WEBVTT 00:00:03.550 --> 00:00:07.190 Hello and welcome to Blooming Curious, the podcast 00:00:07.190 --> 00:00:09.910 that's all about nurturing that natural curiosity 00:00:09.910 --> 00:00:13.070 in our earliest kids and students. I'm Edwina, 00:00:13.470 --> 00:00:16.210 your host from the Ed's Lessons blog, a passionate 00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:19.070 advocate for play and inquiry and on a mission 00:00:19.070 --> 00:00:21.949 to keep children curious and questioning. The 00:00:21.949 --> 00:00:24.809 days of talk and chalk are over. We're diving 00:00:24.809 --> 00:00:28.449 into the world of integrated, inquiry and nature 00:00:28.449 --> 00:00:30.989 -based learning and exploring those strategies 00:00:30.989 --> 00:00:34.450 that create lifelong learners. So if you're a 00:00:34.450 --> 00:00:37.170 classroom or a homeschool educator or even a 00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:40.350 curious parent, then this is the place for you. 00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:43.530 So today's topic is going to be controversial. 00:00:43.969 --> 00:00:46.390 But as you'll see, if you stick around, I'm going 00:00:46.390 --> 00:00:49.450 to give you some ideas as alternatives to technology 00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:52.469 to keep kids occupied when you need them to be. 00:00:53.109 --> 00:00:55.490 You know, I see a bit on social media posted 00:00:55.490 --> 00:00:58.549 often by older, more mature folks, often psychologists, 00:00:59.109 --> 00:01:01.649 talking about the dangerous combination of technology 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:04.689 and young children. And then there's always the 00:01:04.689 --> 00:01:06.870 inevitable backlash often from young parents 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:09.010 that just want to keep their kids busy and because 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:12.409 they need five minutes or they're busy. And times 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:14.890 have changed. I acknowledge that. Our lives are 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:18.530 busier, possibly busier than in the past, but 00:01:18.530 --> 00:01:20.609 some might say, well, there's more pressure on 00:01:20.609 --> 00:01:22.310 today than they used to be. And others might 00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:24.609 say, well, that busyness has always been there. 00:01:25.569 --> 00:01:28.569 If I think back in the past 23 years, my oldest 00:01:28.569 --> 00:01:32.200 is 23. The first six months of my son's life, 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:34.760 I was lucky enough to spend at home with him. 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.459 And our days were filled with nursing and changing 00:01:38.459 --> 00:01:40.799 nappies and tidying the house and getting the 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:42.959 laundry done and preparing food and all those 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:46.959 other mundane tasks. And for us, we lived in 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.079 a foreign country. My husband often worked away 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:51.180 from home and I had no family around to help 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:54.780 out. I was on my own. So at six months, I had 00:01:54.780 --> 00:01:57.390 to go back to work. and I had to put this little 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:00.129 bundle into daycare and just about broke my heart 00:02:00.129 --> 00:02:02.209 and it's something that haunts me to this day. 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:04.790 So there I was, a full -time working mum with 00:02:04.790 --> 00:02:09.110 a six month old and we had no house help or family 00:02:09.110 --> 00:02:12.949 around and we just got on with it. A friend of 00:02:12.949 --> 00:02:16.210 mine and a colleague who at the time was a single 00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:19.909 mum gave me a very important piece of advice 00:02:19.909 --> 00:02:22.900 that I've never forgotten. And that was, give 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:25.539 your child your time. It's the most precious 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:27.719 thing you can give them. So from the moment that 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.120 I picked him up from nursery, and I always try 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.039 to get there as early as I possibly could, from 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:35.819 the moment I was there till the moment he went 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:39.340 to bed, I tried to be present for him because 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:41.879 it wasn't his fault that we were living in a 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:43.620 foreign country and that we'd bought a house 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:46.400 and we had to pay a mortgage. So I made him a 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:48.819 priority from the moment I picked him up till 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:51.979 that moment I laid him down to sleep. I remember 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:54.500 nursing my son and just sitting there studying 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:58.060 every square millimeter of that beautiful soft 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.680 face. I was in the moment with my child and there 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.699 was no smartphone to distract me. And I would 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:08.219 talk and I'd read to him long before he even 00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:12.379 knew what a book was. And 17 months later, I 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:14.340 was on maternity leave again for the birth of 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:17.300 my second son. And luckily we were now transferred 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:20.219 and I didn't need to go back to work again until 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:22.780 the kids were much older and they were in elementary 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:26.680 school. And although it was a busy time, you 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:29.520 know what I didn't have? I didn't have a smartphone. 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:32.439 I know that might sound crazy to some people, 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:34.599 like how would I have coped? But you know what? 