2009allstaraward
June 2010
GaGazine Contents
2010 Calendar
July 11 Meeting
Future Meetings
The Art of Grandparenting
Making Memories with Your Grandchildren
GaGa Sisterhood Featured as "Grilled Grandma"
The GaGa Zone

Quick Links
2010 Calendar

Date
     Host   
Presenter

Jul 11     Judy       share projects
Sep 19   Carleen  Nancy Wulff  
Nov 7     Irene     Gabrielle Miller

July 11, 2010 Meeting:
Projects for Our Grandchildren

GaGa Judy is hosting our July 11 meeting in Menlo Park. The inspiration for our meeting comes from feedback I've gotten from all of you.

You want to get to know each other and you want creative ideas for connecting with your grandchildren.

We'll do both of these things by answering some questions about ourselves and by bringing a project we did for or with our grandchild.

Some examples might be a photo album, a CD, an art project or sewing project. If you can borrow it back from your grandchild, bring the project. Otherwise, bring a photo or description of the project.

Future Meetings

September 19


Watercolorist Nancy Wulff will present some ideas for art projects with our grandchildren. Nancy has taught children's art classes for the Pacific Art League and Triton Museum of Art.

November 7

Our speaker is Gabrielle Miller, the executive director of Raising a Reader, a national non-profit organization that offers families techniques for improving reading readiness in children ages 0-5 years.
 
The Art of Grandparenting

I still have a few copies left of The Art of Grandparenting. In the chapter I wrote, How to Become a Go-To Grandma, I offer seven strategies for building lasting bonds with your grandchildren. The most important lesson I've learned as a grandma is that getting time with your grandchildren requires building trust and respect with their parents. Trust is the foundation for having access to your grandchildren.

The anthology, subtitled Loving, Spoiling, Teaching and Playing with Your Grandkids, includes 20 chapters by "new" and "seasoned" grandparent authors. To order the book, click here.

You can also purchase copies at our July 11 meeting.

ArtofGrandparenting



Greetings!Donne
 
Summer is officially here! A few of you have already written to say you'll be hosting "Granny Camp" this summer. GaGa Betty has her twin 6-year old grandsons, Aidan and Mattie for a month. She's planned so many activities for them she thinks "they'll probably look forward to going home for some rest!" Most of us are able to provide a week or two. And that's the best part of being a grandparent -- you can give them all the love you have because you know at the end of "camp" they'll go home to their parents!

If you're one of those lucky GaGas who'll be hosting your grandchildren this summer, let me introduce you to a wonderful resource: Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren. In its fifth edition, this book has hundreds of fun, low-cost activities for grandparents to share with their grandchildren whether they're near or far.

Fourteen years ago Sue Johnson, and her daughter-in-law, Julie Carlson published the first edition of their book. They hoped to share their advice with grandparents who want to feel closer to their grandchildren.

This new edition now includes wisdom from another family member -- Sue's daughter, Elizabeth Bower. All three authors are former teachers and moms who draw on their experience to present enjoyable activities that teach, inspire imaginative play, and span the miles between you and your grandchildren. Their mission is to support and cheer on grandparents in their essential role.

I wish you lots of summer fun.

In Sisterhood,
 SigColor
Making Memories with Your Grandchildren

Grandloving: The Book

The new edition of Grandloving includes resources for grandparents (books and websites), an expanded section on ideas for connecting with your teenage grandchildren, and a "Quick Tips" summary at the end of each chapter. There's also a new chapter dedicated to using Skype and social networking (Facebook, My Space, Blogger, and Twitter) to keep in touch with your family.

Grandloving coverThe activities are organized into ten themes, from art and cooking to science and new technologies. There's a how-to for all occasions--visiting, long-distance, family gatherings. But most importantly, the authors encourage spending time rather than money on grandkids.  What makes this book different from most activity collections is the generous sprinkling of helpful and heartfelt advice for grandparents as you navigate the relationships with your adult children. For example, "there may be times when your views conflict with those of your grandchild's parents, but if you consider every difference a learning opportunity, you'll soon see that positive child rearing can accommodate many styles."

The book was an immediate winner for me when I spotted an idea for my two granddaughter's Halloween costumes. In the chapter "Heartfelt Holidays and Family Traditions," I found a simple "do-it-yourself" costume that worked for both girls: bunches of grapes. The girls' costumes took first prize at all three parties they attended.

Grandloving: The Website

Grandloving.com has creative ideas organized by the seasons and features two full sections of "Summer Sizzlers." I like the way they've organized the activities into "accordioned" sections, so the website looks clean, organized and easy to navigate. When you click on one of their "creative ideas for connecting with grandchildren," a bulleted list will drop down which you can expand by clicking on an item in the list.

Here's a simple, creative example for ages 18 months to 5 years from their website, called Sticky Sock Sketch:

You'll need two pairs of old cotton sweat socks and a small magnifying glass. You and your grandchild each put on a pair of old cotton socks and run around outside to see what will stick to the bottoms. Then use the magnifying glass to inspect the burrs, twigs, and treasures you've gathered. You can even make a collage of your treasures.

A wonderful feature called Long Distance Magic offers an activity for each week of the month to send to your grandchildren. Each one can be mailed in a 9 x 12 envelope.

The Summer Sizzlers section has activities for beating the heat. Here's their recipe for Beautiful Bubble Brew:

6 cups water
2 cups dish washing liquid (Dawn or Joy works best)
3/4 cup Karo light corn syrup
Bubble wands: canning jar rings, funnels, plastic berry baskets, wire coat hanger shaped into a big 6" wand, plastic 6 pack holder, spools, straws.

Here's how:
Combine the water, dish washing liquid, and syrup.
Let mixture sit for 4 hours before using.
Pour into a frying pan or large pan and dip in your wand for some unbelievably beautiful bubbles.
Store mixture in covered glass or plastic containers for future use.

GaGa Sisterhood Featured as "Grilled Grandma"

Last month I received an invitation from another grandma blogger named Lisa to be featured on the "Grilled Grandma" page of her blog: Grandma's Briefs. Lisa became a grandma in 2008 and because her grandson lives 819 miles away, she decided to start blogging as a way to cope.

Lisa "grilled" her first grandma last October and features a new interview every week. A Grilled Grandma is simply a grandma who has answered some of her grandma-related questions, which she then shares with her readers.

Check out the Grilled Grandma feature for June 23 and you'll see my answers.

The GaGa Zone

Please continue sending me pictures and stories of your grandchildren for the GaGa Zone.

Irene teaches swimming
GaGa Irene teaching grandson Tanner to swim

Irene Madrid is the founder of La Petite Baleen Swim Schools, located in Half Moon Bay, San Bruno, and San Francisco, CA. She is also a member of the GaGa Sisterhood. Irene and I were swapping stories about our grandchildren and water safety and I invited her to write a post on Swimming Safety Rules for my blog.