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TV Time: A Journal for Kidz

by Dawn Parker

199 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1599; ISBN 1-4120-1221-X; US$20.00, C$23.00, EUR16.50, £11.50

Changing the way children watch television. This fun, illustrated journal will challenge kids by developing skills in critical thinking, imagination, critiquing, commercial marketing awareness while significantly decreasing passive television viewing.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book Current research indicates the average child today watches approximately 1800 hours of television each year. This is more time than participating and learning in a classroom. Valuable learning can be experienced from this medium, however it is up to adults to take the necessary steps to ensure young minds are not endangered but enriched. We all know this on some level yet the question is what can we do about it? TV Time Journal For Kidz is a profound and revolutionary tool to engage and inspire young minds while watching television. With this illustrated journal, kids will be challenged to describe the show, articulate the message they received from the story, imagine they are a character in the show, tell about a commercial that aired during the program including the marketing technique used and finally they are asked as critics to rate the show from 1 to 4 stars and share why. This is fun for kids and creates a wonderful way for parents to interact and share family values.

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About the Author Dawn Parker is the mother of one gifted daughter who was the inspiration for this idea. Dawn lives in Southern California and has been involved in her community serving as school foundation president, library committee chair and community partnership liason at her daughter's school. She works in the financial industry as a mortgage broker and is a member of several professional organizations including the National Association of Female Executives and Professional Women's Roundtable.

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Sample Excerpts

"The TV Time Journal for Kidz is a great tool to help kids become conscious and critical viewers. I'm recommending it ot all our Media Wise communities." - David Walsh, Ph.D., President and Founder National Institute on Media and the Family.

Introduction For Parents

Current studies indicate that the average child in America today watches about 1800 hours of television a year. Frank Vespe, Executive Director of TV Turnoff Network, made the startling connection that the average child today watches more television per year than participating and learning in the classroom. Without structured guidance this is a disturbing trend that can have a profound impact on the development of our children. It really is no mystery today that networks and advertisers are exposing our children to more and more consumerism, violence and adult themed messages. Research has shown that children who watch violence, for example, are less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, may become more fearful of the world around them, may even behave in more aggressive and harmful ways and develop a view that violence is commonplace in the everyday world.

We all sense this and on some level feel somewhat powerless. The question is, short of turning the television off altogether (which is becoming a viable solution to more and more families), what can we do about it?

My first suggestion is to give yourself permission to take a more proactive guiding role in your child's television viewing habits. Valuable learning can be experienced from this medium, but is up to adults to take the necessary steps to ensure young minds are not endangered but enriched. In an effort to gain a better idea of the kinds of messages that were being broadcast and to involve myself in my daughter's programming decisions, I developed a journal for her to provide feedback on the shows she was choosing to watch.

This book is the result of our research, experience and the desire to share this creative approach with other parents and kids. The journal enables us as parents to find out what messages our children are receiving from modern programming and what shows and networks are attracting our kids. It provides crucial information we need to interject healthy family values and offers a more interactive way to guide our children through the myriad of choices available to them. Most importantly it is an effective and easy tool for those of us who yearn to be more directly involved while juggling other responsibilities and schedules.

The enriching part of this journal is that it develops beneficial skills in children beyond what I had initially anticipated. Specifically, it expands writing skills, offers spelling practice, creates critiquing abilities, stimulates imagination, develops critical thinking skills, gives practice spotting propaganda and marketing techniques and most of all creates a wonderful way for parents to be an active part in what their children are learning from television. Since television today is so entrenched in our culture and with the vast amount of time spent on this form of entertainment, by utilizing this journal you can ensure that the time is being spent with productive results and that your children will be developing useful skills. You may even find like we did, that your child chooses to watch less television and instead begins finding other ways to be entertained...that old path of least resistance!

Suggested Use

To get the most out of the journal and your child's memory, it is best to allow your child to watch only one program at a time. After the show is over have them turn off the TV so they will not be distracted by another program and complete the section in the journal for a show. Afterwards have them share with you their answers. On the first time using the journal you may need to sit down with them and go over each section together so they get a clear understanding of what to do.

There is a section for the title, network/channel and description of the show. For the description section you can have younger children describe the beginning, middle and ending of the program, for older children you can have them describe the character, antagonist, conflict and resolution. Next is the section that asks for the underlying message of the program. For younger children I would suggest they tell you something new they learned from the show. Older children can be challenged to look for the deeper message or theme contained within the story and to articulate that. As you review this with them point out what was omitted from the message or share how other people may perceive this message (adults, different gender, someone from a different culture or ethnic group). Then your child is asked to imagine they are a character in the show and what they would do differently. Really encourage them to have fun with this section and let their imaginations lead them.

Children see an average of 20,000 commercials a year on television. A child who watches a significant amount of television is more likely to believe the advertising claims he/she sees. The next section of the journal has the child describe a commercial that aired during the program and to write whether the commercial was trying get them to buy, inform or to think a certain way. As you review this section with your child it is a good opportunity to go over propaganda techniques used in commercials and ask them which was used:

1) Bandwagon- persuading people to buy or do something because everyone is doing it

2) Testimonial- using the words of a person to persuade

3)Spokesperson- using a famous person to influence you

4) Repetition- using the name of the product repeatedly

5) Emotional- using words and pictures that attempt to make you feel strongly about someone or something

6)Humor-using comedy or amusement to entertain while promoting a product or idea.

Finally in the last section your child is asked to rate the program: one to four stars. They can color in the illustrated stars to indicate their opinion. Also your child is asked why the rating was given and should include what was exciting or not so good about the show.

As you can see giving these additional tasks after watching a show will inevitably cut down on the time spent as a passive observer. In addition, while watching a program they are more alert and thinking because they are aware of the feedback being asked in the journal. I suggest having your child share their journal entry with you so you can discuss together before continuing to watch another program. This way the show is fresh in their mind, you can pick up on anything disturbing or confusing that they may have watched and talk about it immediately.

Congratulations on taking this proactive role in your child's television viewing experience! I am convinced the TV TIME Journal will aid your child in many areas of their life. My daughter now breezes through book reports in school, feels very confident with her reviewing skills and has found that sometimes it is easier to read a book, play with friends, explore the backyard or paint a picture than to sit down in front of the TV!

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Catalogue Information

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