Welcome to a place where we can share ideas about grandparenting, especially ways to pass spiritual values and family stories to the next generation.

Mary is the co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart.
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Co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

Friday, February 24, 2012

Bluebird nest boxes


Friday's Grand Connection Fun



What do you know about bluebirds? I didn't know much until Pops and I went to a talk about bluebird basics at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center.

We learned that bluebirds usually nest in late March or early April and have two broods per season. They lay four or five light blue eggs and it takes about two weeks for the eggs to incubate.

Guess what? Pops and I are now the proud owners of a bluebird nest box and it's ready for its first family. I can imagine the fun that our grandchildren will have as they hopefully watch the building of bluebird nests, laying of eggs, and development of the baby birds.

If you would like to build a bluebird house or learn more about bluebirds, you can visit the North American Bluebird Society

Can you give us any tips about bluebirds or bluebird nest boxes?


Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 
“I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men,
the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God."  
                              (Luke 12:6-8)


Have a wonderful weekend,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

© 2011 Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Ingrid Perlstrom/Dreamstime.com/

Friday, February 10, 2012

Let's make some Valentine's Day cards


Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

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Valentine’s Day will soon be here. I searched the Internet and found some great ideas for custom-made Valentine cards. Hope that you'll have as much fun looking at these possibilities as I did:

Cupid's Coupons The online description says, “Cupid's Coupons, redeemable for extra-nice favors." You'll even find ideas for blank Love Checks to help you "write your own tickets to niceness.”

Make Some Valentine Cards (from Family Fun)

Pop-Up Valentines (National Wildlife Federations) Includes a cute frog pop-up Valentine

Thumb-bunny Loves You Card  (Baby Center) Even the youngest child can make this card!

Valentine E-Cards from National Wildlife Federation

3D Valentine Cards (from Highlights magazine)

And this article, Valentine Recipes and Ideas, is in the current issue of Encouraging Women With Hearts for Their Homes.

I want to help the local grands make some special Valentine cards for their parents and other loved ones. And I've already printed off color copies of "Cupid's Coupons" for our out-of-town grands. I think the ones who can write will have fun making these. And the little ones who doesn't know how to write yet ... well, they can color their coupons.

Last but not least, Valentine's reminds us of love. This month I want to focus on 1 Corinthians 13 and pray that God will fill our grandchildren's hearts with His love.

Have a great weekend,
Mary

http://www.marymaywrites.com/
co-author of The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

© by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Dennis Cox / Dreamstime.com

Friday, February 3, 2012

Indoor Fun with the Grandchildren



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Friday’s Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Well, it’s already Friday … and time to have some fun with the grandkids.

Two of our grands will be spending this weekend with Pops and me. Although it’s not supposed to rain in the next few days, it’s going to be too cold for the kids to play outside. So, I’ve been looking for some things that we can do together inside.

Here are a few ideas:

This activity can provide hours of fun and imagination for older children.

Make a doll couch. What little girl couldn't use a little furniture for her beloved doll?

Play storybook bingo. Make a bingo card by drawing 16 squares on a piece of paper or cardboard. Ask the players to list common words that they can recognize. Then cut the words out and place them in a small bowl. Before you begin reading out loud, select a word from the bowl. As you read, the kids will listen for the word that you drew, and they will cover the appropriate square (with a marker from another game, coin, etc.) when they hear it. You may want to play straight-line bingo (cover four squares in a straight line in any direction) cover the card, etc.

You also could use a deck of word flash cards for very young readers. If you do this, you will simply draw the “bingo word” from the stack of cards.

This activity can easily be done with grandkids who live out of town. Mail them the bingo card and markers, read a story on the phone, and play bingo together.

Storybook Bingo is one of the rainy day activities that I found on a family education website. They have a long list of activities that include games, reading and writing activities, science activities, gardening, kitchen fun, dance and movement, and more.

Simple to do and good for the imagination.

Make a Bear Hospital. Just give your little "doctor" or "nurse" a supply of Band-Aids and non-breakable first-aid items to use with his/her imagination. You may want to have a "pretend and play doctor" kit on hand.

Go on a Scavenger Hunt. We can download scavenger hunts from the Internet and enjoy them with local or long-distance grandchildren. Just mail a copy of a downloadable scavenger hunt to long-distance grandkids, and follow up with an e-mail or phone call.

Visit a library an online. You'll be amazed by all that you can find there!

Work a simple jigsaw puzzle together. This is always a fun activity to do and great for the entire family.

Make a puppet. Until I went to the Family Fun website, I had never thought about making puppets out of vegetables!

Hummmm so much to choose from. Right not, an indoor scavenger hunt, storybook bingo, and making a bear hospital sound good to me.

Please share some indoor activities that you do with your grandkids in a comment below. Or, send an e-mail to mary@marymaywrites.com and I'll be glad to add the comment for you.

Have a great weekend,
Mary


article and picture © by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.