Grandma Camping 2015 - Part 7 - Feed Me!

Once you've successfully lured your lively little recruits to Grandma Camp, take note that you've got to feed them! Each day. Multiple times each day! I'd grown accustomed to filling a kitty bowl or two every morning in our empty-of-kids-but-not-pets nest, watching six cats follow up one meal with an 18 hour nap. (18 hours? Really? Yep!) Kids, in contrast, like to graze for that amount of time, not sleep! Be ready!

One solution for round-the-clock munching is self-service snack boxes. Here's what mine look like. They're from Pottery Barn Kids.








I fill 'em up each morning with fruit, veggies, crackers and cheese. The kids know that in between meals they are welcome to munch on whatever they want. It's in the fridge, inside their own color coded box.

That leaves grandma responsible for only breakfast, lunch, dinner and a bedtime snack. Assign grandpa a few mornings of home made pancakes and a grilled dinner of organic hot dogs and you've cut your work in half. Works for me!

But not everything "worked for me." I had individual fish pot pies planned. A charming little salad bar. Home made veggie burgers. Gourmet mac and cheese....Foolish! No time for those delicacies, especially when kids only want grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches! So I succumbed to the basics, just inserting cutesy little touches to make ordinary eating a little more appealing.

For example!.......

Teddy bears clustered, deep in conversation, beneath a paper umbrella liven up an ordinary fruit cup.

Mini sized hot cheese bagels move down
the hatch at a faster pace than "grown-up" ones sliced in half!

Grandma's salad challenge: "Get it before that hungry caterpillar does!"

On our last evening together, we revisited an adventure from the past. When they were "little kids," these campers loved to play beneath our second story deck. I would surprise them by lowering a basket filled with snacks, drinks and hand wipes. They were delighted. Oh, the anticipation watching that basket of mysterious contents bump its way slowly downward to meet them! But this time it was dinner. Individually boxed, hot, and ready to dig into!

I had set up a picnic style table at the edge of the woods. They scampered away with their meals to enjoy themselves. I suspect it was one of the week's highlights because Bree animatedly described the experience to mommy later. "The basket was looooowered down to us very carefully!"

Three boxed dinners to-go, and three hungry kids to gobble them down! Grilled cheese, steamed veggies and a handful of grapes - GONE! All of it!

But wait! What about dessert? You never mentioned dessert! 

Not to worry. Of course we had dessert!.....Every day. Once each day. In an official "grandma camping" sort of way!

Each day, one camper was "kid of the day."
We rotated, automatically assigning first, second and third choices, assuring that grandma would never have to sit in "time out" again for forgetting whose turn it was to flip the popcorn maker switch. (Happened once. Lesson learned!)

Here's Nick, enjoying alpha male status on his day. His dessert choice was Star Wars brownies.

"Kid of the day" could also choose from home made ice cream, popcorn, cookies, or mini donuts. He or she supervised the process and grabbed the first sample bite.

Sae chose mini-donuts in this nifty little appliance. Grandma is happy with unadorned treats, but a generous, multi-colored icing and over-the-top sprinkle bar was well utilized by the kids!

We didn't forget the "folks back home" either. An assortment of samples from each day's dessert was packed inside small bakery boxes and brought home for siblings and mommy and daddy.







So there! I fed them all. Each day. Multiple times each day.
Indeed, I did!

But where did all this stuff come from?

Bakery boxes, 6" square, in sets of three, are from Michael's.
Silicone caterpillar mold (use Jell-o jiggler recipe) for salad visitors are here, along with the mini donut maker. Star Wars cookbook is on page 11, also in my Amazon gift shop.

Grandma Camping series concludes here with Part 8!

Grandma Camping 2015 - Part 6 - Routines!

Here we are, waiting for grandma's corny, homespun, totally-not-scary "ghost stories" right before bedtime!















It helps when grandma campers have had school experience. They're used to structure and schedules. They know what it's like to be herded from art to gym to lunch. That makes it easier on you. No respectable grandma camp operator allows her kiddoes to run wild while she flops flat on the couch for a mid morning nap, wine glass in hand (err, well maybe once - or twice - but only toward the end of the week!) As any well seasoned teacher will confirm, as much as those little inmates are adored, they will run the asylum for you if you don't step up early and take control of it!

