Summer is here, and my daughter-in-law has done what I did when my kids were out of school for the summer. She has planned back-to-back summer camps to keep the kids busy while she and my son are at work.
Trouble is — back then and right now — it’s nearly impossible to fill every single week of a summer with safe and fun activities.
And this summer, despite my daughter-in-law’s best efforts, an entire week is coming up soon with no swim camp, no science adventure, no art immersion program anywhere to be found.
Grandma B. to the rescue.
Yes, I did it. I volunteered to be the child care provider for an entire week, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5:00, so that my son and his wife can do the family breadwinning worry-free.
Help Me Be a Fun Grandma. Please!
Which means I’m desperately in need of some ideas for what to do with a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old.
I can take them to the zoo. I can take them to the park. Then what?
And so dear friends and readers — help! Please, please, please share your brilliant how-to-be-a-fun-grandma ideas with me.
I’m kinda desperate. Just leave your suggestions — simple or complicated, cheap or pricy, tame or wild — in the comments section below.
What I’d really love to do with the grandkids is take them to Yosemite National Park, one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Maybe we can do that one summer when they’re older. And after that, the San Juan Islands.
Local splash pads at parks where you can all cool off. Indoor trampoline parks. Art studio and dress-up spaces at home.
My granddaughters love drawing on butcher block paper and can trace each other. They love treasure hunts and charades and other guessing games like 20 questions. Making and decorating cakes or cupcakes is a lot of fun if you have fondants and sprinkles, etc. Learning how to hula hoop or yo-yo can help pass the time.
Fun idea — each kid draws something and the other traces it. Some interesting interaction is bound to ensue. Butcher block paper, good to get some.
Hi Barbara,
For some indoor activities, my kids love legos, play-doh & any art project.
Have a great time!
Jocelyn
Maybe we’ll make some play-doh.
Buy a tractor! Kids love to take rides on and get a hand at driving them.
Baking cookies together is a rewardingly delicious activity. Making collages or greeting cards from magazine cuttings and nature findings. Planting flowers or vegetables together . . . What about play-acting being reporters or making-up stories together that get recorded or written down . . . .
A tractor! Why didn’t I think of that!
Suggestions are already rolling in. The physicians assistant at the doctor’s office suggested taking them to get their nails done. A college friend recommended taking them to the library on the first day, so they could pick out their own books.
More ideas for my week of Granny Camp urgently needed.
And my neighbor suggests emailing the kids and asking them for two things they’s each like to do. I like the number two.
i bet the girls will have lots of ideas of their own, and of course grandma will say yes. don’t forget about movies and the library. i used to make a list of questions for each of us to answer and compare, and sometimes to guess what the other one/ones will say. dress-up is fun, too, especially if they are allowed to commandeer some of their parents’ clothes. it’s fun to make flower tiaras, or fill little baskets with acorns, leaves, rocks, or put them in crooks of small trees or shrubs as surprises for when their parents come home.
After all of their camps, maybe they’ll enjoy having some down time.
Yes! Down time!
Adventure Playground at the Berkeley Marina. Trains trains trains if you have a fan, starting with Tilden steam trains. I wrote an article about all the train rides in the Bay Area when my kid was small, and I doubt much has changed. I’d be happy to chase it down and send you a copy, or search for it under my name or in Parent’s Press archives. Other stuff in Tilden- horses, Little Farm. Hikes galore. Discovery Museum and Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose. Ferry ride — take it to Larkspur then walk over the pedestrian bridge and take electric SMART train to Santa Rosa or anywhere in between. Train is free for you and maybe for kids. Or drive to Larkspur and take train. Beach, of course. Lawrence Hall of Science. Pedal boat on Lake Merritt. I have a million ideas. LMK if you need more or some elaboration.
Wow. What a list. I’m printing it out. Thank you!