Turn off the TV and take a hike

By: An editorial of the Mooresville Tribune | Mooresville Tribune
Published: April 15, 2009

Next week is National Turn Off the TV Week. Why is that significant? Consider these statistics about excessive TV watching, provided by the Center for Screen-Time Awareness:

*The average child watches 1,680 minutes of television each week, and 20,000 30-second commercials each year.

*Parents spend an average of 38.5 minutes a week in meaningful conversation with their children.

*Fifty percent of children ages 6-17 have TV's in their bedrooms.

*Sixty-six percent of Americans regularly watch television while eating dinner.

So, we can't think of a better reason to grab the kids, get out of the house and take a hike amid nature – whether at Lake Norman State Park, Latta Plantation Nature Preserve in Huntersville, Mooresville's Bellingham Park or just around your own neighborhood.

At nearby Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, two evening hikes on the Audubon Trail may be of special interest. They are Monday, April 20, and Thursday, April 23, from 6-7:30 p.m. The hikes are free, but you should call Latta for details at 704-875-1391.

Where you go, however, isn't what's important. Turning off the TV for a while is.