So, we post a few rules, presenting them at camp orientation. This is my favorite:

Crawl downstairs like the quietest little mouse you can be after you wake up! Don't go knocking on the tent next door, looking for trouble! Tired kids are crabby kids. Who wants those creatures here? Not grandma! Success rate = 100%

Early birds sit quietly with grandpa, listening to him drone about how many crumbs he swept up the previous day. As the week progresses, the number of early risers dramatically declines; little birds opt, instead, to occupy themselves inside their tents with puzzle books! Problem nicely solved!

Thank goodness my guests like to ease into the day like I do. Once breakfast in front of morning cartoons is cleared away, it's time to do some thinking. Kids are the most mentally alert then, so we dive into our daily school session. Let me explain.

My daughters reinforce academic skills by investing a little time each day with workbooks and flashcards. The kids are proud of what they accomplish at "Mommy's School." When I spotted delightful name brand (Crayola, School Zone, etc.) workbooks at Dollar Tree, I decided to join the fun! I hand these out on a regular basis and reward kids with a small Lego set for each two completed. They enjoy working toward a goal while keeping up with math and spelling, and parents appreciate the support for learning through extended family teamwork. And grandma? Well, there's no better phone call than one from a little scholar, alerting me that it's nearly time to cash in for a prize!

After school, it is "library time." What fun the kids have taking a turn as librarian! This person really knows how to wield power, too! Nick began the ritual of making "patrons" wait on the couch while he tidies up his desk and shelves. When he is satisfied, he flips his sign to "open." Kids browse the shelves and have their cards stamped. They return books from the previous day and are allowed their choice of "reading club" stickers for their folders.

Details on the Family Library I constructed from cardboard boxes are here.


And here's Nick, proud of his first day sticker array, issued under the authority of his bespectacled librarian-for-the-day brother!










It's ten o'clock now and time for something lively. Daily hikes through the woods are always a first choice. We couple them with nature and art activities, such as those shown here and here. Always learning? Yes! But having fun along the trail, too!

A group gathering on the deck follows. If we've brought back treasures from the hike, we display and discuss them. Some stones are begging to be painted like ladybugs; some sticks need to become tribal totems. This is when that happens in between sips and nibbles of a mid morning snack.

I have way more than enough planned for the kids, and that comes in handy. They like to have choices, and I like to offer them. It's our routine to have a "kid of the day," and that's who decides what we'll do next. My list includes driveway basketball, sidewalk chalk games, paper airplane making, zombie hunting, neighborhood walks, Lego building, flying kites, jumping rope or arts and crafts. Note that some are suitable for indoors, just in case it's raining, and most require only passive participation by grandma! (I'm never quite the same after that spirited hike through the woods!)

I toss field trips into the mix, too. There's a community park nearby with an inviting pond, frequented by ducks and geese to feed with day-old bread. One of these years, we'll bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the swings, too. A farmer's market convenes every Thursday a mere mile away. I hand out five dollar bills and tell the kids to shop their hearts out for ripened red berries and sunflowers the size of their heads. By next year, they'll be able to deftly calculate exactly what that amount will buy for them! Don't overlook programs at your local library, too. Ours is a wonderful one that hosts story time, magic shows, animal petting sessions, and the dream of little boys everywhere - a convention of cars and trucks: police, fire, ambulance, community utility and giant transport vehicles to climb into and pretend you are soooo cool!

Lunch time now. Sometimes grandpa steps up, and other times he puts in a half hour playing board games or marbles with the kids while I work in the kitchen. No matter the "clueless grandpa" jokes I indulge in, his participation is invaluable. So is the afternoon at Aunt Christy's house, late in the week! My campers are ready to jump this ship by Thursday afternoon. We meet at a nearby restaurant for lunch, and then head over to Bree's to swim and enjoy relay games and a bounce house. There's pizza for dinner, a Disney movie or two and big tubs of popcorn later on. It's a great break for everybody!

Daily "quiet time" follows lunch, and I am appreciative of the way my daughters enforce this ritual at home; the kids are used to resting or silently reading. I've stocked their tents with dot-to-dot, sticker and maze books too. They enjoy their own cozy place, and secretly, I think, cherish the time to refuel.














During two glorious hours of quiet time, I fix dinner and prepare for our dessert baking session. "Kid-of-the-day" has already made a choice, and that's the first thing we do when tent doors pop open at 3 PM!

