We all know that sitting in front of the TV all day isn’t so great for us. There’s nothing wrong with catching the occasional episode of your favorite show or family movie night, but most people watch a ton of television.

According to the TV Turnoff Network, while average kids spend about 900 hours in school every year, they spend 1,500 watching TV. 66% of families eat dinner while they watch TV, and 70% of daycares use TVs in an average day. That’s a lot of passive activity.

All of the research about TV watching and altered views of reality, consumerism, violence, obesity and other ill effects aside, the reason so much TV-watching bothers me is that it’s time that could be spent learning, sharing experiences, getting fit, and I don’t know—living! If you’re an adult it’s your own prerogative to watch as much boob tube as you want, but kids should be given a chance to play, explore and develop critical thinking skills rather than have the TV as their babysitter.

That said, every adult could probably use a bit of time away from the TV, too. So for this week’s Turn Off Your TV Week, how about exchanging your normal TV time for something else? Here are some ideas for alternate activities. Be sure to add your own and note how your Turn Off the TV Week went.

• Play outside. Most kids love to—and if they don’t, introduce them to nature. Take a walk or a hike, catch a bug and release it, or just go to the park and hang out.
• Get into a sport. When was the last time you tossed around a ball, went biking, or bowled with your friends?
• Learn a new recipe. Make it a family activity: shop for the ingredients together, and make an awesome homemade meal.
• Reenact the show you normally watch. Like CSI? Play CSI, having each person draw a role out of  hat and act it out—without telling who they are—and everyone must find out who the rest of the players are. From movies to reality shows, you can have a lot of fun getting into your own drama—or write your own.
• Play games. Let a different family member choose one each night.
• Make homemade Halloween costumes. Every family member could have his or her own night where everyone helps out on his or her costume—or everyone could simply work on their costumes together every night.