstructured time is really the gift that keeps on giving.

We had a deep dive of a conversation from education in the early years, finding yourself after having children and most important she shared insight into choosing quality kids shows/ screen time based on her ranking system. She literally sits down and reviews and rates kids shows on things like attention, diversity etc. We laughed we shared great insight we laughed some more. It was really such a great one. 

 Some of the preferred shows are: 

• The Snowy Day
• Trash Truck
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
• Angela’s Christmas
• Bug Diaries
• Guess How Much I Love You
• Stella and Sam
• Bluey
• Elinor Wonders Why

Her second best shows are: 

• Stillwater
• Llama Llama
• Little Bear,
• Puffin Rock
• Julia Donaldson Movies – such as The Gruffalo and Zog
• Tumble Leaf

#qualityscreentime#momsofinstagram#screens#kids#unstructuredplay#boredom#creativity#wonder#cocomelon#persuausivedesign#earlychildhood#overstimulation#preservetheearlyyears#wildthings#letthemplay#unschooling#homeducation#

RESOURCES:
Find Jerrica on Instagram @JerricaSannes.
Website - raisewildflowers.com

BOOKS: 
The Happiest kids in the world : Bringing up children the Dutch Way - Michele Hutchinson Rina Mae Acosta
Victoria Dunckley - Reset your child's brain 
Chasing Slow - Erin Loechner

Quotes: 
"Children are not dogs to be trained, they are humans to be loved."

Brenee Brown once said, “Everyone has a story that will break your heart, and if you pay really close attention, everyone has a story that will bring you to your knees.” My guest today shared with me her sons story with gaming addiction that left me speechless and yet his journey to recovery and her fight for him gave me so much hope.

Elaine Uskoski empowers parents with the information and strategies needed to deal with their child’s compulsive behavior with video gaming / screen addiction. She has learned through her own personal experience helping her son overcome his video gaming addiction.

We had such a rich conversation from the role of parents in supporting their child in navigating compulsive gaming use, the different types of gamers to help identify where your child or loved one is and the road to recovery tainted by the lingering and occasional fear of relapse. The question that stuck with me the most from this conversation was when Elaine asked her son, “What do you need?” Often times as humans we are so quick to fix people, offer advice and try rescue them from whatever situation they are in. But if we stop for a moment and meet people in their hurt and pain and instead ask, “what do you need?” we are halfway in solving the problem. Truly enjoyed this one – hope you will too and pass it along!

#gamingaddiction#momsofgamers#gamingcommunity#persuasivedesign#caregiverburden#intentadigital#youarenotalone#kidswhogame#

To connect with Elaine Uskoski through her website for consultation and coaching - https://eyespyhealth.ca/

Elaine Books -
Cyber Sober : A Caregiver's Guide to Video Gaming Addiction
https://www.amazon.ca/Cyber-Sober-Caregivers-Gaming-Addiction/dp/B08VWYB1TZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FX3B53NCZ218&dchild=1&keywords=elaine+uskoski&qid=1626916320&sprefix=Elaine+Uskoski%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1

Seeing through the Cracks   
https://www.amazon.ca/Seeing-Through-Cracks-True-Story-ebook/dp/B07H48LQ3B/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2FX3B53NCZ218&dchild=1&keywords=elaine+uskoski&qid=1626917609&sprefix=Elaine+Uskoski%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-6

INTENTA Digital - https://intenta.digital/
 INTENTA is at the forefront of the global conversation on how to address the emerging behavioural digital addiction crisis. Rather than advocating for less technology and digital use, we envision a world where technology supports our shared well-being.

Nicole Rawson is a former middle & high school teacher, digital wellness expert and founder of Screen Time clinic - a network of professionals empowering families and businesses to reach their ideal level of functioning by clarifying digital wellness priorities through seminars, group courses, and personalized guidance.

She wears many hats from entrepreneurial to real estate brokerage and also collaborating projects in healthcare and housing. What piqued my interest the most is that for over 10 years she raised her two boys navigating digital media and screen time use as a single mum.

In addition, she wrote the book Screen Smart Sam which was written to reach families with very young children. Nicole was a wealth of information - lots to learn so sit back and lets dive in.

Resources:
ScreenTime clinic - https://screentimeclinic.com/

Screen Smart Sam - screensmartfamilies.org 
This read-aloud story is a great conversation starter for parents to talk about why limiting screen time is necessary and encourages social emotional learning opportunities.
Featuring easy-to-understand science about the addictive nature of screens and how it affects the body and brain, this internationally-acclaimed book engages young kids & parents to think about how their time would be better served interacting with others off-line.