I'm looking at a good four hours to fill once dinner is complete. The previously mentioned list of fun comes out again, and a choice is made. That lasts until dusk, when we start to get "itchy" again. Night hikes are a really big deal here, and it never gets dark enough, fast enough to please us! Grandma plops herself down with a stack of nature books and we examine and discuss pictures of wildlife, insects and the bright, shiny things we're likely to spot up in the sky. This session does the trick. It's dark now! We're pumped! Lots to see out there. Away we go!

Join us for Part 7 of Grandma Camping right here!

Grandma Camping 2015 - Part 5 - Night Owls!

Yes, conflicts arise!
Grandma sets out seeking nighttime nature treasures. The kids see Ninja Turtles in the sewer. But who am I to argue that? Just a few hours ago, I told them there were zombies hiding behind my garage!









When you're at home with mommy and daddy, you can pretty much plan on being snuggled in bed when the mysterious aura of darkness falls. They say that's where kids belong - seen; cute little heads atop pillows -  not heard; scampering about mischievously outdoors! But when we're with grandma? Soooo not so! Creeping about in the dark, looking for "discoveries?" Hiking the neighborhood, gaping at stars? Peering in from edge-of-the-woods spookiness? It's simply our "thing," - it's what we do! And we do it well, with a conspiratorial anticipation that bonds grandma and campers firmly together, flashlights in hand, ready and waiting to go!

Here's when books on night flying animals - moths, bats, owls, fireflies - come in handy. We get ready as dusk falls, putting heads together over pages of nature books. Ones on constellations, too. It's nice to know in advance what's likely to be found out there! Detailed "compare and contrast/night and day" discussions are fun to anticipate, but they don't always happen. The kids just flitter from one worthy biological observation to the next cable box or sewer, pleasing themselves with the same joy of being alive after dark that fellow nocturnal wild creatures do!

We have late night fun inside, too. Lots of cool things glow in the dark at Dollar Tree - necklaces, floating pool balls.....

One rainy night, each camper gathered candy and glow balls, hidden ahead by grandpa. But the best self-made fun followed. An "otherworldly" campfire was constructed to cluster about and enjoy in a room otherwise cloaked in eerie darkness!

When we tired of that, it was time to dance! We jumped and gyrated to the techno "Everybody Dance Now" by C+C Music Factory, grandma center stage, grateful to be the only one in control of a camera!

I'm grateful, too, for the tip on Dollar Tree's (seasonal) battery operated, multi-color glowing pool globes from creative blogger friend, Lisa, at "Hoopla Palooza." Here's what she does with them!

Books with sections on after dark nature fun are listed here at the end of a previous Grandma Camping post.

And Part 6 of Grandma Camping is right here!

Grandma Camping 2015 - Part 4 - Investigators!

Scientific observation: Being nearly toothless does not disqualify one from
being a competent investigator!

My six year old twin grandsons refer to themselves as "investigators." I suspect they don't realize I know they've pinpointed the place I stash early purchases of Christmas and birthday gifts! They check it frequently, and I hear murmurs of approval behind that closed bedroom door. Someday I may pull a little prank on them, but for right now, I consider that skill genetic in nature. The boys' mommy was unmatched as an "investigator," and in my time, so was I!

What better place to harness that abundance of "investigative talents" than grandma camp? We're surrounded by wooded nature here, and curious minds want to know who lives out there and what they do all day and night. My campers were an eager audience for discovering some answers!

I don't have a background in science, so I stalk Pinterest for ideas. And book stores. I found a few favorites there (mentioned below), just brimming with creative and very usable ideas. One of them held the first project we completed - a small mammal tracking device!

Something I need to emphasize now is that we never capture or disturb any living creature as it goes about its daily business! We step back and respectfully observe the magic of life in the same way we'd appreciate being undisturbed by visiting interplanetary beings. Please just stop by, say "hi!" and continue on your way! Thank you very much! :) 

Our tracking device is a cardboard tube, 3" wide and 8" long. Inside, a white strip floor is anchored by small squares of waxed paper. Non-toxic water based paint mixed with cooking oil is dabbed onto each square. A generous glob of peanut butter, placed right smack in the middle of the tube's "roof" is the treat we hope will lure a small critter. He or she will leave behind delicate little footprints as evidence if we're lucky!

And then we hike into the woods, seeking places to nestle our tracking tubes. We search for sheltered spots, speculating that our "customers" might appreciate snack-time privacy! We look around a bit, too. What kind of critters are supported by this habitat? Chipmunks hop about in abundance here, so that's my own guess. But the kids think mice, squirrels, or even a raccoon may be tempted, and I concur with them. We make visual notes of where we've left our devices, departing until tomorrow's bright and early return!

