Entertaining the Kids
Posted at 5:20 AM on June 10, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(46 Comments)
As we heard from Bubby yesterday, the graduation ceremonies continue, the school year ends and classrooms empty out as America's Youth step forward into the economically challenging summer of 2009 to look for jobs, or lacking jobs, to look for something fun or worthwhile to do.
And this great cloud of summer seekers covers all the age groups. Some of them are searching together, as is the case with Shelley, a grandmother and a Trial Balloon reader who says "I love to read the blogs but don't feel very comfortable contributing as some of the folks do."
That's perfectly fine, of course.
But we, as a group, have been honored in that Shelley thinks we might provide a resource for her as she searches for activities to do with her twin grandsons, age 6. She is an involved grandparent who says she retired of a Friday and started providing day care for these "wonderful boys" the following Monday.
The two boys just finished kindergarten and they both love books. They are intelligent and curious, says their grandmother, and they live in the Twin Cities area. They can make a day trip for activities, but not overnights.
So ... if you were a grandparent (and maybe you are) with two fine 6 year olds and a string of empty summer days in front of you, what would you do?
Comments (46)
Good Morning Dale, Mike and Shelley ~
Have a great time with your grandkids, Shelley! One place our grandkids have enjoyed over the years is the Oliver Kelly farm in Elk River, MN. It is a 19th century farm that is actively farming in the style of that century, with chickens, plowing oxen, cows, lambs, goats that the children can get close to. Plus, they have activities of the farm that the they can get in involved with; plowing, baking, bean picking, etc. In season, of course. Here is a link for you:
http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/ohkf/visitkelley.html
An activity that we have done out on the (covered) picnic table is tie dying. There is a great kit out called "Tie Die Kit" by Jacquard, which gives you all you need to tie dye several pieces of clothing for a reasonable cost. Otherwise you can get plenty of books from the library that will help you through the process. It is especially fun to do because it is an 'outside' kind of craft, and messy is good with tie dye projects! Enjoy your time together.
lucky twins, Shelly, to have such a thoughtful and caring grandmother! i bet they will love anything you do with them. my friend Janet has a godson about that age and it seems they just do simple things - read Harry Potter, go swimming, play imagination games - probably things you are doing already. but please let them help you cook. maybe buy a "Kids Cook" book and cook something with them regularly? have a great summer with them!
good morning, All. we're just waiting on Dream.......
Good Morning everyone-
Dale, would you please play a song for my husband, Larry, this morning? We are celebrating our 20th anniversary today. Something by Kate Wolf would be appropriate, since he introduced me to her music when we were dating. Thanks.
Good Morning!
There are so many things to do like the MN Zoo & Children's Museum but not having had to interact with six year olds for quite a while, I may not be the best source of ideas.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
ah, Mark...... might want to check the calendar :-)
What a gift Shelly is offering the twins!
One of my suggestions is refrigerator cartons. Get a couple of the big cartons from a store. Let the boys build , decorate, and create with them.
It's not too late for a garden. Complete with the responsibility for watering, weeding etc.
Volunteer "work" is wonderful for kids this age. Maybe the 3 of them could visit an older person weekly or hook up with one of the programs that grocery shops for shut-ins. Food shelves need sorting, shelf-dusting that 6 year olds can help with.
Visit the animal shelter and be a volunteer petter.
Offer them an electronic free summer with simple pleasures that you remember. They will treasure this summer forever!
Someone who is going to daily have kids in their charge might want to consider a summer pass to one of the pools or rec centers. We get passes to the St Louis Park rec center every summer. My 4 children loved when I read to them (the youngest, a five year old, still does). Trips to the library are also fun! I think kids at that age care more about doing activities than what the activities are.
You can always get videos to show kids that will keep them entertained for many hours, but you probably don't want to over do this. However, if you need a break or can't think of any thing else, you can put on a kids video.
Take them to a play ground or a park. Also, go to a zoo or to a musem. I think they would like the science museum in st. Paul. A water park might be a special treat for them or go to a pool. I'm not from the twin cities, but I'm sure you could find a lot of summer programs for kids if you do a little checking. I would guess that siome of the parks have programs set up for kids.
Hi Shelly,
The Sioux Falls Parks and Rec dept. sends out a summer guide each year that features indoor and outdoor activities for youth through adults. I googled Twin Cities summer rec and it brought up several results. Here's a link to get you started.
Parks & Rec
Don't forget the appeal of water balloons, sidewalk chalk, a sandbox, and bubbles. My kids loved splashing around in a round plastic pool with as many neighborhood friends as they could fit in.