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:38.539 I think it freed me up to spend time with my 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:41.419 kids and I think it saved my sanity because I 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:43.800 could just be in the moment. I wasn't trying 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:46.159 to be with them and on the phone at the same 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:50.460 time. And you know, my husband and I were quite 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:53.199 old -fashioned in many ways. We have old -fashioned 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:55.400 values and they're still important to us and 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:57.360 we raised our kids with those values too and 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.719 they often didn't appreciate them as they were 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.340 growing up but now as young adults they understand 00:04:02.340 --> 00:04:05.449 and they value them. things like table manners 00:04:05.449 --> 00:04:07.990 and making eye contact when you speak to others, 00:04:08.569 --> 00:04:11.169 saying please and thank you, working hard, taking 00:04:11.169 --> 00:04:14.050 responsibility for your actions, not giving up 00:04:14.050 --> 00:04:16.709 in the face of adversity. And all the things 00:04:16.709 --> 00:04:19.829 that we oldies think are important, clean shoes, 00:04:20.189 --> 00:04:21.970 dressing respectfully when you attend church, 00:04:22.629 --> 00:04:24.730 these are the few of the rules or values that 00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:28.129 we try to teach our kids. And these things now 00:04:28.129 --> 00:04:30.750 are really difficult in a modern tech -driven 00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:35.110 society. A society that so often, to me, appears 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:38.589 bereft of a moral compass. But we can't blame 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:41.209 technology for the lack of values or manners 00:04:41.209 --> 00:04:45.329 that we so often see now. I mean, it's just an 00:04:45.329 --> 00:04:47.870 object. But it's an object with an incredible 00:04:47.870 --> 00:04:51.610 power over humans. Technology can be a wonderful 00:04:51.610 --> 00:04:53.970 thing when it's used appropriately with children 00:04:53.970 --> 00:04:56.779 and in front of children. I fought long and hard 00:04:56.779 --> 00:04:59.259 against bringing video games into our home and 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.600 giving children smartphones. The battles were 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.180 sometimes loud and teary, but I'm glad I held 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:06.779 the line when I did. And of course, eventually, 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.660 even we felt we had to give in. And luckily, 00:05:10.660 --> 00:05:12.720 this was only when the kids were in high school. 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:15.480 We were able to avoid the video games, except 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:18.079 for that first little handheld Nintendo when 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.560 they were in primary school. We managed to hold 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:22.939 off on smartphones and social media until they 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:25.639 were well into high school. But nowadays things 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:28.759 are different. Young kids have iPads and phones. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.220 You're going to the shops and doctor surgeries 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:33.079 and you'll see young children playing on their 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:36.139 parents' phones and on their own iPads. Or as 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:40.019 I've seen so many times, kids playing up because 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:42.120 they're seeking attention while their parents 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:45.160 are swiping at a screen. And as an educator, 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:48.639 I find this a disturbing phenomenon. I understand 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.160 that kids get bored and restless. The question 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:54.740 we need to ask as parents is this. Is there a 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:57.660 better way? I'm not claiming to be a parenting 00:05:57.660 --> 00:06:01.180 expert by any means, nor do I have all the answers. 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:04.160 But I do know that over the years of teaching, 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:08.819 children have become increasingly restless. Increasingly, 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:11.540 they struggle to focus. Increasingly, they have 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:14.120 difficulty socializing. And increasingly, their 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:17.360 reading and ability to express themselves verbally 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:21.339 have deteriorated. So as a curious educator, 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:26.819 I have to ask why? I have my own personal opinion 00:06:26.819 --> 00:06:28.959 but I think perhaps we'll leave that for another 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:33.000 day. Instead, allow me to share this little trick 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:36.899 I used when my kids were young. I had a little 00:06:36.899 --> 00:06:40.620 thing called a boredom buster bag. A small backpack 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:42.899 that contained an array of goodies that I kept 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:45.639 my kids occupied with whilst we were visiting 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:48.220 a friend or the doctor's office or on a flight 00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:50.519 or anywhere really where they could get bored 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.939 or restless. Your boredom buster bag should contain 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:56.300 things that your kids enjoy and that are age 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:59.040 appropriate. The kind of things that you might 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:01.839 think about putting in are always a few of their 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.759 favorite books that you can read to them. If 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:06.720 they're old enough, they can read to themselves. 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.819 Their favorite soft toy, some of their favorite 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:12.660 toys or maybe they're animals or dollies or small 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:16.839 cars. Some colored pencils or crayons, a coloring 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:19.879 in book. If I think about how many kids now have 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:21.899 problems with holding a pencil, then seriously, 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:25.040 let's get out those colouring in -books. Some 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:28.220 blank pages or a sketchbook for drawing, a pack 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:31.519 of Go Fish cards or any playing cards like Yuno 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:36.300 or Happy Families, a small bag of Tic -Tac -Toe 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:38.980 or magnetic travel sets with snakes and ladders 00:07:38.980 --> 00:07:41.639 or anything that's age appropriate, maybe even 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:45.339 a puzzle, some Lego or blocks, and of course 00:07:45.339 --> 00:07:49.980 a snack and some water. So here's the plan. Instead 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:52.819 of giving the kids a screen, let's try and set 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:56.120 a good habit to have as little technology in 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:58.720 our young kids' hands as possible while they 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:02.439 are still young. Small kids don't need technology. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:06.000 They just need us to look at them, talk to them, 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.180 and acknowledge them. The one thing that we parents 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:13.420 can do for our kids is to be present. That means 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:17.019 engaging with our children. Don't get me wrong. 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:19.839 I do think there are times that children need 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:22.899 to occupy themselves. That it's okay for them 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:26.100 to watch a TV show. We need to model and teach 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:28.639 children that it's okay to be bored at times 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.500 too. And it's okay not to be busy all the time 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:33.620 and to have something in your hands to occupy 00:08:33.620 --> 00:08:37.220 with every moment of every day. It's okay to 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:41.019 be still or quiet sometimes. We do not need to 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:44.320 be entertaining our kids 100 % of the time. I 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.480 mean we'll go crazy if we do. Just remember that 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:52.120 children mimic our behaviour. When we show our 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.720 love and our enjoyment for nature or learning 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:58.179 or reading or playing games, drawing or colouring, 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.700 they will too. Keep them off devices as much 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:04.320 as you can when they are young and instead talk, 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:08.220 talk and then talk some more. As educators each 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:11.419 year we see young children with poorer and poorer 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:14.120 oral language skills. And of course, this means 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:17.220 that we must model this behaviour to our children. 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.480 This means that we need to be of our devices 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:24.580 too. So here's something to think about. If you 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:26.759 were trying to have a conversation with a friend 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.220 or a partner and they were preoccupied with something 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.720 else and not looking at you or acknowledging 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:34.899 you, how would that make you feel? Would you 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:38.750 feel heard? Would you feel respected? or loved 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:42.250 or valued. When our children are trying to engage 00:09:42.250 --> 00:09:46.330 with us, we are ensuring that they feel heard, 00:09:46.690 --> 00:09:50.590 respected, loved, and valued. These are the things 00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:54.330 that the young kids I teach so often say to me. 00:09:54.730 --> 00:09:57.070 My mom never listens. She's always on her phone. 00:09:57.570 --> 00:09:59.309 Or when a kid hasn't practiced their reading 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:02.049 and their excuses, my mom was too busy on her 00:10:02.049 --> 00:10:05.070 phone to read with me. And I go, what? Well, 00:10:05.250 --> 00:10:07.940 I go, what in my head? Doesn't that just break 00:10:07.940 --> 00:10:10.779 your heart? I swear, I'm not making this up. 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.740 And of course, we can't get away from technology. 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:17.019 It's here to stay. But we can put limits on it. 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:19.460 And we can model how to use it appropriately. 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:22.720 And I don't buy into that whole thing about, 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:24.360 well, kids need to know how to use it because 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:27.139 they use it in school. I mean, have you seen 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:31.279 how quickly a kid can figure out his or her way 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:36.299 around an iPad? or a TV remote or any kind of 00:10:36.299 --> 00:10:40.639 digital device. It's unbelievable. So let's be 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.000 mindful and come up with creative ways that we 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:45.759 can keep our kids occupied in public spaces and 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:48.879 when we need to without resorting to a screen. 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:51.039 So what do you think about the board and buster 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:54.759 bag? It's going to be a hard sell if your kids 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.379 are used to screens already. But perhaps if you 00:10:57.379 --> 00:10:59.919 do it with them and you're not on your phone, 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:02.879 it might be a little bit more palatable for them. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:05.720 So let's try and be more present in the coming 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:09.779 weeks and see if it makes a little difference 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:14.990 in our lives and in the lives of our kids. So 00:11:14.990 --> 00:11:16.850 that's all for today. Thanks for listening folks. 00:11:17.029 --> 00:11:19.070 I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you did, 00:11:19.169 --> 00:11:21.230 make sure to click that subscribe button wherever 00:11:21.230 --> 00:11:23.909 you're listening. And if anything I said today 00:11:23.909 --> 00:11:26.210 resonates with you or you think that my content 00:11:26.210 --> 00:11:29.470 is fabulous, then have about leaving a review, 00:11:29.750 --> 00:11:31.750 which will really help me grow the show and keep 00:11:31.750 --> 00:11:34.309 going. Thanks so much. Be sure to visit me at 00:11:34.309 --> 00:11:38.330 bloomingcurious .com and listen out for a new 00:11:38.330 --> 00:11:42.120 episode every Tuesday. And remember, Curiosity 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:45.080 isn't just a trait, it's a superpower. So until 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:47.440 next time, stay blooming curious!