And here we are - at the moment of Bree's delighted discovery! Some little whippersnapper has slurped up her peanut butter treat, right down - and into! - the cardboard! The little scamp kicked that tracking paper right out of the way, politely leaving it behind, unused, for us to try again later!








"Look, grandma! GONE! Everything!"

Sae led us to his hiding spot next. A hungry visitor has also kicked the paper strip out of the way! But this time we observe a telltale smudge! Somebody's furry little body left evidence by way of a streak across the paper floor - ending right at the center of the tube where the treat laid in wait! We were now in possession of scientific evidence, agreeing that:

a) something small (under 3"), cute* and furry was here
b) peanut butter was gobbled by the visitor

* Brielle "just knew" the critter was a "cute one," and insisted that fact be entered into the record. It probably had small, soft ears and a tiny pink nose. That, too!


And now......Nick's turn!

He had left his tube the farthest into the woods. Before departing, we observed that a mushroom covered log alongside the path marked the spot where he'd turn right and take five kid-sized paces to recover it.....

But it was gone!
Completely!
Positively!
Even with assistance from Canine Special Forces Search and Rescue!













What might have happened here? Possibilities were posed! An animal larger than 3", that's for sure! - one who chose to take its discovery back home for leisurely disemboweling! A raccoon? An owl? Deer? BIG FOOT?

Nick's face says it all. Sadly, some scientific mysteries are not meant to be solved in our lifetime!

See Grandma Camping Part 5 right here!

Resources for a delightful nature-based Grandma Camp experience:
Each book can be found at your library or here, on pages 11 and 13 of my Amazon gift shop.

Great Things to do Outside - published by DK - My favorite! 365 beautifully photographed ideas that include the small mammal tracker, a toad home, spiderweb catcher, butterfly bar and so many, many more! Plenty of ideas for next year too!

The Boy's Book of Adventure - published by Barron's - Great outdoor activities, including one we used - a lighted white sheet screen that attracted all kinds of interesting insects to observe close up after dark!

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots - by Sharon Lovejoy (a delightful grandmother!) - Here's where we found instructions for "moth broth" to paint on trees at kid eye level; after dark we returned to observe the feast!  Even for someone like me who has no suitable space to share unique gardening experiences with grandkids, this book is a treasure, right along with Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars. 

Backyard Explorer Leaf Collecting Album and Leaf and Tree Guide by Rona Beame - published by Workman - Now, this set I love, but it posed a dilemma for me! Weeks before Grandma Camp, I told Bree we'd be learning from this guide. "But, grandma!" she protested, "I already know about leaves!" I guess the trick is to get there before those pre-school teachers do! But that's okay - the younger kids will love the one-on-one exploring experience with me. We'll find, match, and collect from easy-to-find examples. No weirdo specimens from outer space among them to get you frustrated like in some other books!

Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations, a Field Guide for Young Stargazers - by C.E. Thompson - My plan was to study a few constellations with the kids during that antsy waiting period at dusk, just before our night hikes. This book is a beauty. Simply presented and appealing to kids this age (4-6+). Our problem was that heavy cloud cover all week long prevented us from seeing anything other than the North Star - and grandma taught us how to find that one "ages ago!"

A Child's Introduction to The Night Sky - by Michael Driscoll - This one's far more detailed, with sections on the planets, the moon, asteroids, etc.....it makes me want to invest in a telescope for next year! There's a sturdy "star finder" included too - a compass-like device to line up with the North Star so you really know what you're looking at! Saving this one for next year; it's suitable for kids of any age, myself included!

Grandma Camping - Part 3 - Nature Hunters!

Nature holds a wonderland of wealth for a grandmother and her lively little campers - there's lots of it, it's free, and kids cannot be any happier exploring it.

Each of my grandkids has an inviting section of woods in their own backyards; one even has a beautifully thriving pond. But for some reason, it's grandma's quarter acre that consistently appeals to them. And maybe that's because things "out-of-the-ordinary" sometimes occur back there! Like zombie invasions, you know. And hunts for monsters, or candy and toy packed dinosaur eggs at the end of a winding scavenger trail. But there are "normal" things going on back there, too. And this time, we agreed to team up to investigate them all!

But, first things first!