Hi Shelley,
One thing I used to do with my book loving son echoes what Elinor suggested. We would travel around the Twin Cities metro to different libraries in the various county and city systems. There are quite a few, and each one is distinct in its size, location, age and feel. He had an autograph book, and at each stop he would get a library stamp from someone on the staff.
And the boys can take out and return books from any of over 100 libraries in the area thanks to a coordinating organization called MELSA. They also have an online map that shows you all the locations.
After a while it became a game just to see how many libraries we could collect in the book, and of course the librarians were delighted to have a young “fan” approaching the desk for an “autograph”.
Dale-
The Kate Wolf number you played was perfect! How did you know we played "Give Yourself to Love" at our wedding?
Gotta go . . . . Maybe I can get Larry to dance around the living room to "At Last" by J. Steele.
this is a comment from one of the twins:
i like tiedie a lot. thanks teri.
I would echo what a lot of folks already have said. My five-year-old is a fan of the Children's Museum, Science Museum, local libraries, sprinklers and/or inflatable pool in the yard, sidewalk chalk (there is also sidewalk paint that's fun). Edina has a big water park just off Hwy 62 and France if your grandsons are splashers.
You might also want to try something like creating a treasure hunt in the back yard - or hide pennies all over the yard for them to find. My daughter and I went on a couple of nature scavenger hunts last year where she had to take pictures of what we found (she has a great "kiddie" camera - but they could draw pictures, too).
Oh - and Daughter and the next door neighbor like to make up TV shows that we then videotape. Sort of a modern take on the play/theater in the back yard (which you could also do - bed sheets make great theater curtains...or have 'em do a shadow play on the sheet).
Shelly, do you bake or cook? You can inspire a delicous future for your grandboys in the kitchen! Not to mention lots of laughs!
All of these post make me want to be little again! Dale, if you can fit it in, consider playing the I Won't Grow Up song from Peter Pan.
Thanks for the song suggestion, Donna.
I'll try to get that in during the 8 am hour.
I'm with Dale on the library idea! I could spend hours there as a kid, and we only had one. Ours had a summer reading club - it looks like St. Paul does a version of this too.
Mom, I don't think you need to worry about growing up too fast ;)
Good Morning,
I am getting off the track here, but I'm wondering if anyone else is getting bad reception yesterday & today. I've been listening from the get-go on an HD radio, and yesterday & today Radio Heartland won't come in. I live in Rogers. Is it the weather?
Running through the sprinklers, For rainy days, you can let them build card table forts with sheets and blankets (chairs can be positioned for tunnels). Make and illustrate their own books (they can dictate stories to you if they don't read yet) with cardboard, paper, and markers. Another use for a LARGE box is to cut out a window and make their own TV or puppet show.
And kids this age love to help: they can help make their lunches and clean up; fold laundry as it comes out of the dryer or off the line...
Ha ha Lora (that's my girl!)
Thanks for the song, Dale. Peter Pan was my first introduction to stage performances shown on TV. Who couldn't love it?
no problems with internet streaming, Kathy -
Dale, just in from barn - in my vast two years of kidding experience i think i can say TODAY IS THE DAY!! if you have, would you play Sam and Dave's "Hold on i'm comin' " for Dream?
or just hum it :-)
thanks! wish us luck
Heard it's Mike Doughty's birthday today - got any of his music in the RH library? I know he shows up on the Current - he seems in a similar style as Iron and Wine, or Chuck Prophet.
This is fun....it makes me long for those summers I had with our kids going to parks & pools story telling at the library, and Wild Rumpus.
I love the links that are being shared, can someone tell me how to have a few words in the text become a link?
Hi Kate,
The directions are a bit confusing - here's how you post a hyperlink:
words you want to be hypertext go here
You just have to make sure you're got the quotes and brackets right. And hit 'preview' before you post to make sure :)
thanx for Janis
the twins have read all the entries so far and are excited about all the options we have!
thanx so much for everyone's ideas
i had no idea there was so much to do at libraries
Barb in Blackhoof - Good luck with Dream and the kidding. Sending good thought vibes your way!
Okay, that totally didn't work - I just hyperlinked my directions! I need to take my own advice about previewing.
so it's [open carrot]a href="url here"[close carrot]words you want as hypertext go here[open carrot]/a[close carrot]
This is what I mean by carrots - open =
Kate, the instructions for making a link are right below the "Post A Comment" line at the end of the blog. Where it says +link:, you can cut and past the gibberish that follows into your message.
Then use the link to replace the part that says "http://url" and the words you want illuminated in your message should replace the word Link.
Good luck. It has taken me 6 months to figure it out.
