A screen free afternoon · First time
A screen free afternoon in Madison: what happens the first time
The first time is the one that decides whether there is a second time, so it is worth getting right.
Screen free is easy to say on a Saturday morning and hard to do by two in the afternoon.
For a Madison family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
The first ten minutes
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.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
What children do first
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.
What usually goes wrong
Screen free is easy to say on a Saturday morning and hard to do by two in the afternoon.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
Making the second visit better
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.
Nobody has to ban anything. Children put the phone down on their own when the alternative is better.
Questions parents ask
Is there screen time involved?
The machines are levers and cables. The ice is ice.
What are the opening hours?
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
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 Madison
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Madison. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
If you are coming from Madison, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.