I have discovered crayons that you can use to draw on windows.  I am delighted.  We have lots and lots of big windows in our home.  I envisioned having them filled with murals drawn by grandchildren, children, parents (heck, even interested friends and neighbors).

Wouldn’t it be fun to have grandchildren ‘illustrate’ their favorite story or fair tale?  They could draw a scene on one window, continue on the next, and go around all of the windows in the family room and front room.  They could even draw their pictures on the windows in our solarium.

Then, I thought about letting grandchildren draw on windows for holidays, birthdays, when it’s a rainy day.  You could probably even use these crayons on a mirror.  If you are going on a car trip with grandchildren, this might be something that would keep them busily occupied over the miles.

There are two products that you can use.  You can find a set of ten Lyra Wax-O-Glass Window Crayons for $13.00 on Amazon.  They are supposed to easily wipe off with a paper towel.  You might be able to find them in a local craft or art store or where they sell children’s toys and games.  Maybe even an educational type of store.

For a lot less money, there is Crayola’s Washable Window Crayons for $5.00.  There are 8 colors.  You could probably find these in a local Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Shopko store.

After my initial onset of excitement of ideas for using these window crayons, I thought:  What if these grandchildren (and snarky adult neighbors) decided to write on my walls.  What then?  Why, Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser comes to the rescue.

I’ve read some reviews of this product by moms where were not ‘paid actors’ in a commercial.  They were using the eraser on their own walls to get off the crayon scribbles (and also dirt and grime).  Simply put, it works.

So, I’m off to the store to get some of the window crayons — and a few magic erasers!

Grandma Karla sent me a follow up P.S. to the idea of art at grandma’s house. She has such enthusiasm. Such energy. So many ideas. I know that I shouldn’t compare myself to others. But at times like these, the blah-ness of me pales in the sparkling sunshine of the likes of Karla. It’s a good thing that my grandchildren will never know Karla so I won’t have to compete with all of the wonderful things that she does!

Here are her additional ideas that she uses:

• A drawer of scratch paper within easy reach of the children
• A drawer of coloring books
• A file drawer with plain and patterned scrapbook paper in hanging files according to color.
• Plastic shoe box of various flash cards - symbols, learning words, as well as math concepts.

“Organization is the key to enjoying life with grandchildren,” she said. “They tend to fly in, interact, then fly out, so you don’t want to clean up mess after mess, but to be able to do a “quick clean” after they leave.

“I also purchased boxes and filled them with the items (like I mentioned in my previous email) such as crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks and scissors, etc. and gave them to my daughter. She keeps them above the refrigerator. These items can be mailed to a distant child. They are relatively lightweight (except crayons, which could also melt in very hot temperatures while going through the mail). The boxes mailed could even be labeled “Grandma’s Art Box of Colored Pencils” so the far-away grandchild will feel a connection to grandma each time he or she does art work.

“Some studies have indicated that a child who can free-form color has more creativity. Some children however, like the occasional idea of coloring within the lines. In class yesterday (note: remember Karla is a university professor) we had student presentations on art and music in the home. (They were tremendous!) One girl said one of her favorite childhood memories was when her mother would color one side of the coloring book two-page spread and she would color the other. It was a magical bonding time for them. That idea could transfer to grandparents.”

Thanks for sharing these additional thoughts, Karla!

Digi-Gram

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that today’s grandmothers are not the white-haired, gum-soled-shoe-wearin’, baby-bootie-crochetin’ grandmother from yesteryear. They are the cell-phone-tottin’, day-planner-usin’, Gap-shoppin’ woman. And one of those grandmothers has shared a little bit of what she does for her grandchildren. But first, a funny experience.

When we were on the zip line adventure in Costa Rica, there was a lady in our group who said that she was a wee bit nervous to go down the zip line by herself. There were eight different lines that we would go on. Some that were 600 feet above the ground. We would travel up to 44 miles per hour. And the longest line was half a mile long. It’s easy to understand why she was concerned.

So, one of the workers hooked his pulley behind hers, put his arm around her, and then off they flew together the line. After going down three of the eight lines, she jokingly said, “Does this mean we are going steady?” The Americans laughed at her joke. Those from Costa Rica didn’t understand what she meant.

I tell you this little story because this lady was 70 years old! (My husband thought she was 80.) Which ever age she really was, she wasn’t doing what you expect typical grandmas to do. She definitely isn’t a grandmother from days of yore.

There is a professor at the university where I work that shared a little bit of what she does with her grandchildren. But first, let me tell you a bit about her. She and her husband have 10 children (6 boys, 4 girls); five are birth and five are adopted. They have three married children (fourth almost married). The four younger children include the last birth child , a daughter (14), and the three younger adopted children — adopted from Kazakhstan in 1999, a Russian Tatar boy (13) a Kazakh girl (12) and a Russian boy (11). The youngest boy has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  This family is tremendously supportive and loving toward the boy. He is a very smart, artistic, wonderful boy. All children are healthy, happy, smart, and contributing members of their family, their schools, their own professions and society.

This grandmother has four grandchildren who live nearby. The son nearly married is commissioning into the US Air Force as 2nd Lieutenant and will begin medical school in August at the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. He will raise his children far away from from her as he serves in the Air Force.

She is assistant Professor of Interior Design in the School of Family Life teaching and nurturing her 150-200 students each semester. She has authored three major textbooks and countless articles for Draperies and Window Coverings Magazines. She has so much energy, vitality, ideas, and enthusiasm. She almost makes me tired just talking to her!

Her name is Karla, and this is what she wrote:

“Often when grandchildren come over, they want to do something, but not necessarily leave their grandma’s side. In my kitchen I have a cupboard above the desk which is filled with clear plastic shoe boxes (available for about $2.00 each at home improvement or department stores).

“Each box contains a set of art supplies that can be set on the small child’s table we have, the kitchen table or counter top where the child perches on a bar stool. Each one contains one set of media and is clearly marked on the end of the box: Crayons, Watercolors, Play Dough, Markers, Colored Pencils, Stickers, Glue Sticks, Scissors (child safe with cutting patterns). I typically hand them a sheet or two of paper that has one side already used (from junk mail, for example), or if the child really wants to create an art masterpiece, I given them printer paper and patterned paper for scrap book projects. If the child selects water colors, he or she is required to don an artists’ apron, kept in a bottom kitchen drawer. I learned from sad experience that mother’s don’t like permanent water color stains on their children’s clothing, and children are not inherently careful with paints.

“This activity is always very satisfying for grandchildren. They can freely express their artistic side without demanding undue attention from this busy grandma. Often the art work must dry, so I leave it on the counter for a while, and if its really good, I tape it to a “show off” door for children’s art work - in sight of the kitchen. If its just a bit of scribbling, I drop it into the recycle can, where it was destined to go in the first place. The child never asks, but is often delighted to see it posted. Sometimes I send the art work home with them, but only if the parent approves of it first.”

Great ideas! I’m going to get some of those types of boxes for when our grandson comes over. Let’s see, if he just barely turned three months old, how long will it be before he will be able to use art supplies. . . .???

Here’s an extension to Karla’s idea. With your grandchild, print some coloring pages off the Internet. (A fun place to go is Coloring Book Pages.) Fasten the pages together to make a coloring book of pictures personally selected by your grandchild. Then, give them the crayons or marking pens and let them color away!

Happy coloring!

Digi-Gram