In the Absence of Movies . . .

. . . watch art!


Despite birthing our children into an ever-increasingly technology-based culture, Lena and I have felt strongly about limiting their exposure to all of the latest technological innovations. As a preschool and kindergarten teacher, I never wanted a computer in my classroom, and I felt the same way about giving our kids access to one in the house. My theory being that young children need to learn to interact with people, not machines. I figured that surely they'd learn everything that they needed to know about computers eventually, and that there was no reason to rush it.

I say this, as I stare intently at the computer screen, typing furiously. Because Lena and I are both fairly dependent on our own computers, our kids still managed to get the message that "computers are important and exciting" even though they'd never been allowed to use one themselves. A couple of months ago, Luke and Jaz's curiosity really started to overwhelm them and they begged to be allowed a turn at the keyboard. Eventually I decided that maybe letting them explore the computer a little would be okay, especially if I could be incredibly selective about what exactly they were using it for.

My own first experiences on a computer began when I was about 10, when my parents bought our first Family Computer. There was only one program on it besides Word, and it was a kid's art program called "Kid Pix." So, determining that it's often best to stick with what I know, I decided to get Kid Pix for my current computer and let the boys play with it. The program is not exactly interactive (a good thing, in my opinion), but allows the kids to learn some basic computer skills (and save some paper at the same time). My worry about other sorts of computer games, is that it's a slippery slope from a computer game ("educational" as it may be) to a video game, and both Lena and I are really, truly, absolutely certain that we do not want our kids playing video games (at least not in our house, at least not anytime soon).

When the new software arrived, I uploaded it and then left Luke and Jaz to figure out how to use it on their own. It didn't take them long at all to discover how to work the mouse and what all of the different functions of the program were. And they love getting to make art on the computer. And, apparently, watching other kids make art on the computer is just as much fun as doing it yourself.

Since we ditched the Television Set a few weeks ago, we can no longer glue all of the kids to the couch and put on a movie when Katie and Aaron and their boys come over (which, delightfully, has been happening quite often as of late), but the other day we came across all 5 boys, totally absorbed in watching Lukas do Kid Pix on the computer.


He's drawing a line! Wait, no, he's erasing the line! And now . . . he's changing the color! But wait, what's that? He's going for a new tool! Completely Fascinating Stuff.

There we were, thinking that we were ditching the screen and encouraging more active, imaginative play, but clearly these resourceful children had other plans. Realizing how enticing any screen with anything on it can be for such new, impressionable minds only solidifies our decision to continue limiting their access as much as possible. Of course, if they want to make a screen out of the big blocks, we won't stand in their way for a second.

the new tv and couch set-up