A Brief Introduction to KidsOffTheCouch.com

Staying connected to today's busy kids who are balancing school, sports and social schedules, is a challenge most parents face. Two Middle School moms have launched a website, www.kidsofftthecouch.com that gives parents great ideas for creating family time beyond soccer games and birthday parties. Sarah Bowman and Diane Shakin have spent years exploring the city with their kids, but what makes their ideas unique is that each of their adventures is inspired by a fantastic film. After screening “A Secret Garden”, they explored a real secret garden at The Descanso Gardens in Pasadena. After watching All The President's Men with their Sixth graders, they toured the Los Angeles Times' printing facility and learned how the paper arrives on our doorsteps each morning.

Every week, Kids Off The Couch introduces families to a new film and adventure, but also provides plenty of details for parents to go beyond the basics. For example, the moms suggest conversation starters about each film: “Freaky Friday” is a perfect conduit for discussing body image with pre-teen girls and “Goal: The Dream Begins” opened the floodgates to a conversation with young boys about the ambition and opportunities available to immigrants in Los Angeles and the U.S. In addition, Kids Off The Couch offers up book lists that relate to each film contributed weekly by “The Center For Excellence in Education", Lucy Rafael.  If the adventure involves watching E.T. and visiting the planetarium, parents will find a well-edited selection of books on space - appropriate for kids in pre-school, elementary school and middle schoolers.

While it may sound unusual to advocate getting on the couch to get kids to unplug, Sarah and Diane insist that film opens the door to culture and family discussions. After a long week, it's cozy to flop on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch a film that makes everyone happy. From husbands to grandparents, family film night has become a cherished part of these moms' family life. As the two moms are fond of saying, "sometimes you've got ON the couch with your kids - to get OFF the couch!"

Since launching the site, they have written about nearly 100 film and adventure pairings they've road-tested with their families. Past adventures are listed in the Archives section of the site, and if parents sign-up, they'll receive a free, e-mail every week with a fresh idea to get kids off the couch and into their world.