A screen free afternoon · Guide
A screen free afternoon in Landis: the practical guide
Written for the parent doing the planning rather than the child doing the asking.
The feedback loop is the same one games use - do a thing, see a result, adjust - except it happens with hands, in a room, with other people watching.
Coming in from Landis with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
What it actually is
Nobody has to ban anything. Children put the phone down on their own when the alternative is better.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Who it suits
What replaces a screen has to be more interesting than a screen, which rules out most of the obvious answers. A machine a child actually controls is one of the few that works.
Screen free is easy to say on a Saturday morning and hard to do by two in the afternoon.
What to expect
The feedback loop is the same one games use - do a thing, see a result, adjust - except it happens with hands, in a room, with other people watching.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Before you go
Nobody has to ban anything. Children put the phone down on their own when the alternative is better.
What replaces a screen has to be more interesting than a screen, which rules out most of the obvious answers. A machine a child actually controls is one of the few that works.
Questions parents ask
Is there screen time involved?
The machines are levers and cables. The ice is ice.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Planning your visit in Landis
If you are coming from Landis, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Weekends bring more of Landis out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.