Screen Time Social: NYC Tech Expo for Families This Weekend

2/23/16 - By Stephanie Ogozalek

Is there a parent that doesn't struggle with finding the right screen time balance for their kids? We haven't met one yet. A new tech family expo, Screen Time Social, will address this digital age challenge on Sunday with maker sessions for kids and seminars for parents at the Jewish Heritage museum in lower Manhattan.

With expert panels, as well as hands-on maker workshops for all ages, the expo is designed for parents and kids to experience together and find a balance between encouraging necessary (and fun!) tech skills and finding time to unplug. Kids can attend for FREE, and we've got a ticket discount to pass on to parents. Read on for all the details.

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Organized by our friends at Brooklyn Based, the expo's slate of hands-on STEM-inspired workshops, includes fun for preschoolers to teens and parents, including 3D printing, Minecraft, Makey Makey and littleBits electronics. Meanwhile parents can attend sessions on understanding a toddler's attention span to picking out the best mobile apps for developing brains. Classrooms will be stocked with crayons and paper to keep little ones busy, while older kids are encouraged to engage in discussions and Q&As, as well as maker workshops throughout the day. Parents can also enjoy demos of latest hi-tech parenting gear.

See the full Screen Time Social schedule here, but we've also picked out some highlights below.

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A Media Breaker demo will school teens and parents on how to critique the media they consume. Photo courtesy of The Lamp.

Speaker Highlights

  • Discover the effect of screen time on early child development during a pair of short talks by Kristelle Lavallee from Center on Media and Child Health.
     
  • Find out which educational apps are best for children with BrainPOP's Jessica Millstone.
     
  • Develop media literacy skills and learn how to decode the messages in commercials and videos with Media Breaker.
     
  • Grab your preteen and attend a discussion together on navigating screen time, social media and texting led by radio host Kateri Jochum. She'll be joined by Kristelle Lavallee, Nancy Jo Sales, author of just released American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers and Brian Cohen, founder of NYC's Beam Center and Beam Camp.

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Test out 3D Printing with 3D Roundhouse. Photo courtesy of 3D Roundhouse.

Hands-On Activity Highlights

  • Learn how Minecraft is being used as an educational tool around the world (it's more than just slaying zombies!) with video game designer and educator Steve Isaacs and his daughter Leila.
     
  • Work on open-ended maker projects with NYC's own Beam Center.
     
  • Participate in hands-on robotics workshops using Lego Mindstorm with BK Bots.
     
  • Explore 3D printing with 3D Roundhouse, a software platform and printing tool created for parents and kids.

 

Screen Time Social takes place on Sunday, February 28, from 11am-3pm at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at 36 Battery Place. Admission is $15 for adults (add $5 for the teen panel), FREE for children 18 and under. Mommy Poppins readers get $5 off admission; enter Mommypoppins at check out. RSVP on the Screen Time Social Facebook page to score an extra entry. Bonus: All advance ticket purchasers will be entered into a raffle to win sweet hi-tech goodies. 

Top image courtesy Minecraft.

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