Sociology 101. Chapter one. Page one. Human beings form groups based on common interests. Once those units are established, they seek symbols - totems, coats of arms, emblems - to separate and identify themselves. Hey! That's us, too! So we chose tribal walking sticks to bond us together for our week long grandma camping adventure. These made it easier to maneuver wooded slopes and allowed us to stake finds of interest to return to and share with other members of our clan. And besides, they transformed our woods into an exotic jungle-like venue that had us really feeling that whole "goin'-on-safari" thing!

Rich in color, symmetry and pattern is the culture of the American Indian. We examined some art book examples, noting fierce faces and animal themes. Rattles, masks, headdresses.....my campers were fascinated, and very anxious to get started on their own interpretations!

Ask any one of them, and be told that grandma will buy anything they point to at the toy store. Anything. Not this time though! We harvested our own walking sticks - and dragged 'em home by ourselves - exactly the way you see little Jungle Jane doing right here!



(Oh dear! Somebody's eyes were a little bit too big for their body size! Grandpa took care of that problem with a few strokes of his hand saw, though!)

We know that traditional Indian art was fashioned from carved wood, or gourds or earthy clay, but our heads are made of instant paper mache. It mixes with water to become a malleable medium perfectly suitable for the task at hand. The CelluClay brand I prefer is here, on page 12 of my Amazon gift shop. Hobby Lobby may also have it; in that case, be sure to use your coupon for the best price!

Here's how they look once they've been sculpted.
I like the Stonehenge-y look!

Back on the sticks they go, set out to dry. After a couple of warm breezy days, depending on the thickness, they're ready to paint.




Hmmm....kinda spooky! I might have to revisit this for Halloween. Imagine a trail through the woods of these ambiguous skeletal faces, up-lighted eerily with flashlight lenses covered in green clear plastic. Oooooooo!!!!! Yep! Making some for sure!

(and then sending grandpa out there to search for my "lost cat!" he he he!)

I adore watching the kids paint their projects.

Use acrylic paint, then offer an array of beads and feathers for finishing touches.

















Bree's project began as a monkey. Then she saw the pink paint. And the feathers. We're not exactly sure what it is today, but we're delighted with its perky personality!



Now we're ready to gather up our totems and explore the woods as a fearless, indigenous tribe of nature hunters! We made some interesting discoveries out there during the course of the week. Those are coming up next, in Part 4 of Grandma Camping 2015!

Grandma Camping 2015 - Part 2 - Zombies!

Just before the kids arrived for Grandma Camp, I heard some unsavory rustling in the woods behind my house.

Zombies. :(

You can imagine my chagrin. Three young campers, aged six and under, would soon be exploring those woods, filling nature sketch pads and leaf collection folders, stooping to examine interesting insects by magnifying glass on the floor of that normally inviting expanse.

But now something had to be done! And soon!

I constructed a wall from the cardboard Kaylee's crib came in. It's quite wide - nearly 12 feet - and over 5 feet tall. There! That should keep those creepy intruders at bay I concluded, retreating to welcome my contingent of happy little campers........

But not so fast, grandma! In an unsettling development mere moments later, I found myself staring, horrified, at the peep holes those creatures had clawed and chewed into my wall!

They were watching us!!!

To the zombie gun locker I flew! I hastily handed weaponry to the kids and shouted, "GET 'EM!" The pending invasion was no match for my little sharpshooters. A blizzard of Nerf pellets rained down on those grasping, clutch-y fingered brain eaters! The kids picked off those vacant stares and toothless grins like there was no tomorrow. Last we saw, nearly two dozen unhinged un-dead were headed for the hills, shrieking in unearthly wails of terror.

And for that I am very grateful. I'll be able to sleep again tonight. At least for awhile.....

Join me right here for Part 3 of Grandma Camping!

Current Family Favorite!

How would you like to be eighth in line? For anything? Well, this little newcomer doesn't seem to mind. He's the one everyone's pounding the door down to see!

Our current family favorite is Kaylee's little brother, Ryan Joseph. He was born June 10, 2015 at 5:15 PM., completing my "grandma sandwich!" Let's see, there's the two oldest boy cousins on the top layer, two little guys on the bottom one, and four lovely ladies tucked right in the middle! All of them cute enough to just gobble right up!

Welcome to the world, sweet baby Ryan! We love you!
xxxoooxxx
Grandma

Portrait by Michelle Starr