Latest news with #screenfree
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Wall Street Journal
Want a Better Relationship With Your Teen Children? Exercise With Them.
There is a magical place where my teenage children are invariably pleasant, we all happily engage in healthy activities and no one is glued to a screen. I'll let you in on the secret: this magical place is the gym. Well, 'gym' in the expansive sense of any space where we can exercise together: it could be the paved strip along the Hudson River, a tiny hotel gym, the choppy waters of the Atlantic or even the space in our entryway roomy enough to accommodate a couple of mats.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Head of £31,000-a-year school which Prince George may attend and Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow sent their children warns parents need to spend more quality time with their offspring
The headteacher of a £31,000-a-year private school tipped to be attended by Prince George has urged parents to spend more quality time with their children. Adam Pettitt, head of prestigious fee-paying Highgate School in north London, urged families to ensure their offspring have more time away from mobile phones. His school has attracted celebrity parents including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Dame Emma Thompson. And it was recently toured by the Princess of Wales, prompting speculation she and husband Prince William could be considering the school for eldest child George, 11. Highgate School, founded 460 years ago, is a co-educational day school for pupils aged between four and 18 - with annual fees for its secondary school currently charged at £31,575 plus obligatory lunch fees bringing the total to £32,640. Mr Pettitt, who has been Highgate head since 2006, made his call for parents to make the most of screen-free 'quality time' for their children as he entered the debate about potential bans or limits on pupils' mobile phone use. A group of secondary schools across the south London borough of Southwark have recently teamed up to demand more restrictions - as they encouraged youngsters not to get such devices until Year 10, in which pupils are aged 14 and 15. The alliance of 16 Southwark schools published a plan calling for 'higher sanctions' for pupils having smartphones rather than non-smartphones confiscated - that is, those with internet access. Highgate School has already been operating its own ban on mobile phones, which Mr Pettitt says has 'reintroduced conversation to form rooms'. He has now written to a national newspaper insisting on the importance of parents diverting their children from constant screen time towards other activities. He told the Times: 'Age-based limits on mobile phone use are a welcome first step, but how adults spend time with children is paramount. We must not only limit screen time but actively promote what should replace it. Children need to play, to have protected screen-free time, and to enjoy fun, shared experiences with the adults who care for them.' Mr Pettitt added that the headteachers taking action in Southwark were 'right to tread carefully when advising on families' - and 'also correct that it requires a partnership with parents to address the effects of screens on children'. He previously warned parents about children and mobile phones in a letter, shared online in April, in response to controversial TV drama Adolescence. Mr Pettitt wrote about what he called 'a shocking and deeply thought-provoking series' and one particular scene in which the central character Jamie's parents admitted they were unaware about the dangerous online content he was accessing. He said: 'The online world is all-encompassing, and we teeter into it as if into an abyss. But it is no substitute for actual human interaction with those closest to us. 'This is important at home, too. Our children absorb things from us. Our views, actions and habits shape them. 'If we like reading, it's more likely our children will like reading. If we support a team, it's more likely our children will support that same team. 'We end up not only having things we do in common; we'll be doing them together. In the Pettitt household, it's crosswords and cooking. 'You'll all have those special but really not so special routines which mean you spend time together and time chatting. 'If we have wired into our routines time to be together for some part of every day, time to chat every day, we'll see more quickly when they withdraw, we'll notice if something is awry.' The Princess of Wales has shared online and spoken often about the hobbies, outdoor experiences and home interests her children enjoy - including recently George's love of painting and watching him and Louis play rugby at weekends. She has recently sparked speculation that Highgate School could be one of the next options for George after being seen seen visiting both Highgate and nearby University College School in Hampstead, north London. Both schools are about 30 miles from the Wales' Windsor base, potentially meaning journey times of more than an hour each way. Highgate School has been hailed for its 'world-class' drama department and has been the choice of school for the children of famous actors such as Dame Emma Thompson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law. Its alumni include the former child actor Freddie Highmore, now 33, who starred alongside Johnny Depp in the 2004 film Finding Neverland as well as in the following year's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The Princess, now in remission from cancer, was seen at £10,525-a-term Highgate School just after it closed for the Christmas break at the end of last year. An insider told the Mail on Sunday in February: 'The family did go round and have a look and apparently, it's because the school has a rather brilliant drama department - genuinely world class. 'Kate spent quite a long time talking to two of the teachers there, including the Head of Drama, and was asking them about the drama curriculum and extracurricular activities and what opportunities there might be for appearing in school plays. 'One of the reasons they're drawn to visiting Highgate is that the department is known as somewhere that feeds into RADA. 'Highgate has got a very strong focus on Shakespeare with a nuanced and intelligent approach to drama. 'It's where people send their children if they want somewhere more elevated than the Brit School. 'Apparently, Kate was advised that this school will help George out, but not in pressurised way.' It has been suggested that the Princess's alma mater, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, could be the royal couple's preferred choice for not only George but also his younger siblings Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis. They are currently attending Lambrook School in Berkshire, with George due to move to his next school in autumn next year. The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be 'thinking outside the box' and continuing to look at options other than Marlborough College.
