An Oakland library has started lending out sports equipment and games alongside books, so families can borrow gear to use at nearby parks. It is a reminder that borrowing and lending between families is a simple way to fill a summer afternoon without a screen, while quietly modelling generosity and humility. We are out of practice at asking, but the person on the other end is usually glad to help.
Cutting to the chase, my blog today is about a move that is simple in concept but a bit challenging to implement. It is lending and borrowing. And summer is the perfect time to do this. I'll explain some of the benefits and why I think the goodness is exponential. But first, a story.
This week, Lisa, my film partner, shared a wonderful story with me from the SF GATE about a library in Oakland, California, that has launched a new lending program. Kids and families can borrow sports equipment, games, and other items to use at nearby parks, just like checking out a library book. How cool is that!
There are so many positives about this move, including helping enable youth to have new ways to move and play, bringing them together near the library, and getting them to the library (a new summer read?). Also, the best way to reduce screen time is to find other activities to fill kids’ free time, and getting them out to play a game is a great parenting move.
The story has a personal resonance for me because I know the joy that a piece of sports gear can bring to a kid's development. I grew up on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. One side of my small house was next to a Straw Hat Pizza parking lot. I used the parking lot wall to teach myself how to play tennis. I was so glad to have that racket and a couple of balls.
(BTW, the Berkeley library system has had a long-running tool lending program, also an awesome idea. Just today, a Berkeley friend told me her partner goes there all the time to borrow tools!)
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You might not have anything come to mind that you want to borrow or lend to another family. That is where you may want to brainstorm with an adult friend about something you could borrow or swap, like a new little sports game. Maybe they have a Pro Kadima paddle set (a game I love) which truly is out of stock in some places. Or maybe you have a Spikeball set, and you could lend that.
I say this because so much good comes from these acts of exchange, as I mentioned above. It is all about the ripple effect. All of that goodness can carry forward as other families are inspired to do the same.
What I really love about all of this is the in-person connection that happens.
We are not a culture that lends and borrows much anymore, so this goes against the grain. Yes, I know services like Nextdoor and others were created to help with this, and some communities make it work well. But there are still barriers.
It is so easy to go to Amazon rather than think we might "bother" someone by asking to borrow something. Yet so often, the other person is happy to help. In that simple exchange, a connection is made.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Register your interest in bringing our new movie to your school or community
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Cutting to the chase, my blog today is about a move that is simple in concept but a bit challenging to implement. It is lending and borrowing. And summer is the perfect time to do this. I'll explain some of the benefits and why I think the goodness is exponential. But first, a story.
This week, Lisa, my film partner, shared a wonderful story with me from the SF GATE about a library in Oakland, California, that has launched a new lending program. Kids and families can borrow sports equipment, games, and other items to use at nearby parks, just like checking out a library book. How cool is that!
There are so many positives about this move, including helping enable youth to have new ways to move and play, bringing them together near the library, and getting them to the library (a new summer read?). Also, the best way to reduce screen time is to find other activities to fill kids’ free time, and getting them out to play a game is a great parenting move.
The story has a personal resonance for me because I know the joy that a piece of sports gear can bring to a kid's development. I grew up on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. One side of my small house was next to a Straw Hat Pizza parking lot. I used the parking lot wall to teach myself how to play tennis. I was so glad to have that racket and a couple of balls.
(BTW, the Berkeley library system has had a long-running tool lending program, also an awesome idea. Just today, a Berkeley friend told me her partner goes there all the time to borrow tools!)
You might not have anything come to mind that you want to borrow or lend to another family. That is where you may want to brainstorm with an adult friend about something you could borrow or swap, like a new little sports game. Maybe they have a Pro Kadima paddle set (a game I love) which truly is out of stock in some places. Or maybe you have a Spikeball set, and you could lend that.
I say this because so much good comes from these acts of exchange, as I mentioned above. It is all about the ripple effect. All of that goodness can carry forward as other families are inspired to do the same.
What I really love about all of this is the in-person connection that happens.
We are not a culture that lends and borrows much anymore, so this goes against the grain. Yes, I know services like Nextdoor and others were created to help with this, and some communities make it work well. But there are still barriers.
It is so easy to go to Amazon rather than think we might "bother" someone by asking to borrow something. Yet so often, the other person is happy to help. In that simple exchange, a connection is made.
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Cutting to the chase, my blog today is about a move that is simple in concept but a bit challenging to implement. It is lending and borrowing. And summer is the perfect time to do this. I'll explain some of the benefits and why I think the goodness is exponential. But first, a story.
This week, Lisa, my film partner, shared a wonderful story with me from the SF GATE about a library in Oakland, California, that has launched a new lending program. Kids and families can borrow sports equipment, games, and other items to use at nearby parks, just like checking out a library book. How cool is that!
There are so many positives about this move, including helping enable youth to have new ways to move and play, bringing them together near the library, and getting them to the library (a new summer read?). Also, the best way to reduce screen time is to find other activities to fill kids’ free time, and getting them out to play a game is a great parenting move.
The story has a personal resonance for me because I know the joy that a piece of sports gear can bring to a kid's development. I grew up on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. One side of my small house was next to a Straw Hat Pizza parking lot. I used the parking lot wall to teach myself how to play tennis. I was so glad to have that racket and a couple of balls.
(BTW, the Berkeley library system has had a long-running tool lending program, also an awesome idea. Just today, a Berkeley friend told me her partner goes there all the time to borrow tools!)
E-readers are convenient, but there are three reasons to lean toward paper books this summer. First, e-readers are screens, and the pull of everything else you could do on one makes it harder to stay immersed. Second, a large meta-analysis found people understand and remember slightly better on paper, especially with longer texts. Third, easy access to endless book samples makes it too tempting to jump ship rather than work through the slower parts, since reading, unlike TikTok, is about delayed gratification.
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Summer's wide open hours raise two perennial questions: how to reset screen time once the school-year structure disappears, and how to fill the freed-up days with things that are good for kids and parents alike. This week rounds up seven favorite past summer posts to help with both.
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Hobbies offer benefits at every age, from helping children build a sense of self to giving retirees a renewed sense of purpose. The word traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse, later evolving into today's meaning of a pastime pursued for its own sake. Parents can spark interest by sharing their own hobby histories, building a family-history hobby list, and trying new activities together. Summer is an ideal time to lean into offline hobbies as an antidote to screen saturation.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
