Screen-Free Fun: 400 Activities for the Whole Family

Description

Fight back against boredom and keep your kids busy and entertained-without staring at a screen-with this handy collection of family activities ranging from DIY projects to outdoor adventures to easy daytrips. While technology often offers a quick and easy parenting solution to keep children entertained, too much screen time can negatively affect developmental and social skills, and even lead back to the original problem-boredom. Screen-Free Fun offers over 400 ideas to disconnect from tech devices and reconnect with our families in a healthier way. You and your child can pick from DIY activities to games to weekend outings. Since many of the activities work well for kids at various ages, your family will be able to grow along with the different projects and make plans for both younger and older siblings alike. You can try indoor projects like homemade slime, outdoor activities like building a fort, or learn more about your favorite destinations with activities like a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or an i-spy game at the zoo. There is also space for your family to add your own favorite activities so you never forget a great idea or memory! From summer vacation to holiday breaks and every rainy day in between, with this book you and your family will always have something fun to do together-without ever having to resort to a tablet, phone, or computer.

Shannon Philpott-Sanders has written extensively about the joys of parenting for local and national newspapers and magazines throughout her fifteen-year career as a freelance journalist. A mother of two, she has dedicated herself to becoming a lifelong learner when it comes to parenting her son and daughter who are now in their late teens. A graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Philpott-Sanders holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in English. When she is not writing and offering tips for fun-filled experiences with children, she serves as an associate professor of English at St. Louis Community College - Meramec and advises the student-run newspaper. She also writes on her website, ShannonPhilpott.com.

"Filled with connection-building ideas that are sure to spark lasting memories, the book is a nice resource to consult when you want to switch up your regular routine." * Mother Magazine * "The book Screen-Free Fun by Shannon Philpott-Sanders is a life-saver for busy parents. Its release is well-timed for screen-free week. With so many options in this book, you're certain to find a lot of ideas everyone can enjoy together. Technology has taken a huge place in all our lives. We should teach our children healthy screen-time habits. Helping your kids unplug for screen-free week is the perfect opportunity for this!" * SAHMPlus.com * "Each activity is actually a detailed plan that includes the steps and items needed to complete it. Thanks to the ideas in this book, when summer break starts, we will definitely have one new family activity: Making tons of family memories that will last a lifetime." * Dragonfly Sweetnest * "A new book ... is here to make it a little easier for you when your kids come in whining that they're bored and you're not inclined to put a tablet in their hands. I have a feeling this book might not just give us an activity here and there to do - but maybe even help us all reconnect with each other, and with our creative sides. I'm really excited to see where it takes us. Screen-Free Fun is the remedy for 'I'm bored.'" * Cool Mom Picks * "A little book of fun to make sure our Screen-Free Week is going to be celebrated in style. This delightful book offers over 400 ideas to help parent encourage a 'disconnect' from tech devices and a 'reconnect' with their families in a healthier way. Parents and kids can pick from DIY activities to games to weekend outings. Since many of the activities work well for kids at various ages, families will be able to grow along with the different projects and make plans for both younger and older siblings alike." * Jump Into A Book * "I love that each idea has a suggested age range and a circle that you can mark off as done. Another great thing about many of the projects is that they typically use items you already have so there isn't planning or buying to do beforehand. I remember when my daughters were younger and school was almost out, I would panic about how I was going to fill their days and entertain them. Having a book like Screen-Free Fun to spark my creative juices would have been so helpful." * Try It, Like It * "We recently enjoyed Screen-Free Fun from parenting journalist Shannon Philpott-Sanders. The tips in Shannon's book help parents to fight against boredom, keep little hands busy during travel time, encourage craft time, and builds a love for outdoor adventures." * Mom Trends * "From summer vacation to holiday breaks and every rainy day in between, with this book you and your family will always have something fun to do together-without ever having to resort to a tablet, phone, or computer." * Momma's Bacon * "This book has 400 activities to do with your children to keep them busy this summer. I think it is a great way to keep the littles from becoming glued to their screens over summer break. My godson is going to have fun with the Shoe Box Trains. And I know JustaBXgirl will enjoy crafting cereal necklaces because who doesn't want to accessorize with a snack!" * Just a BX Mom * "Flipping through Shannon's book was a blast from the past with so many games from my old childhood, scout meetings and just hanging out on the playground." * STL Motherhood * "Keeping my kids busy can sometimes be a challenge, especially when we're in the car for more than five or six hour stretches. Screen-Free Fun is filled with interactive activities for families. I love the section entitled Put a Fun Twist on Local Travel, which has dozens of activities ... and challenges kids to try new experiences. There are over 400 ideas so I don't think we'll run out of options!" * Coast To Coast with Kids * "Screen-Free Fun helps me now to come up with ideas not only for my own children, but for my Daisy Girl Scout Troop and more ... .Now keep this book with me, along with coloring pages, blank paper, yarn, scissors, safety pins, crayons, markers, bubbles, chalk. Create new bonds and fix those that have been broken." * Airplanes and Dragonflies *