CNET
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
Get Your Hands on a Toniebox for as Little as $70 Right Now, Plus Get Headphones for Free
While screens aren't all bad for kids, it's still nice to be able to entertain them without them when you can. Reading books, singing songs, playing with toys and just getting outside are all fantastic options, but they're not always achievable. Well, that's where the Toniebox comes in. Right now, you can get your hands on a Toniebox with different figures starting as low as $70. Not only that, you can get some free headphones thrown in as well. You can also choose to get them in different colors, with red, purple, gray, green and light blue all having at least one version on sale. Toniesbox is an audio player that works with special figures and can play a massive host of songs, stories and more. They're easy to operate, which means that kids can often play around with them themselves, and you know that the things they're playing are always designed for kids, not designed to get more out of them. They're just great. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. We really like the Toniesbox in all its forms, and it makes for one of the best toys for kids. The fact that you can also get more figures as and when you want only makes it better too. Why this deal matters Toniesbox can be a great addition to any little one's bedroom. They read stories, sing songs, and can just generally be a really solid bit of screen-free entertainment. They cost a lot though, and sales don't happen often, so deals like these ones shouldn't be missed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: Mom's ‘Screen-Free Sensory Activity' for Babies Is Truly Engaging
A video of a mom's 'screen-free sensory activity' for babies is garnering attention on the internet as it is truly engaging. All parents would agree that keeping the little ones entertained can be tricky, and at some point, digital devices end up becoming a part of their routine. Now, a mom's simple hack has gone viral as it shows an easy way to keep babies engaged without any involvement of screens. Instagram mom Megan Marquez's video of an 'easy screen-free sensory activity' for babies has gone viral on the platform. The clip has been garnering much attention and has racked up a whopping 110 million views. Marquez shared a simple hack that eliminates the use of digital devices to keep the little ones entertained. The digital creator wrote in the caption of the Instagram Reel, 'The easiest sensory activity for your babe!' The video showed Marquez putting frozen peas and water in a ziploc and placing it in front of her baby. The mom attached the bag to the tray of the highchair and secured it with tape so it wouldn't fall off when the little one plays with it. Furthermore, the video also captured the 9-month-old baby's fascination. The adorable one's eyes remained fixated on the peas in the ziploc. The baby later also began playing and trying to grab the vegetable, which kept floating around in the water. It's safe to say the activity must have kept the little one occupied for some time. Meanwhile, the video was quick to catch the attention of both mothers and netizens. Several adult users expressed they, too, would want to try the fun activity for themselves. One asked, 'Is this an appropriate activity for 29 year olds?' Another wrote, 'This would keep me busy, and I'm 37.' A mom added, 'AHH the little grabby hands are so cute I can't wait for my son to reach this stage.' Lastly, a pun also made its way to the comments section with a user joking, 'Finally, some peas and quiet.' The post Video: Mom's 'Screen-Free Sensory Activity' for Babies Is Truly Engaging appeared first on Momtastic.
