Climbing the wall

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My grandsons and their parents are pretty much fully moved into their new home. Their backyard, though, is undergoing a mega-makeover (a pool and more!), which means the boys are unable to play outside in the yard for a few months.

Good thing they have a park right across the street.

Despite the nearby park, though, Bubby and Mac were already climbing the walls soon into the relocation. So when PawDad and I were there a week or so ago, Preston took Bubby, Mac, and PawDad to the local community center to burn off some energy playing basketball. And to, literally, climb the walls.

Mac was too tiny for the wall-climbing venture, but Bubby was a pro in no time. He quickly mastered the small wall...

rock climbing kid 

Then Bubby moved on to the medium wall...

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

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

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...

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This is war! Card fun with grandkids

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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...

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Grandparents: Inspire grandchildren to create their own adventures

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Grandparents: Inspire grandchildren to create their own adventures

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

Here are a few ideas to inspire outdoor play—and even to use their love of technology to...

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Q-tips® Darts Knock Down

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Q-tips® Darts Knock Down

Have some bored kids on your hands?

Need a quick way to entertain them using materials you have on hand?

Are the kids about seven years old or older?

If you answered yes, yes, and yes, this is exactly what you were looking for: Q-tips® Darts Knock Down. It's simple carnival-style fun for everyone. Well, at least those old enough to not inhale the Q-tips® darts while blowing them through a straw.

Q-tips® darts knock down game

What you need...

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Balloon pong: Cheap, easy, and hours of fun!

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Balloon pong: Cheap, easy, and hours of fun!

In many parts of the country (and world), winter time is when kiddos need plenty of things to do indoors as it's too chilly outside. Where my grandsons live, though, indoor fun is a must in the summer as triple digit heat often prevents outdoor play.

Whatever time of year children are stuck inside with little to do—whether it's because the weather is hot, cold or rainy—balloon pong is an easy and inexpensive way to provide hours of play.

balloon games for kids 

WHAT YOU NEED

  • Paper plates (one per child)
  • Craft sticks, the thick ones that look...
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Teach kids Morse code, plus GRAND Social No. 153 link party for grandparents

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Teach kids Morse code

Hard to believe but it's once again Morse Code Day! Yes, today is the beloved annual celebration of the birth of Samuel Morse (April 27, 1791–April 2, 1872), American painter, inventor, and co-developer of the international code bearing his name.

Do you remember learning Morse code in school? I do. A refresher: Morse code (according to Wikipedia) "is a method of transmitting text information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...Each character (letter or numeral) is represented by a unique sequence of dots and dashes."

international morse code

And it's a fun, off-the-wall thing to share with the grandkids! Try...

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