Go Do Some Free Things!– Its “Turn Off TV Week”

We here at Free Things to Do in Chicago want you to turn off the TV this week and go out and enjoy some free events in Chicago in honor of  “TV Turn Off Week“, which is a national campaign to take a break from television watching, which continues to permeate our life — some American homes consumes “more than 151 hours of television per month — an “all-time” high — up from more than 145 hours during the same period the previous year,” according to a recent Nielsen company report. The increased amount of tv-watching among Americans is attributed to better recording devices, the availability of more cable channels, and increased viewing of streaming internet video.

Each year, organizations and families counter this time spent watching by participating in TV Turn Off Week. Once in the spring and again in the fall, organizers and proponents of reduced screen time hope that by showing people the wide assortment of non-screen related activities available at their disposal, they will begin to break their habits of excess tv viewing.

This year, TV Turn Off Week is being held from September 20 to 26.

What will you do with your time? What will your kids do? How will you keep them from uttering the words: “I’m bored.”    First, understand that boredom should be a welcome addition to a child’s life, especially if a child is already leading a busy life filled with school, homework, extracurricular activities, sports and clubs. Boredom can lead to quiet reflective time to daydream, make up games, write stories, poems, keep a journal or diary, listen to music, play music, play outdoor, bike ride, or visit with friends or family.

For adults, a tv-free week is a great time to consider doing something you always said you would do with the extra hours. Time to organize an area of your house that needs it, scrapbook those old photos, you’ve been meaning to get to, go on a date with your spouse or partner, schedule in an extra workout, take up a new hobby or cook a new meal from scratch.

You’ll surely save time and here’s the bonus: you’ll save energy from less electricity usage, too.

Here are some ideas:

If you are considering eliminating your TV, or at least reducing its use and are worried about how to fill your evenings, then here are some ideas:

- Read a book. (When is the last time you read a book? A recent, well-publicized poll found that 1 in 4 Americans read no book at all last year. If we take the glass half-full point of view, I suppose this statistic means that 75% did read at least one book last year. That has to mean something I guess.)

- See a free lunchtime concert in Chicago

-  See free nighttime concerts at Grant Park

-  Take a relaxing bath.

- Play a board game.

- Do a jigsaw puzzle.

- Take up a new hobby.

- Subscribe to a new magazine…and actually READ it!

- Write a blog.

- Write a novel!

- Write old-fashioned snail-mail letters to friends with whom you are losing, or have lost touch.

- Cook or bake.

- Organize that enormous box of photos that has been sitting there staring at you for years.

- Volunteer.

- Scrapbook.

- Sell all your old stuff on Ebay and make a little money (in addition to all the money you are saving by not having cable anymore!)

- Go for a walk, hike or bike ride.

- Take a class at your local community college.

- Work on a political campaign, or for a cause you believe in.

- Learn a foreign language with some books and tapes.

- Listen to NPR, or a podcast.

- Listen to music.

- Listen to a book on tape.

- Read aloud to your spouse or kids.

- Plant (or plan) a garden.

- Sit and chat.

- Play (or learn to play) a musical instrument.

- Obedience train your dog, or teach him tricks.

- Linger over dinner or dessert.

- Have more dinner parties with friends.

- Start a bookclub.

- Sit on your front porch and chat with the neighbors or simply watch the world go by.

- Plan a vacation.

- Stargaze.

- Call a friend.

- Do a crossword, or a Sudoku puzzle.