JuiceBoxJungle

TV is our friend

Posted 9 months ago on I've Changed My Name To Mommy

I am different from a lot of parents-I make absolutely no apologies about the fact that my kids watch a lot of TV. Sure, I’ve gotten the snide remarks-especially from my in laws, who had no electronics in their home until my sisters in law were 16-but I’m not sorry. Right now, as we speak, all three kids are in front of the television….and yes, this includes my 20 month old and my 5 month old (though it should be mentioned though that our 5 month old Bean is sleeping-as she should be, having been up all night).

I realize that TV is a controversial issue. Just watch this video (from Juice Box Jungle)

Maybe it’s what we’re watching, but my kids don’t become “TV zombies”. They play and interact with each other and with the characters on the TV. They count with Dora, practice Mandarin with Kai Lan, read and spell with the kids from SuperWhy…then, when their shows are over, they use the shows they watched in their imaginative play. If that’s bad parenting, sue me.

In fact, I know it’s probably going to be controversial but I’m going to say it-as a home educator, I use the television as an invaluable educational tool. Our five year old can draw a diagram of your leg, identifying the tibia, patella, femur, tendons, and muscles….thank you Science Rock. He can speak over 30 words and phrases in Mandarin….all because of Kai Lan. He can identify major foreign landmarks like the Great Wall of China and the Eiffel Tower and tell you their country of origin…..thanks to Toot and Puddle.

He learns so much from his TV experience, it provides excellent building blocks for our home learning. Because of his interest in world landmarks we have been utilizing our world map more and he can now identify almost a dozen cities/countries. The passion for Mandarin that started with Kai Lan has branched out and we now use computer software to learn what Monkey wants to learn-he now knows more than 30 words and phrases. Once he learned that individual bones have individual names, he wanted to know all of them….right now we’re learning the names of all the bones in the foot.

I’m not saying that all TV watching is enriching-Lord knows letting your kids watch Hollywood Ink all day probably would make them zombies-but in my opinion letting your kids watch educational television which you utilize and build upon doesn’t make you a criminal….and if you happen to get a blog post in while they’re being enriched, so be it.

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2 Comments on TV is our friend

bargainlovingmom said…

Right on, sister! TV today is so different than when I was a child. There is so many cartoons that have educational value. My oldest child watched Little Einsteins quite a bit & now as a 2nd grader has such an appreciation for world landmarks & other cultures. My youngest (4)knows a few phrases in Spanish due to Dora & words in Chinese due to Kai Lan. While I don’t let my children watch all cartoons, there are some that are certainly worth letting children get lost in!
hattie said…

I think tv’s great, if you watch it with your children some of the time and DISCUSS it; if you monitor what they are watching all of the time; and if you usually turn it off during meals and if you balance it with lots of non-tv time. I do not think TVs should be in bedrooms. Public TV is fantastic for all ages and interests!