 The lingering heat of summer got you down? News of the day has you a wee bit depressed? I've got the solution. Make a bucket list of things to do for fall and then do them! I know most of us have a a mental list of things we want to do for fall--go to the church's fall festival or check out the local pumpkin patch. But this year, add to your list and DO THEM! There are some great autumn bucket lists online and I will provide you with some links at the end of this blog. Let's do this! Here are some items I've gleaned from various websites. Some you can do with your grandchildren of course; that's what this blog is about. But most you can do on your own. Here's a sampling:
 Going to a pumpkin patch is always a good idea. What's that you say? Your grands are older or don't live in town? There are still fun things to add to your list:
 Carving jack-o'lanterns with the grandkids.  Buy some tiki torches and a chiminea for your backyard. Makes for wonderful ambiance when you're outside enjoying the cool fall air.  Go on a nature walk with the grandkids.  Make a nature collage with items you collect from your nature walk.  Make some autumn kindness rocks to hide around your neighborhood.  Have a pumpkin carving contest with friends and family.  If you're lucky enough to travel to see the fall colors, do it! Even in Texas we have Lost Maples State Park and the piney woods of east Texas.  Plan a autumn camping trip. Nothing better than sipping spiced tea and sitting around a campfire.  List of things to search for on your walk in nature. You could even have your grands take a picture of each item as they find them. Make that autumn bucket list and see how many you can accomplish. I've read that taking a much needed vacation or weekend trip adds points to your internal happiness meter. And I've also read that just PLANNING for that weekend or trip adds joy to your happiness bucket! I would think the same would hold true of creating a bucket list for fall. Just the writing down of all the items on your fall wish list would bring a smile to your face. But this year do as many of those items as you can! Fall bucket list links: design.mobeltrends.com/create-the-ultimate-fall-bucket-list-with-these-ideas-plus-this-is-a-great-buc/  
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 Looking for another fun craft idea to do with your grandkids? How about making prayer jars. I saw this one on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea. And just like doing any craft at any time with your grandchildren, it really turns out to be a quiet, sharing time with them. In fact, my 5-year-old grandson was heard to mutter, "I love craft time with you." Now really....it doesn't get any better than that. And quite often those "teachable moments" come up as well. As you can imagine, it's really a straight-up task. I don't think you need any instruction from me. It's basically a jar or cup, and the craft sticks for writing the names of the people you are praying for. The jars I saw on Pinterest were glass--I decided to forego that--didn't want anything that would break and cause an injury. In fact, it looks to me like the ones on Pinterest were created by recycling baby food jars, and we have none of those at our house. So it was off to the craft store to see what I could find.  We used these paper craft cups rather than glass jars. We tossed the lids. Craft stores are always a good idea! You can see we found some plain yet sturdy paper cups. They turned out to be fine for gluing on all our embellishments. You could paint them as well. And several came in a package so there was enough for all the grandkids and for any adults helping with the craft. My grandson was at school, so I shopped alone. But if you can, have your grandkids join you so they can pick out exactly what they want on their cup/jar. Here are some things I found:  I got some sparkly letters for putting our names on our prayer cups.  Look for other embellishments that might appeal to children and could represent their interests on the jar.  I prefer washi tape rather than painting. Painting's simply too messy for my taste.  Appropriate items for a prayer jar. They would require a hot glue gun.  Craft sticks for writing the names of people you want to include in your prayers. And there's more! Of course my grandson went to get all his art supplies. He got out his markers which were great for adding names to the craft sticks.  You'll want to get out the art supplies you already have at your house. Let the craft project begin! Of course we had to brainstorm a list of all the people he wanted to include in his prayers each night. I made a list so he could copy the names on his craft sticks. And we were set to go!  You're also working on your young grandchildren's fine motor skills. Peeling off stickers and placing them on the jar is good practice in this regard.  I made one for myself.  I helped my grandson make one for his Poppa.  Writing the name on each craft stick. I got the larger size sticks so a 5-year-old would have plenty of room for writing.  Completed project.  This is the one I saw on Pinterest. Really great ones for older kids. I've included the website at the end of my blog. I really recommend doing crafts with your grandkids. It just seems to lend itself to sweet and meaningful conversations with your grandchild. More so than other activities like playing games or watching PBS Kids together. Here is that blog with the cute prayer jars: www.ssww.com/blog/how-to-make-prayer-jars-religious-craft-activity-lesson/ I leave you this week with these scriptures: Matthew 19:14
