Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Summer Issue | Page 19

In Liraz Margalit?s article, What Screen Time Can Really Do to
Kids? Brains, she quotes Dr. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow
of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of Britain?s
Royal Society of Medicine.
According to Sigman, ?Screen time is the very thing impeding
the development of the abilities that parents are so eager to
foster through the tablet. The ability to focus, to concentrate,
to lend attention, to sense other people?s attitudes and
communicate with them, to build a large vocabulary---all
those abilities are harmed.?
According to Liraz Margalit, kids in America spend seven
hours a day on electronics! How much time do you spend on
electronics each day?
A great substitute for that time you would usually be
spending on electronics is reading. Some great series are TJ
and the Time Stumblers by Bill Myers, Robot Wars by Sigmund
Brouwer, along with The Knights of Arrethrae and The
Kingdom Series by Chuck Black. *
4. Encourage ot her people t hrough random act s of
kindness
Doing something that you do not get paid for or even given
something as a payment for is a great way to make someone
smile. You can rake someone?s yard, make fun gifts and
anonymously give them to people, or simply volunteer at a
local center or at your church. The best part of it all is making
someone smile! Earn the smile and that will be the greatest
payment ever!
5. Spend t ime wit h family
Spending time with family by playing games
and just being silly will make your summer even
better. You can play any game that is enjoyed by
the entire family and simply laugh! Goofing off
and laughing with family is my favorite of all
these ways to have a better summer. You can
play board games, card games, outdoor games,
or anything that brings laughter to your family!
With the first letter of each sentence, these five
ideas for a better summer spell the word BLUES.
So, beat the summer blues with BLUES! No more
sitting on the couch driving your parents nuts
saying, ?I?m bored!? Have a great summer and
remember the BLUES!