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Parenting & Farm Kids:  New Gramma  |
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Simple Living
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Joan
Staten Island
NY
USA
1402 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 25 2015 : 10:31:38 AM
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Hi All, I'm basically a new gramma with a 30 month old; a 9 month old and a 8 month old. How do you all handle keeping them occupied when they are all together in your home? LOL, It's hysterically funny when they are all here
What types of activity for the oldest grand daughter while keeping the little ones active also?
A Life Without a Friend, Is a Life Without Sun
Farmgirl #3842 |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2015 : 12:39:10 PM
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CONGRATULATIONS, Joan! LOL - when the kids are here, it's ultimate chaos! We have special toys set aside for their likes and ages, and there is usually a rest time when we cuddle together and I read to them. Your peaches are pretty young, though... My goodness! That's a lot for a Gramma!
Your oldest might really like an age appropriate tea set, her own baby doll to feed and, of course books.
We also love doing things like making homemade play dough, but that really does require supervision - you KNOW how messy that can be!
Coloring is another option, too, but, again, you'll have to be in eye shot unless you want all your surfaces redecorated.
Blocks are always fun, too, but man, they hurt when they are thrown! They have sponge blocks, though, that might be just the solution! For that matter, you can just use sponges!
Sponges are always fun. You can cut them into fun shapes and sizes so she can repeat their names, then pop them into water and watch them "grow." Let them dry really well over night, and they're good to go all over again in the morning!
A really fun thing for your granddaughter might be a rice box. Basically, I took a large rectangle lightweight metal pan (I had a spatterware baking dish), and loaded it up with about an inch of rice. It was like an indoor, year-round sandbox. Our son and godson would play with that for hours. Luckily, neither one tried eating it or threw any rice, though.
And then, of course, you can turn your pots and pans upside down, give her a wooden spoon and let her get her rock-n-roll drumming on. The kids ALWAYS love that, but ohmygoodness: L-O-U-D! That probably won't do when the babies are sleeping!
We also love puppet shows. I hang two tension rods between one of our doorways, covering each with a set of curtains. One is lower to "hide" the puppeteer, the other is higher, and goes behind the puppet show. We removed the stuffing from old stuffed animals, cutting the seam between the legs, and then that place served as the opening for the hand. If you don't have old stuffed animals, you can get them at yard sales or Good Will pretty cheaply, and then wash and dry them after removing the stuffins'!
Most little girls LOVE dress-up, too. At that younger age, it's fun when they have lots of gloves, hats and scarves to mix and match, to dress themselves and their best teddy bear! As a matter of fact, with a little imagination, a big scarf can become a dress, a skirt, a wedding veil, a little tent, a shawl... you get the idea! My foster granddaughter is happy trying on my old shoes, to be honest. And a friend of her Mom's gave them huge bags full of hand-me-down clothing. Her favorite thing of all to do is to pick through the hand-me-downs and dress herself over and over and over all day!
Another things the little ones love is my Grandma's old favorite: cover your kitchen table with oversized tablecloths or a couple of big sheets, turning it into a play house! She can take her doll, her teddy bear, some books and some dress up clothes and play house in her own little oasis! When we were kids, my Mom would even allow this under her coffee table in the living room so she could keep an eye on us while caring for the baby!
If you have a port-a-crib, one fun thing we used to do for my son when he was wee little was to fill the bottom with stuffed animals. He would loll around in it for hours as if it was a ball pit! He loved it!
He and our godson also used to LOVE their excersaucers, too. Even when they outgrew them, they would still scale around the outside and play with the toys! (Remember: everything can be found second hand at tag sales... You don't have to go crazy to buy new, and things usually do clean up quite well!)
We also always love to sing songs and make up dances. Disney has some wonderful Mickey and Friends music videos where the kids can learn the alphabet, camp songs, holiday songs and more, and it's always fun to dance along! Our son and grandson learned their ABC's and other educational songs while riding down the road in their car seats! Kids LOVE music!
Simple games like clothespin in the bottle (or bucket for the younger ones), tape the tail on the donkey, etc. are always fun. They aren't just meant for birthday parties! Going to Gramma's house is ALWAYS a party! :)
Old fashioned favorites like "head, shoulders, knees and toes," ring-around-the-rosey, etc. are fun for the toddler ages; but Gramma can always do these with the babies, too, by pointing to body parts or picking them up and dancing along! Giggles galore, I tell you! When my son was still an infant, we got him a HUGE blow-up Mr. Potato head for Christmas. Every day we'd point to his eyes, his nose, his mouth, etc. and then to our son's saying, "This is Mr. Potato Head's noooose... And this is Sammy's nooooose." He'd giggle like crazy. And you know what? We've got actual video tape of him at three months old, pointing to the correct parts on Mr. Potato Head when we asked him things like "Where is Mr. Potato Head's noooose?" People wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't seen it for themselves!
Gramma's house is a treasure trove of discovery, you know... You can pick up the babies and take them for a little tour of your home, pointing out and naming pretty things on the shelves, in the nooks, behind cupboard doors... And your eldest granddaughter would probably love opening and closing doors and drawers for you, and pointing out the neat items if you ask her to find them in an "I spy with my little eye..." kind of way! She will be proud to find things, and the babies' attention will be drawn to what she is doing. Over time, they will learn the names and places, too!
And I know it may sound crazy to read to an 8-month old, but even when our son was an infant, I'd pull out little board books that featured single words and three or four word sentences. I'd point out the pictures as I read the words and stories, and he was fascinated. Today, he is an avid reader and I have a terrible time keeping up with him! LOL!
Oh! And a really fun thing is to let your granddaughter take a roll of toilet paper and "decorate" the room. We'd create HUGE spider webs with toilet paper in the dining room, and then our son would run around trying to hide from us, the giant "spiders." We also would let him wrap us up in tp like mummies, then unroll us til we were dizzy! You can use one roll over and over again!
I could go on and on and on. Everyone on my end is growing up so fast, so I try to steal every moment with them that I can and make it special. I know you are doing the same. Enjoy them, sister. Make sure you get lots of rest, of course - you know you're going to need it! - but enjoy every single moment. They are gifts beyond measure. And to them, you are, too!
Love and hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Apr 25 2015 12:51:30 PM |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2015 : 12:51:50 PM
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Congratulations, Joan. So happy for you.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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NixKat
True Blue Farmgirl
288 Posts
Kathleen
CT
USA
288 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2015 : 06:22:26 AM
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Congratulations Joan. Being Grandma is so much fun. I have 11 grands, ages 3 yr to 27 yrs; and my second great due in
August. I have found that the simplest things keep them amused, such as letting the play in the pots and pans draw; this worked in my grandmother's day, and still works great.
They also love being with the chickens and doing "chores" in the garden/yard. I do keep a special basket on a bottom shelf in the sitting room (we don't have t.v.) with books, coloring books, and odds and ends for them to play with. They also each keep a couple of small toys they bring from home to add to the basket.
The littlest ones, under a year, tend to be happy just playing with their toes much of the time.
Tea Time works for all of them, boys and girls.
Have fun!
{{{Hugs}}}
Kathleen...... Farmgirl Sister #3447
http://hennypennyfarm.blogspot.com/
http://time-2-sew.com
http://coupons-coupons-coupons.com
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Simple Living
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Joan
Staten Island
NY
USA
1402 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 11:03:37 AM
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I tried some of your suggestions ladies, it went really well. I guess my imagination needs a boast lol
A Life Without a Friend, Is a Life Without Sun
Farmgirl #3842 |
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Parenting & Farm Kids: New Gramma |
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New Gramma