Philippians 4:6-7  Never kept a travel journal? It's not too late to begin! I never kept one either....until I retired and found the time. The time to both travel and to record my impressions. I'll repeat this quote from a writing institute I took years ago--"How can I know what I think until I see what I've written." Besides keeping a record of your travels, it's also an exercise in personal reflection. You learn a lot about yourself. And if your grandkids peek into your journal after you've gone, they'll learn much about you. So just do it! Learning the value of keeping a travel log~ Years ago when my husband taught in high school, we had the opportunity to travel abroad. He became a chaperone with Foreign Study League, a travel/study tour group for high school students. We traveled with a counselor from the high school where he taught. She had taken high school students to Europe for several years. She always kept a journal, and encouraged us to do the same. And not just for personal reasons; she said she recorded favorite restaurants and museums and shops so she would know which places she wanted to return when she went back to that country. I've never forgotten that lesson. And I've been able to see the value now.....in the age of Facebook. When my Facebook friends travel, I notice that other Facebook friends often ask--what are good restaurants? What tours are good? So keeping a travel diary has practical implications as well as personal reflections and self-discovery.  Some items you can include in a travel journal:
 I always do research for my blog, and this week was no exception. Some people really jazz up their journals. Some of them I found online almost look like a smash book! They are full of sketches, fun clip art, personal photos, stickers, small keepsakes, postcards, and tour itineraries. They are just plain FUN! Fun to create and fun for others to read! To my way of thinking, it's like living the travel experience at least three times: 1) the real time travel; 2) the recording of it at the end of the day or when you return home; 3) the reading of it after you've got it all in your journal. One gal whose travel journal was pictured online said she takes all her stickers with her when she travels, as well as various colored pens. I'm not so industrious, but I have come to discover that at the end of the day when I'm back on ship or back in the cabin in the woods, it's a perfect time to record events in my journal. And I can embellish it when I get back home.  Add the travel stickers to your journal before you leave home. That works too, especially if you record just basic things like a list of restaurants or museums that you visit.  Put the stickers and/or clip art in your journal before you go on your trip. Then you can just fill it in as you travel.  This is an important one. :)  I just filled it in as we visited this wonderful city. A favorite section of my journal~ Another section of my journal that I often include is, "I want to remember." This came about when my husband and I were in Atlanta. We were riding the MARTA from the airport to downtown Atlanta to do some shopping. A sweet grandmother-type and what appeared to be her grandson got on our car. They sat in front of us, and she patiently told him about all the sights they were seeing from the train. She would say things like, "That's where your daddy went to school." Or, "That's the factory where your grandpa worked." I loved her descriptions for her grandson--it just really touched my heart. It might seem a trivial thing to you, but I wrote about it in my travel journal. I've never forgotten it.  And don't forget to add favorite photos when you get home--those are really treasures. When I travel with my grands, I'm always sure to include a photo or two. One such experience is when I took them to an outdoor musical in Palo Duro Canyon in my home state. As luck would have it, a favorite aunt was able to join us. For sure I've included that picture in my journal.  Grandparents and grandkids! I really recommend keeping a travel journal. A narrative of your day is fine and very important. But embellishing it with some of the items above makes it really fun, and a delightful project after you get home! Try it! Favorite travel quotes: "Stop worrying about potholes in the road and enjoy the journey." Babe Heffman It is not the destination where you end up, but the mishaps and memories you create along the way. Unknown  Seems like no matter where I travel, I always have to check out the sunset. I've been blessed to see some pretty ones. I'll close my blog today with this sunset from Costa Rica. Fun blog with ideas for creating a power-packed travel journal:
www.kerrymaymakes.com/blog/travel-journal-pages?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=564304700_20771080_278633 |
AuthorRetired school teacher and now full time grandmother sharing ideas and looking for new ones about grandparenting! Archives
August 2020
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