August 17, 2015

Colorful Colorado, plus GRAND Social No. 168 link party for grandparents

August 17, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Colorful Colorado

Over the weekend, Jim and I visited a local park (actually called an "open space") that we've heard much about and passed the entrance into literally hundreds of times. To further test drive a Subaru Legacy I had for the week for review, we decided it was high time to head deep into Red Rock Canyon.

This is a sampling of what we found:

Red Rock Canyon Open Space

So peaceful and pretty!

I have nearly 300 more photos from the nearly three hours we spent...

August 06, 2015

Team with grandkids and National Wildlife Federation to create a wildlife habitat

August 06, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

certified wildlife habitat

Grandma and Grandpa's house is a magical place for a grandchild. Having your yard certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation can increase the magical factor tenfold and more.

Certifying your yard, no matter how big or how small, is much easier than...

August 05, 2015

This is war! Card fun with grandkids

August 05, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

I put a lot of thought, time, and energy—and sometimes money, too—into coming up with creative and enjoyable crafts, games, and activities to pack into my grandma bag for visits with my grandsons.

It's not necessary. At least not all ways, it seems. Bubby taught me that when I visited him and his brothers in mid-July.

"Wanna play war, Gramma?" Bubby asked while holding a deck of cards. I considered the crafting supplies in my grandma bag, the games I wanted to review with him and the books I hoped to read.

"Sure," I said.

war card game

So we did. And had a super time!

Bubby didn't know all the rules, had only played hands—not full...

July 30, 2015

Back to school already? 10 ways to support school-bound grandchildren

July 30, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Unbelievable as it seems, it's time for students to return to school, some as early as next week. In light of that, I'd like to once again share with you ideas on how grandparents can support and encourage their grandchildren in academic endeavors. Though my daughter Megan is on break from teaching—and she has three sons now, not two—her ideas as well as the others in this post are still a great way to make a difference for your school-bound grandkiddos.

Kids of all ages will soon head back to school — if they haven't already. Though Mom and Dad play the starring role in supporting their children's educational efforts, grandparents have plenty of opportunities to make their mark, too.

My daughter Megan is not only the mother of my two awesome grandsons, she's also a teacher. Here are a few suggestions she and I came up with for supporting school-bound grandchildren in ways that will garner an A+ not only from the kids, but from their parents and teachers, too.

1. Send a care package to be opened the night before school starts. Consider adding...

Click to continue reading...

July 16, 2015

Grandparents: Inspire grandchildren to create their own adventures

July 16, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: I am away from the computer and in the desert watching my grandsons, so today I'm sharing with you these smart suggestions for summer fun from StatePoint Media.

Getting kids to be more active and motivated for outdoor adventure can be a challenge in today's world of cool technology. With so many compelling reasons to stay indoors—like game systems, smartphones, and streaming video—how do you convince your grandchildren that the great outdoors is, well, great?

kids playing outside