KAILUA — Hannah Skaggs is only 8 years old, but she's already aware of the benefits of turning off the television and is intent on convincing other children to do the same.

With a $500 grant from Do Something, the Windward Adventist School third-grader is visiting various O'ahu schools and offering gift cards as incentive to stop watching TV, using computers and playing video games for a single day. Her No Screen Day project is set for Aug. 30.

"We discovered at home that after we turned off the TV, me and my brother didn't fight as much," Hannah said after making a pitch to fourth-grade students at Waldorf School this week. "We fight about everything."

Hannah said life at home is a lot better when she's not fighting with her 6-year-old brother, Stephen, who has been helping with the project.

Do Something, a nationwide nonprofit organization that encourages young people to pursue community-service efforts, obtained funding for the project from GameStop, touted as the largest video-game retailer in the world.

"The funny part is GameStop sells video, GameBoy and screen stuff — and they sponsored me for No Screen Day," Hannah said, adding that she couldn't say for sure why but suspects the company is made up of parents who recognize the value of children playing outside rather than sitting in front of a screen.

GameStop and Do Something could not be reached for comment, but Do Something's Web site, www.dosomething.org, lists 30 GameStop projects, including Hannah's.

The girl also is seeking gift- card donations from businesses that support her project.

Hannah's first presentation at Waldorf was before a class of students who already limit their TV time. Of the more than dozen students in the class, nine said they don't watch TV during the week. Five of the students said they didn't have television in their homes.

Winslow Eliot, school community development director, said limiting television viewing and computer use is a policy as well as a philosophy of education at Waldorf, especially in the lower grades. TV can rob young children of opportunities to be involved in everyday family activities such as preparing meals, Eliot said.

"We show them how to do that, how to participate, play and imitate," Eliot said. "They are so much healthier and so much calmer."

Hannah has confirmed invitations to visit five other schools. At some she will address large assemblies. While the girl finds public speaking to be the most challenging aspect of the project, her mother, Dawn Skaggs, said Hannah is making strides.

"I've been so surprised, because every time she speaks to somebody, she looks at me less and less and speaks up about her idea more and more," Dawn Skaggs said.

Mother and daughter discovered the grant opportunity by accident while searching for information about contributing teddy bears to flood victims, said Dawn Skaggs, adding that she doesn't let her children surf the Internet alone.

Dawn Skaggs said she often teams up with her "highly opinionated" daughter to find positive outlets for the girl's high-energy personality. "She really thrives on having ongoing projects," Skaggs said. "She's very action-oriented."

Hannah said she has dreamed up a more sweeping goal for her No Screen Day project. "I wanted to one day get the nation — like the whole country, everyone would do it — not just kids," she said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.