Unplug & Play Announcements
** = interactive class discussion announcements
Announcement 1:
Unplug & Play is coming! It will take place on ____________ to ___________. This year’s goal is
to decrease the amount of time you spend in front of screens, while increasing the amount of
physical activity you do every day. Plan on taking part and stay tuned for more information.
Announcement 2:
Unplug & Play is coming to our school on ______________. You will be encouraged to spend
less time watching TV, playing on your computer, video games, smart phone or tablets and to step
outside and play with family and friends. You will have the chance to track your screen time so you
know when you have reached the limit for screen time for your age group. In order to stay healthy,
children need to be active at least 60 minutes a day! So start moving and get your heart pumping!
Stay tuned tomorrow to learn how much screen time is too much for your age.
Announcement 3:
Here’s an Unplug & Play question! How much time is too much time, when it comes to sitting in
front screens? It all depends on how old you are. If you are 3 or 4 years old, experts say to spend
less than one hour. If you are 5 – 17 years old, you should spend no more than 2 hours per
day. Just think! If we listen to what the experts say, reducing our screen time will give us more time
to play!
Unplug & Play starts ________________. For 7 days, students will record the time they spend
watching TV, playing video games, on the computer, smart phones or tablets. The goal is to
reduce the time spent in front of screens and increase your physical activity to at least 60 minutes
a day. You don’t have to do this all at once. Break it up into 5 or 10 minute time periods
throughout the day. It adds up quickly! Play hard enough to get your heart really beating! Regular
physical activity helps keep us healthy, happy, alert and ready to learn.
** Announcement 4:
Did you know? Too much screen time can affect your health and how you feel on a daily basis.
With your class, discuss what you think some of the effects of too much screen time can have on
your health? Tomorrow morning, we will share some of the effects too much screens have. When
we say Unplug and Play, it doesn’t just mean playing games. Running, skipping, hopping,
jumping, and throwing are ways of being physically active too. Bending and stretching every day
also helps to keep you body flexible so that you can do lots of different activities.
Following morning: Yesterday we asked you to discuss in your class some of the health effects of
too much screen time. Too much screen time can take away from the time you spend sleeping.
And when your tired, it can affect your learning and how you perform in school. It also increases
your chance of developing diseases such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes, and leaves less
time for active and creative play. For a healthy mind and body, keep moving! Don’t forget to
Unplug & Play!
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Announcement 5:
By putting down your electronic devices and getting up and moving, it will help you achieve the
right balance of sleep, exercise and screen time. The Canada’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines
recommend that kids ages 5-17 get at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity, as
well as several hours of light physical activity, 9-11 hours of uninterrupted sleep and no more than
2 hours per day of recreational screen time. Therefore, if you turned 1 hr of your screen time into
real play, EVERY day, you would be active enough to meet the 60 minutes of moderate to
vigourous activity. This week Unplug and Play and have a healthy 24 hours each day!
Announcement 6:
Did you know that active children learn better, feel happier, are less stressed and are building
strong bodies? You can be more active by cutting down on screen time. This is easier than you
think. Start by walking to school with a friend or family member. Instead of watching TV after
school, why not call a friend and play outside. Today is the first day of Unplug and Play! Let’s plan
on doing it!
** Announcement 7:
Today is the 2rd day of Unplug & Play. Doing more daily physical activity and less screen time is
easy. Here’s one way! Decrease your time in front of the television or computer by 30 minutes
every day. If you reduce your screen time by 30 minutes every day this week, how many minutes
more minutes would you be active this week? Have a class discussion to figure this out and we
will review the answer on tomorrow’s announcements.
Following morning: Yesterday we asked, if you reduce your screen time by 30 minutes every day
this week, how many minutes more would you be active this week? If you and your class
answered 3 ½ hours or 210 minutes, you were correct. If you spent 3 ½ hours less on a screen
that means you had 3 ½ more hours to enjoy active play. Set a half hour aside every night with
your family to do something together. Go to the park or get a game going with kids in your
neighbourhood like tag or kick the can. There are many things you can do. What ideas do you
have?
Announcement 8:
Did you know…?
A great way to be more active is to walk or ride your bike to school. Walking or biking to school is
the perfect opportunity for you and your parents/guardian and friends to get outside together and
stretch those legs! Walk to school or at school for daily physical activity, a healthier environment,
safer streets, making friends and ... best of all having fun! Walking is the simplest form of exercise
and will help you get those 60 minutes of daily physical activity you need. Gather up a group and
walk or bike to school together.
Announcement 9:
We all love our computers, tablets, video games, smart phone and television. These things can be
fun and educational too, but to have a healthy body we all need to be active. Have you been
keeping track of your screen time? Have you increased the time you spend being physically
active? Just because the last day of Unplug & Play is _____________ don’t let that stop you from
unplugging and playing. Continue to step away from the screens and be active every day.
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Announcement 10:
Congratulations to everyone who participated in Unplug & Play!! I hope you had fun being active
and learned how much time is too much screen time. Please return your log sheet to your
homeroom teacher by _______________. And remember to continue to Unplug & Play every
day!
Announcement 11:
Unplug & Play may be finished but that doesn’t mean you have to return to old habits.
Remember how much fun you had last week. Keep up the good work and remember to be active
every day. Play hard enough to get your heart really beating! Today is the last day to hand in your
log sheets to your homeroom teacher.
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