Order book - https://www.amazon.com/Screen-Smart-Sam-Battles-Monsters/dp/1662907303

#screensnkids#screensmart#screentimeclinic

Ever wonder where that missing sock went? How about that last piece of a puzzle set? Are these items just lost? Maybe, or perhaps the Invisibles had something to do with it. The Invisibles are adorable, imaginative creatures that like to hide and cause a little trouble now and then. Children are the only ones to help keep them out of mischief. But children have been too busy on their screens lately.

The Invisibles are bored, and chaos follows. Can children find time for both screens and the real world? Or will the Invisibles…be invisible…forever?

Our guest on the podcast Eleanor Chun is writer and children's book author. She  wrote a children's books geared towards kids in the early years to enhance that sense of self regulation around screen time use and also highlight the value of imaginative play. I really enjoyed having this conversation with Eleanor - there was a lightheartedness and playfulness that kids need to see more from us as adults. Thank you for your time and bringing us this book. You can grab a copy of the book at www.theinvisibles.ca and also follow Eleanor @eleanorchun.

If you are like myself with little ones navigating these digital waters, it is most likely you have come across surprise eggs and unboxing toys videos.  I see the views on these videos and wonder what has captivated my kids and 5million other little eyeballs on these? What is so alluring about watching another little person take out a toy from a box to show you how to play with it? Or watching hands fly Sky from paw patrol across a screen? Our guest on the podcast is here to help us unpack this together. Harsha Ganga brings his years of academic and professional experience in advertising and really just his personal experience as a dad that led him to carry out a research project on “the unboxing phenomena.” He also shares tips on how to help us help our kids navigate the advertising space; both at a micro and macro level.

Harsha is an associate professor of advertising at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research interests focus on new and emerging media, social & economic effects of advertising & environmental communication. He is the current president of the American Academy of Advertising - an organization of advertising scholars and professionals with an interest in advertising and advertising education. He holds a BE in Electrical Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (India), an MA in Advertising from Michigan State University, and a PhD in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin. This was a deep dive of a conversation – I loved how he incorporated the psychology piece behind his work as relates to advertising and commercialization of childhood. It was great. Fix your coffee and lets dive in.

Resources:
American Psychological Association. Advertising and Children. http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/advertising-children

FTC guidelines for influencers: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf

Linn, Susan. 2005. Consuming kids: Protecting our children from the onslaught of marketing and advertising. Anchor.

Einstein, Mara. 2016. Black ops advertising: Native ads, content marketing, and the covert world of the digital sell. OR Books.

Evans, Nathaniel J., Mariea Grubbs Hoy, and Courtney Carpenter Childers. 2018. "Parenting “YouTube natives”: the impact of pre-roll advertising and text disclosures on parental responses to sponsored child influencer videos." Journal of Advertising 47, no. 4: 326-346.

Evans, Nathaniel J. 2014. "Pinpointing Persuasion in Children's Advergames: Exploring the Relationship Among Parents’ Internet Mediation, Marketplace Knowledge, Attitudes, and the Support for Regulation." Journal of Interactive Advertising 14, no. 2: 73-85.

#unboxing#screensnkids#AmericanAcademyofAdvertising#harshaG#persuasivedesign#kidsadvertising#Ryantoys#childinfluencers#commercializationchildhood#influencermarketing#science&screens#centerforhumanetechnology#

Our guest today, says she was that mum hauling around the heavy diaper bag when her kids were younger filled with books and all sorts of other activities to keep them preoccupied; from restaurants to doctors appointments. Kailan Carr is a mom of 2 kids who is passionate about screen-free activities, learning through play, and creating hands on kid-friendly projects through her organization – The Quiet Book Queen. Before she had children, she taught in early elementary school and earned her Master's in Literacy and a Reading Specialist Credential.

I got my hands one of her books – the Toddlers science activity book and it kept my preschoolers engaged for 2-3 hours which is A LONG time in pre-school nation.. Lots of experiments & activities - all with materials that at minimum you can find in your pantry.. She even gives a messy rating of each activity which for me was so helpful as it prepared me mentally lol. In this conversation, she shares her journey to creating her first quiet book and how it has been a lifesaver on those long road trips. She had great insight on the value of play and literacy and why we really must preserve the early years. Take a listen

#toddleractivities#screenfreesummer#preservetheearlyyears#toddlerscience#screenfreeparenting#engagethesenses#quietbookqueen#messyplay#sciencenkids#keeptoddlersbusy