dotcomdtcm, you have some GREAT IDEAS!! How many grandkids do you have?? ;)

THANKS! Both your messages were great suggestions! Esp. the stepping stones, since we had a MAJOR rain yesterday - in JULY! Never happens, ever. :-)

I don't have any grandkids yet. I taught art for many years and I was always the Mom with the glitter and oaktag! I was just thinking how lucky your grandkids are to have you. My three kids only knew one of their 4 grandparents, and she has passed on too. It's wonderful that you have this time together.

I used to have my own daycare and still have up to 4 or 5 grandkids at a time now.

Here are some of my favorite things to do

Paint
Blow out eggs and lay out paint and paint brushes Let the kids decorate the eggs with faces or squiggles or dots or draw on a picture etc I love this and have the kids do this every year for my collection and I send some home with them

Paint Blots are so fun to make and look at! have the child put dots or blobs of color on one half of a white sheet of paper. fold in half and rub all over the closed side. Open and see what you get! Like looking at clouds you can see things in the picture sometimes.

Put paint on a piece of cardboard like using a paint pallet. Have the child use their thumb and or long part of finger and print dots and lines on the paper to make a picture. You can use the side of your palm too.


Clear contact paper

Cut a length of contact paper I usually use about a 12" square and turn it sticky side up and tape to the table.
Give them cataloques or other pictures they can cut up and have them find pictures of things they like to eat or find pictures of toys they would love to buy etc and have them make a collage. It takes a long time for these to dry out but they will eventually dry out. You can hang them on the wall to look at while they dry out. May take days to dry.

Just remember once it is on it is stuck! I have given them buttons and ribbons and fabric to cut up to make pictures and anything you can think of that will stick to the paper is fair game! If you have feathers or cut up straws etc.

I posted a homemade playdough recipe in Recipes section

I also have a recipe for glarch which the kids love and it keeps in the fridge. It is slimy but pliable and the kids think it is so cool! It is basically glue and starch.

There are edible playdough recipes too. I think I have a peanut butter one.

Take a water bottle or pop bottle and fill it with equal amts of water and oil(cooking). Add little things that will float in this mix. Sparkles and little tiny toys -has to be really tiny tho- and any interesting little bits you can find. Leave a little bit of air at the top. Replace cap and seal it so it is watertight. You can glue on the lid with watertight glue and then tape around that. This will make an interesting water toy!


Water play for the little ones. Fill a tub or small swimming pool half way with water. Give them measuring cups and pitchers and bowls to measure with. Teaspoons and Tablespoons too.

I used rice to make a sensory tub. I bought a huge bag of rice and filled a large tub with it. they can run cars in it poke holes with straws in it and basically do anything you would do in a sand box. I spread a sheet under the tub as the rice will wander as they play!!

Pinatas and bowls

Blow up a balloon. Cut strips of newspaper. Mix up plaster of paris. Dredge the newspaper through the plaster of paris and apply to the balloon. Let it dry when you have added all you want to. Usually over night. Then poke a hole in the balloon and pull it out. You will have a pinata!

For the bowl use flour and water instead of plaster of paris and use string (yarn) instead of newspaper. Space the strings for a lacy effect. After you remove the balloon and the yarn is dry you should be able to trim the strings to the shape you want.

Sorry it got so long. I have lots of them!!

Leaf printing is also great from age 6-15
I will photo a tablecloth my niece made me & post it today

There are LOTS of kids in need of attention from adults in this world. Have you got the Whiz Kids reading program in your school system? Lots of retirees are involved around here with it. They tutor an at risk youngster with their reading one afternoon after school each week. Lots of fun stuff for the youngsters, and help for them with their schoolwork. It's faith based. SO much help for so many kids...grades improve dramatically. Just one idea. You can't help but care since you work with your assigned little one every week, and even next years till graduate from grade school

you know...it's been years ago...and not completely off subject. I melted some chocolate chips (back in the days of using double boiler on stove vs microwave) and dipping the back sides (previously washed!) non-poisonous leaves - just dipping to cover back of leaf only. Then placed in frig to harden. After very hard, remove from frig and peeled off the leaf. Perfect chocolate leaves resulted. Used them to decorate my mom's Mother's Day cake. BUT could do something along those lines with the kids...we could come up with some excuse. Still have forsithia bush out in the backyard producing more of those same leaves

You could teach them all the old games we played as a kid.

Drop the Hankie
Freeze tag
Blindman's bluff
Red Rover
Badminton
Yarddarts
Croquet


Peasporridge hot
Hopscotch--I used blue painting tape and put down a hopscotch on my tile floor inside.
I also use masking tape to put down a maze on my floor. The older kids like this.
I use tape and put down a board on the floor. I lay tape in a square shape or a squiggle shape and then put small pieces of tape with color on them(crayon or marker) at intervals and this is then played like Sorry or Parcheesi or Monopoly etc. Call out numbers of steps to take or they have to go back 4 paces or they have to find the second yellow mark etc.
`

Can we come and play at your house?? :wink:

Ladybug-You are awesome! When is your book coming out? You NEED to publish. Even if it is self-publish. WOW! ...and that's without prep, off the top of your head? Any child you cared for was truly blessed. I love to teach kids using all those senses the good Lord gave 'em...not just the "be quiet and listen" routine! More fun to remember some of their favorite things, are and try to include those whenever possible. I love you used so many approaches to learning, to help them. MUSIC is awesome to help with learning too. It does amazing things to brains, helps develop reading ability...math skills...everything.