(Spirit Lake)– The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club is partnering with Dickinson County Behavioral Health Coalition to sponsor its second “Let’s Talk Live” event. Dickinson County Public Health worked with the Okoboji, Spirit Lake and Harris Lake Park elementary schools and is bringing in guest speaker Katherin Johnson Martinko, writer, editor and author of Childhood Unplugged. Martinko will share practical insights on digital minimalism and finding balance for kids and families. Spirit Lake Elementary principal Jessica Vancura says this is an important topic…
“I am very passionate about educating parents and students just about the negative consequences that excess screen time can have. There’s a quote in the book, The Anxious Generation, that says, children in elementary and middle school are doing a lot of learning, and screen based activities can play a valuable role. However, for many children, time spent on screens expands like a gas to fill every available moment, and the content of the gas is almost entirely entertainment and not educational.”
Vancura says they are definitely seeing the effects that screen time has on children…
“When kids are just out and about and with their families, there’s so many different learning moments that happen. But what I’ve seen is a shift in those learning moments are now filled with just a screen and kind of that instant gratification and just a side effect that we are seeing directly as it correlates to students coming into school. So just making sure to educate parents on, yes, technology is great and awesome and it can be a great tool, but also there are some pretty big side effects that comes with it.”
Vancura says the best thing to do is to address the issue early on…
“As they transition into middle school its an even bigger effect that they see so if we can kind of be ahead of it, be proactive at these early stages, I really think it just has that lasting effect as they continue their childhood.”
The Let’s Talk Live event is open to all families in Dickinson County who want to explore how to reclaim childhood in a tech-driven world. It will be held at the Pearson Lakes Art Center on Thursday November 13th. Enjoy a free meal at 5:30 with the program starting at 6:30. Childcare will also be provided. You can RSVP to letstalkdickinsoncounty.org or iowagreatlakesrotary.org
