Screentime SCREAMtime

OK - so I started out with a post about this first week of summer, but then realized that I need to dedicate an entire post to just one wonderful thing. My recent exploits in the world of screentime control! Doesn't sound interesting? Well, it is. he he Especially if you have ever seen a child entranced by the mesmerizing and tantalizing beauty of an eluminated computer or television screen.

Starting this week, we kicked off our new system for managing the amount of screentime around this house. I have been going out of my mind with little boys constantly asking me if they can watch tv or play video games, and I hate it! I say (ok, scream), "Go play! Use your imaginations! Don't turn your brains to mush!" But it's a losing battle. Today's children want to zone into couch potatoes, and hardly know what an imagination is. However, if nothing else, I am determined to give my children a fighting chance to learn to use their brains, while retaining some of the things they learned over the school year. So, here is our new system...

The idea is that I don't want them in front of a computer or tv screen longer than three hours in a day over the summer. I think that a game here and a show there, are alright, but I also want to avoid having to play the bad guy all the time saying "no". So, this way, they earn their screentime with getting ready for the day (that is basically their freebie ticket), doing chores or otherwise trying to be better human beings. Then they can redeem those tickets for up to three hours of time on a given day. Here is the chart I made and posted in the dining room.

The Morning Mission just refers to the usual "get ready for the day" type stuff. Make the bed, get dressed, brush teeth, comb hair. Then for the typing lessons, I found a great free website online called Learn to Type that you register yourself as the teacher and set up accounts for the children. Then they can each log on and it walks them through typing lessons. It's awesome! You can then log in to your teacher account and see all their progress.

For the handwriting, I have some booklets and handwriting pages that I've accumulated. So, they have to do four of those pages for a lesson.

For math, I have some math flashcards, card games, more booklets, and also some online resources they can choose from for a math lesson.  

A zone job is something that they can choose from my own extensive to-do list that helps me in deep cleaning and straightening up the house. Things like cleaning dustboards, organizing drawers, wiping doors, that sort of thing.

The other two were for my own sanity and to encourage them to be more service minded. Thus far, it's been working.

These are the tickets I printed out onto cardstock and then covered with some clear contact paper - poor man's laminate ;).

Monday through Friday this system is in place. Saturday is the usual routine. They can watch their morning cartoons and earn an hour of video game time if they do all their big Saturday chores, which include cleaning their bathroom, bedrooms and vacuuming. Sunday is pretty much a no-screen day, enless we watch home movies or other family show together.

So far, it's been working awesome. No complaining! Ahh, sweet heaven! They have been asking to do math, writing and typing lessons, as well as doing secret service for each other! AWE-SOME!  (you know that high sing-song voice I'm doing right now) Caleb has come to me saying that he's put away Brendan's clean laundry, and Brendan has come to me saying that he's cleaned Caleb's room. I LOVE it!

We had a big break through yesterday. The boys were totally content playing Legos pretty much the ENTIRE DAY! Not once did they ask to turn on the television or computer. It wasn't until the evening hours after they'd been told to clean things up that they were ready to settle down with a show or a game. I'll take it!