Evanston/Skokie D65/202 PTA Council sponsors Tune Out TV Week, April 21-27, 2008

Evanston School District 65 elementary schools will participate in Tune Out TV Week, to encourage kids and families to turn off their TVs, for seven days and turn on to the world around them. Tune Out TV Week is a chance to read, be more physically active, converse, think, create and do, rather than view.  

Children in the US watch more than four hours of television each day.  In the course of a year, they spend more time in front of the screen than in school (1250 hours compared to 900 hours in school). The purpose of Tune Out TV Week is to take an extended break from the television, which consumes so much of our free time.  The PTA Council wants to provide families with plenty of engaging, creative activities, so that they can begin to find alternatives to just sitting and watching television.  

Tune Out TV Week in Evanston is sponsored by the Evanston/Skokie D65/202 PTA Council, who partners with local businesses, museums, recreation centers, and educational institutions to provide activities around the community.  This year’s partners include: Becky & Me Toys, Beadazzled, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chandler-Newberger Center, Emily Oaks Nature Center, Evanston Art Center, Evanston Ecology Center, Evanston Public Library, Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, Hartigan's Ice Cream Shoppe, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Music Institute of Chicago, The Open Studio Project, Northwestern’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, The Pot Shop, Robert Crown Center, Score! Educational Centers (Lincoln Park), and Whole Foods Market.  A schedule of events is distributed to all District 65 elementary students, and is also available on the PTA Council page on the District 65 website.

Tune Out TV Week Evanston is scheduled during Turnoff Week, coordinated by Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness, an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to take control of the electronic media in their lives, reduce overall screen-time and promote healthier lives and more vibrant communities. It enjoys the support of dozens of major organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, and Reading is Fundamental.  For more information please contact Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness at (202) 333-9220, or visit them on the web at www.screentime.org.