Our First Unplugged Week

I've been getting more and more interested in keeping Ethan away from the TV lately.  Mostly because he will throw a fit if he can't watch it or if he can't watch something in particular.  Also, we are unable to send him to pre-school due to our finances so I'd like to get him on the right track as far as school goes.  Learning his ABC's, numbers, colors, etc.  He knows his colors, can count and recite his ABC's but we need more.

After doing some blog cruising, I came across one in particular that caught my attention.   Unplug Your Kids ( http://unplugyourkids.com ).  This website is FULL of great activities for kids of all ages, lists of "Unplugged" books, as well as links to other "Unplugged" sites.  All with great info on things to do with your kids that don't involve the TV.

I'm excited to report that starting Monday, November 2, we will be Unplugging for all but two hours a day! I would like to get totally unplugged as a family (the savings on our cable bill alone would help our current financial situation quite a bit) but I know it will take some time.  So for now, Ethan will be limited to 1 hour of TV per day and we (Mom and Dad) will be limited to 2 hours per day.

Here is a list of stuff I'd like to try this week found through Unplug Your Kids, Crafty Crow, Kaboose

Homemade Shrinky Dinks (need to go through the recycling bins before they go out tomorrow!)
http://unplugyourkids.com/2008/06/15/homemade-shrinky-dinks-weekly-unplugged-project/

Wax Resist Coloring http://www.learningvicariously.com/?p=132

Hands and Feet Turkey http://crafts.kaboose.com/hands-and-feet-turkey.html

Corn Collage http://crafts.kaboose.com/corn-collage.html

Garland of Leaves http://crafts.kaboose.com/thankful-garland-of-leaves.html

Melted Crayon Stained Glass Window http://crafts.kaboose.com/melted-crayon-stained-glass-window.html

Grocery Bag Parachutes http://www.flipflopsandapplesauce.com/2009/03/plastic-grocery-bag-parachutes.html

Baked Donuts http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001561.html

I'm sure I will find more things to do as well but for now, this is a good start! I'll be sure to post pictures of what we do and more links for projects we find.  Wish us luck on our first "Unplugged" week!