Five Fun Things to do at Grandma's

Being a Grandma is the very best thing that could happen to you, unless you are a Grandpa.

I love having the grandchildren over and it is important to keep them busy and having fun.  There are so many different things to do with your grandchildren but if you are looking for some ideas on how to have fun with your grandchildren, without spending lots of money, here are a FIVE GREAT IDEAS.

Different seasons bring different things to do with your grandchildren but these ideas are generic and can be done during any season.  In the summer time there is much more to do which would include: going to the park, going to the zoo, going to the lake or beach, watching a baseball game or you could even go fishing.  In the winter, our grandchildren love to go sliding or ice skating and if you are in pretty good health you can enjoy these outdoor sports right along with them

The ideas here are for being inside;  So, if it is cold and blowing snow or raining cats and dogs you might find some of these ideas useful for entertaining your grandchildren.

There are some for every age

Board games are great fun and fairly inexpensive. You can pick a new game up every month so you have a good variety on hand.

One of our favorites is the game SORRY. It is easy to play so that even the youngest child can play with his or her siblings, of course grandma has to play too. This game encourages counting as you move your man around the board and on some of the cards are different instructions so reading is a plus for those grandchildren that are just learning to read.

Another favorite is called RACKO. This game should probably be played by children age 8 and up. It requires some thinking and lining your cards up from lowest to highest. It can be played with up to 4 players or as little as 2 players. When you get your cards lined up from lowest to highest you should out RACKO, which is always fun.

We also play a lot of card games with the granchildren and the one they most often request to play is WAR. Even the youngest of children can learn this game. It also helps the young child to learn his numbers. But just a warning, once you teach them this game that's the first thing they will want to do when the walk in the house. Grandma can we play war?

Another great card game is UNO. There are many versions on the market but they all play the same and our grandchldren love it. It is a fast moving game, at one moment you can be down to your last card and the next thing you know you have a handful. Give it a try.

There are a lot of board games on the market. Give some a try. I'm sure you will find a favorite in no time at all.

Note: If you are picking up grandchildren and have to spend some time in the car trying playing some sight games. We do this to help pass some of the time and before you know it we are home. Some of the things we do: If you are in the country you could look for farm animals and assign points to each animal. For example; a cow is worth 1 point, a horse is worth 5 points and a goat is worth 10 points. If you are in the city or highway with lots of vehicles you could look for different colored vehicles. A white care is worth 1 point, a yellow truck is worth 5 points and a pink VW is worth 100 points. Well, you get the idea and it is something children of all ages can participate in. Have fun!

Keep some board games in the house. Make some snacks and sit around the kitchen table. Make some memories with your grandchildren.

I love a good comedy

Movie nights are always lots of fun. Part of making movie night so special isn't really about the movie but what leads up to the movie.

First you need to select a movie. If you have more than one grandchild for movie night that can be a big problem. It is hard to get two children to agree on one movie and if you have more than two grandchildren it can be almost impossible. The solution is to make a game out of it. Get a piece of paper, write the name of all the movies that want to be seen, put the names in a jar and have grandpa draw one out. VOILA, problem solved.

Next is the food. Popcorn, pretzels or potato chips? Our family is a popcorn family and not the microwave kind but the real deal with real butter and real salt. So we make a huge batch of popcorn, lots of napkins and fruit juice or sugar free sodas.

Of course the type of drink will depend largely on the age of the grandchild.

Then the furniture in the room. Everyone needs to see the TV and some want to be on the floor. So, to solve this problem we move all the the furniture around so that each sofa or chair can see the movie without any problems and we put a big blanket down in front of the TV set so if anyone wants to lay on the floor they can.

Dim the lights, it is movie time.

Grandma, you can color too!

Take everything off the kitchen table or clear a spot on the floor and get out the crayons, scissors and glue. Clay can also be a lot of fun and children love working with their hands. Children love to be creative. So let those creative juices flow.

In the Summer, just before school starts and Walmart, Meijers and K-Mart have the back to school specials I really stock up. I get crayons, scissors, glue, rulers and markers. Also, lots of paper, folders and stickers. Watch the sale aisles after a holiday, you'll be surprised how they mark down some of these items. I also have coffee filters, and cup cake papers and pipe cleaners. Watch the sales Grandma's and also the Dollar Stores are great places to get these types of supplies.

Children will spend hours creating and drawing and I have fun too.

This not only makes a great gift for your grandchild, it is a great Bible to have in your home when the grandchildren do a "sleepover" at your house. What better story to read before bedtime than the Bible.

Okay grandma, if you can still sit on a horse this would be a great way to spend an afternoon with the grandchildren. Rembember, it is all about making memories.

Fun and Food

This is my favorite thing to do with the grandchildren. We have made everything from cakes, pies, cookies, brownies and homemade noodles for chicken noodle soup.

As a mom, I always had the children decorate Christmas cookies and they always enjoyed that but as a working mom I never wanted to do much more than that in the kitchen with my children. Too messy! I regret that now and wish I had spent more time in the kitchen with them.

It doesn't have to be complicated. Start out with Rice Krispie Treats or a brownie mix, but bake something. The food even tastes better knowing they had a hand in preparing it.

If your grandchildren like chocolate, and I don't know many that don't, here is an easy recipe you'll all love, Make sure you have some vanilla ice cream in the house! It's called Hot Fudge Brownies.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons salad or vegetable oil ( I use olive oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/ 3/4 cup hot, very hot but from the tap, water

In ungreased pan, 9 x 9 or 9 x 13, mix flour, sugar, cocoa (2 tablespoons), bakng powder and salt. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Sprinkle brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa over your batter (distribute as evenly as possible). Pour the hot water over your brown sugar and cocoa.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes.

You can serve warm or cold but it is best with vanilla ice cream. You see the hot water, brown sugar and cocoa make a fudge sauce that ends up on the bottom with the cake on top. You'll love it and so will your grandchildren.

No matter what season

Have you ever strolled hand in hand with a child? It can be enlightening. You never know what kind of conversation you will have. But whatever is said I am sure that laughter will be part of the experience.

It really doesn't matter what the season as long as you get outside and look at God's handiwork. The beautiful flowers and trees in the Summer, the wonderful colors of the leaves in the Fall, new buds and blossoms in the Spring and even the snowflakes in the Winter. Maybe you'll have time to make a snowman!

Maybe you have a park near your house or a walking path or even in the woods behind the house. It doesn't really matter as long as you are spending time with your grandchildren. And, if you have a dog, take him along too.

If you could take your grandchildren on vacation and money was no opject, where would you go?

Board games were a rage way back in the good old days :) My favorite was Scrabble.