The other week the First Lady Michelle Obama spoke about the need to make sure kids get exercise and not to spend too much time in front of the television,an issue her husband frequently brings up in discussing parental responsibility.

At the White House the kid’s TV and computer stay off all day until after dinner and before bedtime.

For tips on how to manage the TV in your home visit our Smart Summer Campaign

Richard Kahlenberg is an educational media expert and here are a few of his viewing suggestions for the week.  The program listings below are aligned with state and national K-12 academic standards.  For more information see www.tvsmarts.com for the complete program listings.

Monday, June 29, 2009,
 9-10:30 p.m. E/P HBO   “Shouting Fire: Stories From The Edge Of Free Speech”
This documentary explores the social and political trends that have shaped our attitudes about free speech–and which now threaten the very tenets upon which our country was built–through four case studies: an Arab-American educator who lost her job over a word; a high-school teen suspended for wearing a Bible-quoting T-shirt; a college professor fired for provocative essays written in the wake of 9/11; and two war protesters who were arrested and later made a shocking discovery. TV14 – adult content and adult language.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009,
10-11 p.m. E/P PBS    “WIDE ANGLE: Crossing Heaven’s Border”

North Korean defectors take life-threatening journeys, some traveling thousands of miles from their homeland through China and Laos, in the hope of settling as free citizens in South Korea. Intrepid South Korean journalists with hidden cameras risk their own lives capturing the action and emotion. Hosted by Aaron Brown. TV-PG

Thursday, July 2, 2009,
7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. PT TCM   “Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The: 50 Years of Magic”

This documentary tells the story of how MGM created one of the most beloved family films of all time. TV-G

“From psychedelic ’70s fare to the other-worldly ’80s and perplexing present-day, children’s programming has a storied history of leaning toward the bizarre. And though yes, we realize “bizarre” is all in the eye of the beholder, it’s hard to deny that there’s not something a little offbeat with the following children’s shows”

Check out this Boston Globe piece on the wild world that can be kids TV.

Thinking back, what were the weirdest shows you remember watching?

Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an international conflict transformation organization, created Kilna Bil Hayy, or “All of Us in the Neighborhood,” in the hope of enlightening young viewers to the commonalities shared between Lebanon’s different communities. 

Lebanon’s civil war may be over, but it’s no secret that social and religious divisions remain.

The 13-part series, which was funded by Danish Foundation, focuses on six families who live in the same apartment building. Representing Lebanon’s wealth of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, the families are Armenian, Christian, Druze, Shiite, Sunni and even Palestinian. The building has a “conscience,” personified by a woman called Lina, who gives shrewd advice to the children in times of crisis.

This approach to helping mend social strife through the use of childern’s television has been sucessful in some Eastern European countires and we wish them all the best with this project.  

http://www.sfcg.org/programmes/lebanon/programmes_lebanon.html

An important report from the University of Washington came out this week and though its findings are alarming they are also not surprising. 

Conversations between children and their caregivers decrease measurably when a television is on nearby, even if no one seems to be watching it. For the study, more than 300 children, ages 2 months to 48 months, wore the recorders for an entire day once a month for up to two years. A software program then reviewed the recording.

Talk, listen, play with and read to your kids and please use your televisions wisely!

STA’s Smart Summer is up and running and the Emmy Award winning children’s program WordWorld is offering 100 free DVDs to our STA members. 

Check out all the details and info here!

Across the nation it is being reported that summer camp registrations are down.  Families just don’t have or choose not to spend the resources to send their kids off to camp this summer.

Kids are going to be spending more time at home and that means more time in front of the television.   It’s important not to let the lazy days of summer be too lazy.  Matter of fact there are ways to use the television and technology you have in your home to encourage learning, exercise, curiosity and promote a balanced media diet. 

This summer the Smart Television Alliance is dedicated helping parents control the television viewing in their homes and promoting a balanced media diet for their entire family.

Please take a look at the great tools and games we have on our Smart Summer webpage.

http://www.smarttelevisionalliance.org/smart-summer

Richard Kahlenberg is an educational media expert and here are a few of his viewing suggestions for the week.  The program listings below are aligned with state and national K-12 academic standards.  For more information see www.tvsmarts.com for the complete program listings.

Sunday, June 7, 2009
Nickelodeon 9-9:30 p.m. E/P  -  “Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Love Stories: Tales of Middle School Romance ”

Middle school can be a difficult time for students, emotionally as well as academically. This Nick News special tries to help kids answer questions such as “What is love?” and “How old do you have to be to fall in love?” TV-G.

Monday, June 8, 2009,
PBS 10-11 p.m. E/P  -  “Illicit: The Dark Trade”

The world economy is being derailed by new networks of illicit traders, criminal groups that care less about specific products and more about profit margins. Based on the best-seller Illicit, by Moises Naim, this documentary tracks the manufacture and sale of goods ranging from fake purses and DVDs to counterfeit pharmaceuticals that can have a devastating impact on human beings, showing how the even most innocuous trades are connected in a global epidemic generating $3 trillion per year and untold human suffering. TV-PG 

Tuesday, June 9, 2009,
9-9:30 p.m. E/P  -  “Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living - Salmon ”

Salmon consumption in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past 15 years, an increase made possible in large part by the rise of commercial salmon farming.  Meanwhile, wild salmon populations are at historic lows on both coasts of the U.S., and wild Atlantic salmon is commercially extinct.  At this point, 90% of the salmon consumed by Americans is farm-grown.  But is salmon farming truly sustainable, and are the domesticated stocks relieving pressure on their wild brethren or adding to it?  This documentary looks into the complicated issues surrounding this culinary favorite, including the pro and con arguments surrounding salmon farming.

A study in England shows that kids under the age of 7 that watch particular television programs suffer more nightmares.  All kids have nightmares but the violence and often vivid, gorey details found in many kids television shows can have some unpleasent effects.  

It seems every action packed kids show has very intense and life like computer generated special effects.  Perhaps a little too life like and intense.  

The article points out a tell tale sign the program your kid is watching might be too much for them, “their children often watch television with their hands over their eyes.”  Probably time to change the channel.

“The microwave is swell. Cell phones are convenient. The technology most helpful to this parent, however, has a cute smiling TV for an icon. I can’t imagine surviving parenthood without it.”

Wired magazine hits the nail on the head http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/05/see-dick-and-jane-bedoop/