
The erosion of childhood concerns me. Computers seem like a river in flood, washing away the soil that roots children to the natural world. Elementary-age children, now more than ever, need opportunities to be in their bodies in the world--jump roping, bicycling, stream-hopping, and fort building. It's in this engagement between limbs of the body and the bones of the earth where true balance and centeredness emerge. David Sobel
I have never seen my concerns about children and technology better expressed than in Chapter 4: Take Back the Afternoon, of David Sobel's book, Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators. It is a good read. At the end of the chapter, David shares the suggestion for parents to limit the amount of screen time to 3 hours per week. We do not have a technology taboo as part of our school culture, but I strongly advocate for the 3 hours a week maximum. We see a huge difference in a student whose family has reasonable limits for screen time and those who spend 4 hours a day playing video games. I feel that this unlimited access is counter productive to what we are trying to create as a school community. At the end of the day it is the family's responsibility to make this decision, and....children need to be outside.