Starry Night

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation. ~Lois Wyse

Mia made a horse with rider.

K made a D for daddy!

Today, at camp, we were thinking about stars and constellations.  Each grand created his/her own constellation using dark blue paper, chalk and toothpicks.  After the dots and lines were drawn, the grands used the toothpicks to punch holes into the dots.  When the papers were held up to the light, you could envision the way the stars might look in the night sky to form the constellations.

Ty's Tee-Pee


PJ Made a Constellation Viewer using a tin can, nail and small mallet. After he drew his constellation design on the circular yellow paper...

 Make sure you use a can-opener that leaves smooth edges.  

he used the nail and mallet to punch the design into the bottom of the tin can.  

After placing a flashlight into the can, we tested the image on the wall of a dark room. We were so pleased with the result.   

During game time, we had a relay race using a bowl of jello and about 40 marbles.  The grands had to take one marble at a time out of the jello and run to the wagon where they plopped the marbles into their own cups.  At the end, each grand counted how many marbles he/she collected during the relay.  It was messy fun!

Pops planned a Christmas Mad Relay for the grands.  Each grand took a turn pulling a piece of paper out of a paper bag and after reading what was on the paper, they had to do the activity. 

I think this was their favorite.  They had to decorate a tree with something from the yard.

I just loved the imagination that went into the decorating!

They used a frisbee...

jump ropes, a bucket...

and a straw for a candy cane! 

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies.

Mom-Mom made her famous sugar cookies and the grands had fun decorating and eating them.

Pops lead the grands in a review of the Bible story about Mary and Joseph finding no room in the inn as they traveled to Bethlehem. 

After we read these books...

the grands took a look at this picture...

Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night...

                                                                                          found in this book!

And then they...

painted their own Starry Night pictures using lines to make the waves of the wind

and circles to make stars.

The grands had fun shooting silly string (shooting stars) ...

all over the yard!


At lunchtime we made bread with cheese stars.

Flatten a tube of refrigerated pizza dough and cut stars with a cookie cutter, bake! 


Remember our toad in the flowerpot toad house? 

We now have babies! I guess she liked the house!!

So sweet!

'til next week - it's grand to be a Grand!

Bubbles and Balloons

We began our bubble day by making bubble wands using unsharpened pencils and wire.  We taped the ends of the wire so that they wouldn't be scratchy. 

Then we tried out a bunch of other items, mostly from the kitchen drawers and closets.

Fly swatters, berry baskets, spatulas, sieves, nets, and string - the possibilities are endless.  Mom-Mom even made the bubbles by combining 11 cups of water, 4 cups of Ajax disliquid and 1 cup of corn syrup. 

Mia tried the string - see the bubble?

Butterfly nets made a flurry of bubbles.

PJ found out that his hands worked just fine!


 At snack time, the grands made balloon cookies as they colored icing and smeared it onto sugar cookies.  They attached shoestring licorice for the string.   

 What could be better on a hot day than throwing and catching water balloons?    We cut the bottoms from two plastic milk jugs to make catchers and filled and bagged the balloons the night before.

                                         Nana read The Bubble Factory by Tomie dePaola...

She loves reading this book...

to the grands!!!

and then the grands worked together to make a Bubble Factory.

We used two big boxes,

lots of lids,

 tubes,

and glue-guns.

PJ worked inside.

Ty added the finishing touches!


Pops told the Bible story about David the Shepherd and the grands had fun dramatizing!

PJ played David, the other grands were the sheep!


'til next week, it's grand to be a Grand!

On Birds and Bugs...Seeing Life Through the Eyes of Your Little Grands!

One of the best adventures we can have as grandparents comes as we learn to see life through the eyes of our grandchildren.  The more we learn to see and walk in their shoes, so to speak, the wider the window of opportunity opens for us to experience the world as they do.  As grandparents, we can re-enter those uncomplicated, carefree days of our own childhood, as we remember, not only how to play, but how to see through the lenses of our grands the discovery of simple pleasures.  Many of these simple pleasures are found in the backyard. 

This week, as I was gazing out of the big living room window, a Goldfinch landed on the birdfeeder to gather it's morning ration of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.  Mia entered the room and was immediately filled with excitement and joy as she exclaimed, "Nana, there is that beautiful yellow chirping bird and look, there is the 'chickmunk!'"  Both of these sightings have become routine occurrences for us but that day her exuberance over these sightings stirred my soul in a fresh way, and somehow that yellow chirping bird and the "chickmunk" were more beautiful than ever!  Sometimes, when we are all grown up, we tend to take what is commonplace for granted. 

As a grandparent, you most likely have the means to help scaffold your little grand's discovery as you help him/her learn some interesting facts about Goldfinches and chipmunks (chickmunks) or whatever you see in your yard that excites your grand. You never know what you might learn, as well.  As you spend time together, make an effort to keep the wonder fresh as you point out color and texture of things in the world around you, The possibilities are endless.  Finally, pray that God will use these childhood experiences to reveal Himself to your grands through the wonder of creation (Romans 1:20).

Today we had fun building a bug pod and collecting some interesting tenants, such as beetles, spiders, worms, squash bugs, crickets, roly poly and lightening bugs. 

Completed bug pod

Building the bug pod

Roly Poly

Lightning Bug

While going on a spider scavenger hunt where we looked for spiders and webs under the porch, in the shed, and under flower blossoms, we found an enormous spider web in the Azalea bush, complete with a mummified bug.  What a sighting!!

PJ made his with cream cheese.

Mia used peanut butter

Guess what the grands made for snack? - Spiders!!!

Ty's was too precious to eat!

Just use two round crackers or rice cakes, fill with peanut butter or cream cheese, attach pretzel sticks or chow mein noodles for legs and add raisins or mini M&M's for eyes.  YUMMY!!

Today we played: 

Cup and ball catch

Ping-pong pitch

Sponge Races

After reading Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk, the grands made their own bugs with recycled materials.  We call these our MacGyvers!  For more information about how to make MacGyver boxes visit:  www.tinkerlab.com

Today was the story about Joseph!

Pops has been using this book to help dramatize Bible Stories.

                 It's Grand to Be a Grand!