It never ceases to amaze me just many creative people there are in the world.  Like my nephew’s wife, Stephanie.  She did a little activity for my daughter-in-law, Lisa, that I thought was spectacularly fun.  So I wanted to share it here (of course) so that you, my Dear Readers, could learn about it and adapt it for an activity to do with your grandchildren.

Here is what Lisa found recently when she came home from doing a wee bit o’ shopping. (Make sure you click on the pictures to see a larger version.)

	This is what she found on her front porch.  The sign on the string said, “Follow me.” So she did.  Around to the side of the house and into the back yard.
	She followed it around and around the backyard, from bush, to nook, to cranny.
	Occasionally, the string held a special treasure.

This activity made her day!

So take this idea, twist it on it’s head, and turn it into something that you can do with grandchildren. What do you get? Why, a party on a string, that’s what!

If you have only two or three grandchildren, you could have them do this activity together as a group.  If you have  more, divide them into teams.  You’ll have to make different sets of treasures on a string so that there is one set to follow for each group.  You might want to make sure that you have different colors of string so that it will make it easier for the groups to follow their own string.

It might be wise to do this in a big area if you have very many groups.  That way, the yarn from the different groups wouldn’t be overlapping very much.  (If the string did over lap, it might become a frustrating tangled knot for the grandkids — and grandmother!)

This could be a just-because activity.  Or, it could be a fun birthday party for a grandchild.  Or, you could adapt it for holidays by having holiday themed special treasures (i.e. patriotic things for the 4th of July, Halloween things for a Halloween party, etc.).  You could also do this inside the house.  Wherever it’s held, it will be fun for grandchildren.

To top it off, you’ve just GOT to have some treat to eat.  (Of course.  Food = grandma.  At least that was the math that I learned in school . . .)  You might want to have S’more cookies, or Rollo Candy Treats, or Peanut Butter Cup Bars.

Or, you can stay tuned for my next posting to learn how to make a treat that is absolutely a scream!  (I’m just dying — I can’t wait to make them!!!)

Make it a great day!

Do your grandchildren love stuffed animals?  If so, here’s a fun idea of a little something that you could make and give to a grandchild.

Now, I’m assuming that you can sew a simple straight line.  Nothing fancy.  Just plain straight stitching.  Can you do that?  Good.

The idea is to sew a pocket on a pillowcase where a small stuffed animal can ’sleep’ while your grandchild sleeps.

Get a pillowcase and sew some matching material on the open end to extend it in length.  On the extension, sew on a pocket in a contrasting fabric pattern that is big enough to hold a small stuffed animal.

Here’s a picture to show you what the finished pillowcase will look like.

You can give the stuffed animal and pillowcase to a grandchild as a birthday present, a Christmas present, a Buzzard’s Day present (yes, folks, that’s a real holiday — on March 15), or a just-because-I-love-you present.

If your grandchild is old enough (I’d say around eight years old or so), you could spend time together picking out material and sewing the pillowcase pocket.

Then, you can have a sleepover party with your grandchild, her pocket pal, you, and Grandpa — as long as Grandpa doesn’t snore too bad!

Ever heard about cake pops?? Supposedly, the idea has been circulating out and about the Internet for the past year.  I just learned about them. (My kids tell me all the time that I am S-L-O-W . . .)  These are pictures that Bakerella has taken of her divine creations.  Aren’t these pops just the cat’s meow?

Bakerella has got to be one of the most creative cake pop creators in the universe.  She has also made the cutest ever reindeer pops,  wedding cake pops, rabbit pops, spring chick pops, turkey pops, and voting pops. Why just this very day in honor of Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary, she has shared her Elmo (and friends) cake pops.  Boy howdy!  If you made these for a grandchild’s birthday celebration, you’d be his most-est favorite grandma ever.  I think I’m going to have to retire right now to spend all of my time (trying) to make these fun cake pops — and then eating them.  (I’m sure grandpa would help me out — especially the eating part.)

(We pause here for a commercial break:  You’ve got to check out those little gobbling turkey pops.  Fun, fun fun!!  They would be a hoot to make around Thanksgiving time with your grandchildren.  But, they call for the brown version of candy corn.  Last year when I was looking for some around Thanksgiving, I had a hard time finding any.  So, you might want to start checking out your local stores now so that you will have it on hand for when you need it.  We return you now to our regular scheduled program.)

I’m giving our daughter-in-law a baby shower this Saturday and I’m going to attempt the smiley face cake pops.  They seem to be fairly simple.  Something that I could manage.  Wish me luck . . .

Making cake pops would be a delightful activity to do with grandchildren.  Wouldn’t it be fun for you and your grandchildren to come up with your own designs that you could make together?  Kitchen krafts.  What a yummy idea.  Even if they didn’t turn out as elegant as Bakerella’s, I’m sure they would still be edible.

Maybe it’s a good thing that the New Year is just around the corner so that I can set a goal of losing all of the weight that I have gained just LOOKING at these cake pops . . .

Yesterday on the bus, the lady who sat by me shared what she was doing this week with a grandchild.  She and her husband were doing an ‘Eleven is Heaven’ activity with a grandson.

To celebrate his birthday, this grandson came to stay with his grandparents for a whole week.  They had a myriad of activities (based on the grandson’s interests) all planned out to do.  Since his career goal was being a 3D animator, Grandma was taking him to the animation department on the campus where we work.  He also enjoys the theater so they are going to a local theater’s production of Singing in the Rain.  (My husband and I have seen it and it is fabulous!)

Her goal was to spend one-on-one with this grandson.  Just grandma, grandpa, and him.  No other grandchildren around to take their attention away from him.  They want to start this as a tradition for each grandchild when they turn eleven.

I think this is a terrific idea!  One that I want to establish.  Just gotta wait another 10 years.

You could do the same thing at different ages if you don’t have an eleven-year-old grandchild.  You could do:

• One is Fun
• It’s Great to be Eight
• Nine is Fine
• You’re a Queen (King) at Thirteen (or any other ‘teen’ years)
• On Screen at Fourteen (having the week long activities based around movies and maybe even creating a movie where they are the star)
• Lean Machine at Fifteen (with activities based around fitness or strength such as running a 5K race, doing a rope course, or wall climbing)
• Sweet Sixteen (do girlie things with your granddaughter)
• Mean Machine at Seventeen (where you go to a monster truck show, antique car show, or ride 4-wheelers at the sand dunes)

You can take these theme ideas and adapt them to what is available in your area, what your financial resources can handle, and how much energy you have.  Just keep in mind that if you do it for one grandchild, the other grandchildren will be expecting the same when they turn that age.