Napiers hosting event for old-school parents | Free News

OSPREY hatched to encourage childhoods free of social media

“Home Town” stars Ben and Erin Napier want parents to tune in to their hit show on HGTV. But they are pushing for children to tune out social media and tune in to the real world while they are developing.

That’s the mission of OSPREY — Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth. They’re hosting the Old School Festival starting at 9 a.m. Saturday at their shops, Laurel Mercantile Co. and Scotsman General Store. There will be workshops for kids in gardening, art, music and even woodworking with Ben. In other words, “real-world engagement,” Erin Napier said.

The all-day event, sponsored by C-Spire, is for adults and children. Expert panelists Dr. Catherine and Taylor Sledge will have presentations for parents on how to raise engaged, creative low-tech kids in the social-media age. They are experts on children’s psychiatry and adolescent development and are co-founders of OSPREY.

The goal of the grassroots organization the Napiers started last summer is to keep kids off of social media until they graduate from high school.

“Research tells us social media is as addictive and destructive for developing brains as any drug,” Erin Napier said. “Through OSPREY, we’re working to foster an environment for kids to be social — without social media.”

The festival will also feature live music and workshops for woodworking with Ben Napier, art with Adam Trest and gardening with Emily Grohovsky and music with Thomas Steinwinder.

Tickets range from $10-$20 and include a Chic-Fil-A box lunch and a donation to OSPREY. Ticket-holders are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to make a day of it.

Tickets are available at www.ospreykids.com/events.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbHAnZyrZZOWua16wqikaKaVrMBwstGenJimlazAcLrAqaCeqqNitbC%2F06KloGWVq7KvwIyfpqtln6Gxbr%2FCoaaopF2lrrOxza2qaJmiqbakuMSYm59sYJiGcX6MnZmfm11mfqaxjHFwmp1dlrN2hcGbaXBsZW6Fb7TTpqM%3D