L Is For LOW-Tech Early Experiences, Vital Need For The Future
Author: utbt18 Jul 2012
“Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world. Since the natural environment is the principal source of sensory stimulation, freedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development of an interior life…. This type of self-activated, autonomous interaction is what we call free play. Individual children test themselves by interacting with their environment, activating their potential and reconstructing human culture. The content of the environment is a critical factor in this process. A rich, open environment will continuously present alternative choices for creative engagement. A rigid, bland environment will limit healthy growth and development of the individual or the group.”
— Richard Louv in THE LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS
Rich natural environment = sand pit or water table.
Rigid bland environment = ipad, TV.
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3 Responses for "L Is For LOW-Tech Early Experiences, Vital Need For The Future"
Amen sista!!
Amen.
UTBT & other readers, can you share ideas on how to handle peer pressure from fellow parents (yes, parents) on our limited-TV-media rule?!
Recent dinner outing with friends: We have a total of 3 kids at dinner with mine being youngest at 1+. Other 2 kids are 3+.
The 2 toddlers are playing with their own iPads and like that’s not enough, the parents are offering to rent the restaurant’s video game device. My baby is crying because it’s past his bed time. In return, I’m advised to distract him with the iPad or “atleast the iPhone”. When I repeatedly reject those ideas, one of the parents offer to rent a video game device for him since his parents don’t seem to care enough. I somehow manage to distract him with the napkins on the table and rest of the dinner went ok.
Anyways this got me thinking.. I thought the resistance will come from my child when he is old enough to see what other kids have and want it for himself. So may be when he is around 3. But I wasn’t prepared for a deluge from fellow parents. how does one handle this?!
UTBT SAYS: I must say that I was lucky to have friends in similar wave length and friends who did not force their ideas on me.
Once in a while, when we met with people who gave unwarranted advice, I would say plain straight, ‘NO. I could. But I don’t want to.’
The Montessori they went to helped big time. The teachers periodically told the children ‘NO TV’. When the message comes from the teachers it carries more weight.
Among friends they talked about TV shows, Wii, XBOX etc. Our thumb rule was two hrs of screen over the weekend. That can be either PBS recordings of TV shows or Wii. Anything more my std answer was, ‘Different houses are different, this is what we do in our house.’ Also I point out to them that no one has ALL. Their friends might have extra TV but may not have something else.
It is an ongoing process. Not a battle that can be won in a day. Many a times I find myself have the same conversation again and again and again. Both with my children and adults.
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