Saturday is Worldwide Day of Play, according to Nikelodeon
The children’s television station will go dark for three hours in order to encourage children to get off the couch and out playing. I am guessing no one thinks these same kids will just change the channel?
Ok, call me a cynic, but three hours? Is that going to make a difference for those children who are allowed to watch tv all day? Who is letting their kids sit around all day on a Saturday and watch television anyway?
They have a 29 page downloadable PDF with ideas for how you can spend the three hours. It has quite a few games, with instructions, and other ideas that would be fun for any day, not just a special worldwide day of play.
This started a number of years ago. I remember my oldest “prepping” for the black out. They wave caught momentum so by the time the day arrived, his whole school was pledging to go outside for the afternoon instead of TV.
If it was a one child thing, I’d agree with you. However, if you get enough kids excited over doing family things during that time, with some planned events, it can really take root. We try to do it one a month here. Our favorite thing is pokeno – a version of bingo. and pinochle – and old time card game. I don’t think the kids would have any clue how to play if they watched TV.
Comment by Claire — September 27, 2009 @ 4:36 pm
When they started it, wasn’t it 8 hours?
I like that they’re promoting it, it might lodge somewhere deep in the brains of a few couch-potato kids. But yeah, I think most who are inclined to veg in front of the TV will just change the channel.
Evil me, some days I WISH my child would be a potato all day so I could get some stuff done, but she’s WAY too high-energy for that!
Comment by Brigitte — September 28, 2009 @ 6:40 am
Back when Nickelodeon started this, kids didn’t have quite as much access to 24-hour channels devoted to them, at least in my area. Having Nick black out for three hours was a big deal because there was nothing else on but gardening and fishing shows
.
Comment by Dani in NC — October 8, 2009 @ 8:33 pm