Family First » web surfing

Put Your Family on a Media Diet

Marijo Tinlin — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:58:39 +0000

Between the computer, television, your cell phone or smartphone and all the other media you observe each day, have you ever thought about what portion of your life all that actually consumes?

Admit it – you’re playing with your kids’ game players too sometimes…

What about your kids? Do they have a cell phone, computer or video game player that they spend time using?

A new free calculator was released last month to help families take note of the time they spend consuming electronics and media versus how much time they spend interacting with people. It is called the Family Media Diet Calculator from iShine, a Christian-based media group dedicated to ministering to “tweens” – kids ages 7 to 13 – and their families.

The calculator is not meant to discourage electronics and media use. It is meant to help make families more aware of their use of these materials and decide if they need to change their habits or be more deliberate about using these tools.

“We as parents must be deliberate of what media our kids consume, understanding that it is forming the way our kids look at everything – self image, friends, parents, leaders, themselves,” remarks iShine founder and Chief Creative Officer Robert Beeson. “If we as parents aren’t actively forming the person our kids are becoming – make no mistake – someone else is.”

Families enter their usage of various media as well as their other activities into the calculator and the site will generate a custom analysis detailing how much time they spend using media compared to taking part in recreational or faith-based activities, family time and reading.

According to iShine, it is estimated 20 million tweens in the United States spend upwards of 25 hours per week either watching television or playing video games while they spend 1 hour a week in church.

George Barna, of The Barna Group which specializes in Christian cultural research, says the only activity kids spend more time on than using media is sleeping.

I input some numbers for our high school freshman as a guess just to see what would happen. The report it generated gave the number of hours a week and days a month total spent on each activity such as texting, playing video games, playing sports or reading. For this example, it came up with 69% of his free time is spent in the “virtual” world and 31% in the real world. Interesting to think about.

So take some time and input your family’s information. You might be surprised at what you find! Leave a comment if you would like to share your findings with others.

To learn more about iShine, visit their website where they have radio, video, music and other fun activities for your tweens.

TV Party!

Joel Comm — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 02:03:45 +0000

Television has been a fixture of our culture for over 50 years. Most people who are around today have grown up with memories that are oriented to that entertainment and educational device. Some of us can’t remember what it was like to NOT have television. There are both good and bad sides to having one. Today’s Family First Site loks at one of the good sides, and visits a site that is guaranteed to bring back more than a few of those memories.

The site is called Tvparty!, a site that is dedicated to the preservation of old television shows and commercials. But more than that, it is dedicated to the culture that they created and nurtured. You will find shows here that are long and forgotten by everyone but the kids that they influenced. For example, I found references to and a video clip of a game show for kids that was popular called “Shenanigans”. I remember watching that shows like it was yesterday, and have never found it mentioned anywhere in over 30 years. But this site had it. There are other fun filled gems of nostalgia here guaranteeing many hours of web surfing for kids of all ages.
So stop by, and get ready for a wonderful trip down memory lane. You will enjoy your stop here so much, you won’t ever mind watching a rerun again… and again… and again……
http://www.tvparty.com/

The North Pole

Joel Comm — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:07:15 +0000

Here it is, only a couple of weeks before the big event. The tradition of Christmas is celebrated the world round, with a wide variety of events. Today’s Family First site is one that not only looks at those varied traditions, as well as other fun holiday happenings.

The site is called Welcome to the North Pole. Here you can explore Christmas around the world where you can learn that in France children leave their shoes by the fireplace on the night before, in hopes of receiving a gift from ‘le pere Noel”. You can check on the weather from the North Pole, where is can’t possibly be any colder than it is in most of the United States at this moment. There are greetings from Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as Rudolph and Glitter the Elf. There are fun and games for entertainment as well.
As the big night gets closer, sites such as this one will help the children in all of us spend some time whiling away the hours. So pull up an easy chair for some high quality web surfing, and warm up the eggnog, it could be a long night.

http://www.northpole.net/

Welcome to SurfMonkey

Joel Comm — Wed, 09 Jun 2004 00:11:01 +0000

Today’s Family First Site is one that truly makes web surfing for kids easier and fun. For parents and guardians, it is great to know that another site is out there that our kids can hang out in and have a safe and non-threatening experience.

It is called SurfMonkey, and is a trustworthy, friendly, cyberspace guide and companion that safely helps kids meet, learn, play, shop, and explore online. Here children (and grownups as well) can play games, visit cool sites, bulletin boards, and go to the mall. Several levels of safety that the site offers enhance the safe surfing experience. There is the SurfMonkey Bar and Character, which warn and guide children as they surf. There is also the SurfMonkey Web Browser, a 100% free program that is designed for kids to make their surfing experience a safe one. There is also SurfMonkey Channel, one that offers the ultimate in online safe surfing.

So stop on by and visit with the SurfMonkey. It will be a fun filled experience for everyone in your family.

http://www.surfmonkey.com/default.asp?FAM2

Welcome to SurfMonkey

Joel Comm — Thu, 29 Jan 2004 00:11:00 +0000

So stop on by and visit with the SurfMonkey. It will be a fun filled experience for everyone in your family.

http://www.surfmonkey.com/default.asp?FAM2

The Virtual Haunted House

Joel Comm — Thu, 23 Oct 2003 00:11:00 +0000

Here it is, all you little ghosts and goblins, it’s getting close to Halloween. You’ve got your bowl of candy, and you have just set down in front of the computer to do some serious web surfing. How about a little seasonal Halloween site to look over? Follow me…. if you dare!!

The site today is called The Virtual Haunted House, and is a collaborative effort by the students of Ligon Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina. They have put together a very good site that is family safe and exciting. Here you can take a virtual 3-D tour of a haunted house, go on a scavenger hunt, visit with black cats, bats, enter a real dungeon, and all the associated events you would expect. What is so great about this is they have asked for and received pictures and material from all over the net. There are detailed instructions on how to contribute artwork to the site. There is even a teachers/parents area, where safe Halloween activities are discussed.

This is a great site, not just because of the content, but because it primarily done by the future of our country, children. The creative juices are really flowing here. Stop by, take a look-see, and offer up some words of encouragement. They deserve it.

http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/haunted.html

TVParty

Joel Comm — Thu, 02 Jan 2003 12:00:00 +0000

So stop by, and get ready for a wonderful trip down memory lane. You will enjoy your stop here today.

http://www.tvparty.com/

Welcome to SurfMonkey

Joel Comm — Fri, 22 Nov 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Today’s FamSite is one that truly makes web surfing for kids easier and fun. For parents and guardians, it is great to know that another site is out there that our kids can hang out in and have a safe and non-threatening experience.

So stop on by and visit with the SurfMonkey. It will be a fun filled experience for everyone in your family.

http://www.surfmonkey.com/default.asp?FAM2

Welcome to Surfmonkey

Joel Comm — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 12:00:00 +0000

So stop on by and visit with the SurfMonkey. It will be a fun filled experience for everyone in your family.

http://www.surfmonkey.com/default.asp?FAM2

The Virtual Haunted House

Joel Comm — Sat, 27 Oct 2001 12:00:00 +0000

Here it is, almost Halloween night, you’ve got your bowl of candy, and you have just set down in front of the computer to do some serious web surfing. How about a little seasonal Halloween site to look over? Follow me…. if you dare!!

http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/haunted.html