how do you manage "fun" computer time?

There will be different answers for what is right for different families, but since you want someone on your bandwagon, count me on and unplug them! 

We allow very little mindless activity – when there is more, people seem to become more mindless overall……  😀

unplug… LOL. 🙂

    We had a better homeschool day when we were unplugged. I only let them use educational games. My rule is if it isn’t educational then they can’t play it. Now of course this doesn’t mean any mindless games or killing games. I don’t allow those at all!  I laughed when one of my children tried to convince me that a certain game was educational because they had to take care of animals… LOL.. I told them if they wanted to take care of animals they could go in the back yard and do it. 🙂 so you see anything can be educational. Tee he he..  So if you schedule certain games for certain times while the others are working on other homework then maybe you will feel at peace. LOL

   I do the workbox thing so if I wanted to break up their day maybe I would put computer time in a box. I try to limit it now to 1 day a week. This is when we go to the library. It is usually at the end of the week. We only go when all the chores and all of the homework has been done for the week. You can make it a reward at the end of the day or in the afternoon too. I found that my children read more books if we don’t have computer time during free time or any other time during the week. I know they need computer time but mindless game time robs them of their book time. This is just what I have noticed in our house. I do let them on to practice their typing program or math practice or vocab. practice but that is part of their  homework that they don’t know I am sneaking in.. 🙂

                              I am with you in the UnPlug!   🙂

Well, I support you on going unplugged!

My 2 children are 8 and 5 and they use the computer together once per month for a few hours, at the beginning of the month. I help them each make a calendar on starfall.com and mark with stars the days that we have plans to go somewhere. They look at it each night in their room and mark off the day. They know when to expect we will go somewhere again. After printing their calendars, they can play games on starfall or pbskids.org. They don’t know any other sites and I think my 8 year old is getting too old for them. My 5 year old sometimes asks the next few days and I say no and follow through on that, and she accepts that she gets to play it only once in a while. They have to manage their own time and learn how to share.

We also limit tv time to educational shows, 0 to 60 min. per day and about once a month a family movie. Wii games are about once a month as a family. Dad sometimes watches Andy Griffith or Leave it to Beaver, etc. a few evenings a week.

But if the tv is off, I find them reading books on their own, or playing with their toys, playing games, or drawing. I don’t have to tell them what to do, but we have discussed how to “occupy yourself gainfully” instead of wasting time. We have discussed what twaddle is and how twaddle can be found in books, tv, and toys and that it is best to avoid them. This is what works for our family.

I would love to go unplugged!  Unfortunately, my dh is not entirely on board with that, so it’s a bit of a struggle.  I try to control what they can play and when, and also what they can watch and when.  I’d love to ditch the cable altogether, but dh works as a technical producer for the Cable company, so I get vetoed on that one pretty quick 🙁

Also, if I’m out for the evening I often come home and find the boys still watching tv or playing a game with dad (usually Wii NHL hockey), or while I’m trying to get the boys ready for bed, he’ll slip off to the bedroom and turn on something.  Not helpful, especially because the boys will find an excuse to make their way in there at some point, and what he’s watching is seldom appropriate for the boys.  (Did I mention how much I hate having the TV in the bedroom?) 

Anyway, I try to set rules about TV and games; I try to explain to my dh my reasons for setting the rules, but mostly I just need to keep praying that he’ll get on board.  I know that’s how he likes to unwind at the end of a long day, and he usually doesn”t get home until 6 or later. 

Me — I don’t watch much TV at all.  I much prefer reading.  Ocassionally I’ll find a movie to watch on netflix, but there isn’t much there, either.  The only reason I turn the tv on in my bedroom is to check the weather network or see if his live program is over so I can guess about when to expect him home or give him time to get back to his hotel room so I can call to say good-night.

ANY suggestions on how to get THIS family to unplug would be VERY appreciated!