Nature Photography
When it’s time for a nature stroll or a wildlife hunt, stop by the drugstore and buy each of the grandchildren a one-use camera. There are two reasons: if there are any accidents, they won’t lose anything expensive, and having their own camera will make them feel as if they are real photographers.
Now, take the grandchildren out and see what kind of wildlife you can find. It can be unusual plants, colorful flowers, birds, dogs or cats. Be creative!
Then drop the camera off to be developed. On the next visit, you can present your grandchildren with the pictures and even make a photo album of your adventures together.
Something to talk about: Why is a picture worth a thousand words? (A picture conveys information like colors and shapes that would take a lot of words to describe.)
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Bookstore Trip
Most bookstores have children’s sections that are designed to delight your grandchildren. If they are still small, sit down and read a few picture books to them, in the store or back home. What kind of book interests them most? You can have lunch at a nearby deli and talk about books you bought (or wanted to) and the people you saw at the store.
Something to talk about: See if there’s a bargain book section. There are often large “coffee-table” books with lots of wonderful, large pictures. See if your grandchildren are interested in any of these.
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Walkie-Talkies
This simple project gives you and your grandchildren your own secret way of communicating. Just poke small holes in the ends of cans and connect them with string. Make sure the cans have no sharp edges. Frozen juice cans can work well.
Use short strings at first to test the range of your distant communication devices. Try them around the corners of different rooms, or try to slip the string under a door. It works very simply: One person talks into one of the phones, while the other person holds theirs up to an ear to listen. It will work best when the string is stretched tightly.
Something to talk about: Talk about telephone wires. How do they work? (Telephones turn our voices into changes in electric current in the phone line, transmit these current fluctuations to other telephones, which change the electric current back into voices.)
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Greeting Cards
When it’s nearing time for a special occasion (such as a birthday, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day), take your grandkids on a fact-finding trip to your local pharmacy or card store. You can get some ideas for cards by browsing through the greeting card sections there.
Think about whose birthdays are approaching. Maybe somebody just needs to be cheered up, or perhaps somebody is recovering from an illness.
Now, instead of buying a card, pick up the materials to make your own at home (construction paper, markers, etc.).
Something to talk about: Discuss how much fun it is to get a letter. What are the best parts of this? (Such as anticipation opening the envelope.)
Excerpted by permission from The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting: 101 Practical Ideas & Meaningful Activities by Doug and Robin Hewitt (Hatherleigh Press, $16.95).
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