FUN STUFF
A collection of Grandma’s Briefs posts featuring fun stuff to do with grandkids.
Celebrate Halloween and National Popcorn Poppin’ Month with these spooky and sweet treats, courtesy Popcorn.org.
April showers bring may flowers but they bring something else too: rainbows. At least some of the time.
With that in mind, rainbow-themed fun can be had with just a few simple supplies, as Benjamin demonstrates here.
March and April are typically the snowiest months in Colorado. This past Thursday was a typical March day in Colorado in that it snowed. A lot.
It was also a typical Thursday in that Benjamin and Robert spent the day at my house.
Having gobs of snow outside and my two grandsons inside provided the perfect opportunity to introduce Benjamin and Robert to snow cream.
Seeking a guaranteed good time for your grands? One requiring no cooking or crafting ability, no expenditure of cash?
Considering the Covid confinement of the past, well, let’s just say too long, there’s never been a better summer to relish outdoor recreation time with the grandkids. Why not seize the opportunity to share some old-fashioned fun with the youngsters by way of teaching them a few classic games of our youth.
There’s something invigorating about getting one’s hands dirty then appreciating what comes (or might come) from the earth. For kids especially, gardening can be an ideal way to counteract the electronic and artificial stimulation bombarding them on a daily basis.
Here are seven tips to ensure your grandchild’s curiosity with the natural world grows right along with the goodies you plant together.
Spring has sprung! So put on your walking shoes, gather up a grandkiddo or two, and hit the road—or sidewalk, as the case may be—for one of these springtime strolls with a goal.
Several years ago, I shared here how to make Bird Nest Cookies. Considering spring has finally arrived, I figured it’s high time to share the scrumptious springtime treat once more.
Hence, this kinda, sorta rerun of Springtime fun: Bird Nest Cookies, which published April 30, 2013, back when Brayden and Camden were itsy bitsy boys—my only grandboys at that point—who loved to bake (or create no-bake) goodies with Gramma.
Grand spinners from Krokotak!
I'm always on the lookout for cool and creative crafts for kids. My grandkids in particular. Because the majority of my grandkiddos live more than 800 miles away, I rarely execute said crafts with my grandsons, but I do love to collect ideas for "one day." (Much like I collect cookbooks and recipes... yet make the same standards again and again.)
Anyway, if you like Grandma's Briefs on Facebook, you may already know one of my favorite sources for clever activities for kids is Krokotak. I'm not sure what the name means or who's behind the magic, but I…
What in the world did grandmas do before Pinterest? I'd be half the grandma I am — at least in terms of the eats and activities I share with my grandsons — if not for the food and fun pinned and promoted by folks far more crafty then me.
Take for instance the super simple puzzle fun I shared with my dino-loving middle grandson, Mac. Without my stumbling upon a Pinterest pin leading to this post by a clever mama, Mac would have never had the opportunity to see how a few circles, triangles, and squares can be pieced together to create his favorite creature.
Now, I surely could simply say: Check out that post cuz it's perty darn cool. But then I'd have to come up with a post of some other sort to fill this space today. More importantly, though, I'd have no reason to share the photos of Mac making his dinos, photos that prove how Pinterest-worthy this quick, easy, and inexpensive activity actually is.
With that in mind, here are pics of the day Mac and I created the clever, captivating cutouts during my desert visit in April.
What you need:
• 1 sheet of craft foam (green...
So you have the grandkids for the week. Or the weekend. Or every work day throughout the summer as you (generously) help cover childcare while school-age kids are on summer break.
What to do, what to do?
Here are 11 ideas that won't bust your budget. Some are free, some are low cost, all are great ways for grandkids and grandparents to make grand memories together this summer.
FREE FISHING
This one tops the list because fishing is fun. Mostly, though, it's because...
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.
What you need...
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.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Paper plates (one per child)
- Craft sticks, the thick ones that look...
Put on your walking shoes and head out with the grandkiddos. Here, four ideas for savoring spring while out and about.
ONE
Oooh, baby, baby
There's no shortage of babies in my neighborhood this time...
Super simple, sloppy, summer (and spring!) fun!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Basic rectangular household sponges in various colors (two per sponge bomb)
- Plastic cable ties such as these here, though I found mine at...
A fun and tasty activity and treat in one!
What you need:
20 large marshmallows
4 ounces or so vanilla candy...
Though it may seem like summer is winding down, there's still plenty of time to mess around outdoors with some cloud dough and some grandkids. And I do mean mess — which is just one reason this activity is so fun... and the primary reason it's best enjoyed outdoors.
There are directions all...
Here is a super simple (and inexpensive) way to keep kids occupied — and cool — on hot summer days.
What you do:
• Buy a ...
My grandsons helped me make cupcakes for our mini-celebration in Mac's honor last week. The fun led me to consider why such a simple — and often messy — activity can be such a great one for grandparents to enjoy with their grandchildren.
When playing games with kids — or directing getting the ball rolling — choosing who gets to go first can sometimes take longer than the actual gameplay.
That no longer need be the case thanks to the following fun methods I've gathered for grandmothers and others.
Creative Eeny Meeny
When I was...
If you're looking for a super easy but super fun activity to do with the grandkids, try this one I did with Bubby and Mac last week: catapults!
Following (for the most part) the easy instructions...
As I don’t want to leave the boys fully in charge of the agenda for our visit, I set out to make a list of options myself. I first considered perusing...
At Thanksgiving when my daughters were young, they enjoyed making cream cheese after-dinner mints as their contribution to the holiday meal. The recipe for the mints was super simple, super yummy, and a super tradition that makes me smile just thinking about it.
A few years ago, when my eldest grandson, Bubby, was two years old — and my youngest grandson, Mac, was just an announcement emblazoned across his big brother’s T-shirt — Bubby and I made the cream cheese mints together.
Add a side of silly to your holiday happenings with these Easter goodies guaranteed to crack up kids … and kids at heart.
Curated from the Grandma’s Briefs archives, here are a few lovey-dovey sorts of things for grandmothers and others seeking lovey-dovey stuff to make and do and share, all befitting Valentine’s Day. Click the image to access the full post.
I hope you love them. ♥
When it comes to Turkey Day, corny jokes make a tasty appetizer for kids of all ages, as my 20 Thanksgiving jokes for kids post proves. So just in time for this year’s feast and fun with little ones (and big ones, too), I offer up a second serving of similarly silly stuff to giggle about as you gather together.
As kids of all ages hit the books once again, here are some giggles to counteract any groans from your grands during back-to-school season.
What school does the ice cream man attend?
Sundae school.
What do elves learn...
Time for another round of seasonal silly stuff for kids and their keepers, be they grandmothers or others. This go-round the subject is St. Patrick and his special day.
What do you call a big Irish spider?
A Paddy long legs
What does Ireland have more than any other country?...
'Tis the season of joy, and there's no more joyful sound than that of children's laughter. Share these jokes with your favorite kiddos to elicit some of that joyful noise this merry time of year.
Where do snowmen keep their money?
In a snow bank.
What do you call a...
With just a little more than two weeks before Valentine's Day, I'd say it's time to memorize some corny Valentine's Day jokes to share with the grandkids. Or the big kids. Or to chuckle over all on your own.
Let the giggling — and groaning — begin...
With weeks (and weeks) of wintery weather remaining in many parts of the country, many a grandma may be racking her brain for ways to keep grandkids engaged indoors during visits. This easy, peasy penguin activity requiring minimal prep* may cut down on the cabin fever. For a little while, anyway.