I never thought that we really used much media until we went on a media watch. We added up all of the shows, television, music, games, and book media we ingest each week to see how much we use and wow, was it a lot. Let’s just say that I would really like to make some cuts.
The thing is, to me, different types of media have different value. Television, for example, has a significantly lower value than books. To my husband, however, the opposite is true. So how do you pick and choose which media has the best value for your family—and as unschoolers, I am especially interested in how you decide as a family which media to include in your life.
I know some unschoolers who use unlimited media; I also know some who only limit media (and food) among their children’s choices. The thing is, Wood Sprite is happy to sit for hours and hours of Scooby Doo or Corpse Bride if I let her, but I know there are so many cool, creative things she can do when she’s not watching TV every day. Sometimes I’ll even start my own project while she is watching a movie and she’ll nudge me to join in (painting, sewing, drawing, whatever). I don’t feel like I’m coercing her when it’s my own activity that I want to do anyway, but I know deep down that I am hoping she’ll want to join me instead.
On the other hand, I know some households where television use is either eliminated or strictly limited, supervised, or even “earned” through some external motivating prop (like a chore chart for “rewards”). I obviously don’t approve of this last option, but I can definitely understand others; my daughter is such a different person when she’s not watching TV every day.
How do you handle media use in your home?
Photo courtesy of Wood Sprite
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