I Ditched Screen Time For Frogs, Forts, & Fireflies
By Shannon Hodson
I am showing the children a friendly garter snake that is often spotted in the compost pile.
I grew up outside: climbing trees, riding bikes, playing hide-and-seek, and cartwheeling through sprinklers. I’d spend hours on my porch playing “house,” lost in the joy of make-believe. My childhood was free, full of wonder, and limitless.
When my daughter was born in 2011, I carried this love forward. She joined me for wildflower hikes, gardening, and picnicking before she could walk. Eventually, my now-husband joined our adventures and introduced us to lake life, camping, boating, and building fires under the stars.
Year after year, our family embraced the outdoors. But, I saw the world around us was changing fast.
I am educating campers on how to handle a chicken.
The Digital Shift in CNY
In 2019, I volunteered at my daughter’s school and saw how digital life had reshaped childhood. As I helped with an activity, I noticed that many third graders listed “video games” as their favorite hobby and “YouTuber” as their dream career. Rare were aspirations of becoming doctors, teachers, veterinarians, or firefighters.
Technology has its place, but I noticed that it was becoming all-consuming. I had to do something.
Then, the pandemic hit. Families were confined indoors, and screens became essential for school, socialization, and entertainment. The habits became harder to break.
This crisis wasn’t just about screen time. It was about mental health, social skills development, and the loss of childhood experiences that once shaped resilience and creativity. The problems created at this time wouldn’t disappear on their own. In fact, a 2025 Gallup poll showed that more than 4 in 10 parents still feel that the pandemic negatively impacted their children.
My daughter Natalie with our chickens Carlie and Frappuccino.
Spreading the Unplugged Message
In 2023, my husband suggested hosting an “unplugged” program at Rose Cherry Farm, the homestead that our family had built together from the ground up.
My daughter had picked the farm’s name, capturing the beauty and promise of what we were building. We don’t have that many cherries or roses, but we have a haven filled with beloved chickens, a frog pond, wildflowers, wooded trails, a garden house, and even a zipline! There’s plenty of space for kids to breathe again.
And so, Kids Unplugged CNY was born that summer, and I welcomed children to the farm for outdoor adventures.
After overwhelming enthusiasm from families, I expanded the program last year, and more than 80 children experienced the joy of unplugged play: catching frogs, crafting with natural materials, feeding chickens, exploring the meadow, and embracing free play in the wide-open spaces.
In the coming months, our newest venture will be to introduce an Adults Unplugged program featuring yoga, hiking, craft stations, and mini-sessions on intentional unplugging. After all, if we expect kids to embrace life beyond screens, we must lead by example.
Real-World Rewards
Unplugging isn’t just about stepping away from screens; it’s about reconnecting with each other and ourselves. One of the most rewarding outcomes has been how Kids Unplugged CNY shaped my own daughter. Although she still enjoys her allotted 45 minutes of screen time most days, she now craves outdoor exploration even more. She dreams of starting an unplugged preschool or unplugged babysitting, and she has created her own workbook to bring her ideas to life. Unplugging has taught her to develop new goals.
I know that my vision might feel impossible to some families, but you don’t need to change your whole life to capture the moments I’m describing. You can do it on your own, for free, with just a few simple shifts. Start with small rules like “no devices at the dinner table” or “tablets stay out of bedrooms.” Create breaks from screens by making time for things that feel good: a walk through the neighborhood, picking up leaves or rocks, stargazing, building a fort, or drawing with sidewalk chalk. Even tired kids don’t always need a show. Sometimes what they need most is a blanket, a book, or a snuggle. The goal isn’t to banish screens completely. It’s to make space for calm, curiosity, and connection— one unplugged moment at a time.
Shannon’s Bio:
Shannon Hodson founded Kids Unplugged CNY in 2023. Most programming takes place at her homestead in Baldwinsville where she lives with her husband Tim, bonus daughter Kaitlyn, daughter Natalie, three dogs, four cats and 25 chickens. Find her at kidsunpluggedcny.com or on Facebook and Instagram.