Here’s another idea, Shelley and boys, but it’s only good if you like trains! There’s an organization called The Minnesota Transportation Museum, and one of the attractions they offer is in St. Paul, a place where there are a few old locomotives being re-conditioned.
Kate - this is what I do: Copy and paste the line that follows the word Link that's up in the HTML tags section which is Link. Then I copy and paste the www.address of the link's site replacing where it says url. After that I decide what I want to call the link (in my post I chose parks and rec), and type that in the line replacing where it says Link. And like Lora said, preview before you post. I spent a whole hour one day experimenting until I finally succeeded and boy was I proud!
A couple more rainy day thoughts:
Adventure Peak at Edinborough Park in Edina - it's an indoor climbing structure with slides and things to swing around like monkeys, etc. Sort of a habitrail for the preschool/early elementary set.
The Mpls Institute of Art has a brochure with kid-friendly self-guided tours. They also have a nice family room on the main floor where you can stop for snacks, play on the computers, build sculptures with the available blocks, etc.
The Hennepin County/Mpls libraries also have summer book clubs. And on the book theme, you might want to check out Auntie Em's book store - it's a smaller version of Wild Rumpus. I think they're still doing a weekly story time and they often do events as well.
Shelley, there is a great book titled "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn and Hal Iggulden that might be another resource for you and the boys. It has activities and projects to do and stories to read with the boys that are fun information (and they might remember some of them too (i.e. learn something new - Shhhh!) Some of the learning and projects might be better for older boys, but there is plenty to last for many years. The books are available in many book stores - perhaps at libraries?
One thing my great aunt taught myself and my sister was sewing - such as clown dolls. Perhaps libraries have some books on that too.
Note that there is also such a book for girls - "The Daring Book for Girls" - not that girls can't do the projects in the boys book - or vice versa!
Have a good summer!
Oh grit - that's not right either. Where is says Link in above post it's supposed to say what it says following the word Link in the above HTML tag section. When I copied and pasted that line it didn't work, but that's not my fault! Rescue me Dale!
yes, the trains! my grandparents lived in Houston backin the 50's and we used to take the Rock Island line down there twice a yr, it was great
we will go there
Now that I've remembered the linking stuff, here's a link to the Edinborough Park/Adventure Peak site. There is an admission charge - but a punch card makes it a little cheaper over time.
Lots of great ideas, RHers! When my nieces and nephews were younger, we'd go through a pail of sidewalk chalk and gallons of bubble liquid (we had some of those huge bubble makers for added fun).
Some other ideas: The Bakken Museum is another excellent local museum, and it's in a beautiful garden, too.
You could spend a full day puttering around the Mill City Museum/Guthrie/Stone Arch Bridge/Lock and Dam area. You could do a lot of sightseeing and outdoor activities for little or no money. The Guthrie is open to the public all day, and the building is interesting to look at, besides having the wonderful outdoor viewing area that overlooks the lock and dam. On a summer day with boat traffic, you'd have a great time up there. You could walk across the Stone Arch bridge, or catch a ride on the trolley.
I see you already did, come to the rescue, that is.
Dale, Donna & Lora,
Thank you for the instructions.....
One more question, if you're doing it correctly will it work in e-mail as well? I've been testing it in an e-mail to Bill but it hasn't worked yet.
It is complicated but I will get it!
Kate, getting a hypertext link to work in e-mail depends upon the e-mail program you're using. I'd check your e-mail Help section, or Google, using a search like, "create hypertext link in" followed by whatever you're using. Or if you're using Mac Mail, I can tell you.
Shelly -- here is a link to some great regional parks: http://www.threeriversparkdistrict.org/parks/
Some of these have playgrounds with great rope climbers, etc., and most have biking trails and/or a beach. If the boys like eagles and other big birds, I know there is a Raptor Center somewhere, sorry I don't have that link.
...and then it's kind of interesting to take the Light Rail out to Fort Snelling...
I just skimmed the blog today, so forgive me Shelley if someone has already mentioned any of my suggestions.
I was a nanny for a whole month about a year and a half ago (so of course, I am an expert!) and twice we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. They have a family play area that has fun building blocks and some computers with a drawing program installed on it. Then go look for Picasso's Baboon Mama; Picasso constructed her of metal toys and junk including an old fashioned VW Bug for a head. There is also a giant white dog with a red nose by a Japanese artist on the first floor of the new wing by the library that is a kid pleaser. I was generally suprised about how many things they were interested in there. I don't know why, I have been going there since I was little and I always ran to find the Baboon right away.
Also Brackett Park in Minneapolis has the best playground stuff; a big spider web thing to climb on and well...just really cool stuff to play on. There is a bathroom in the park building near the playground; very important for 6 year olds.
Oh and I meant to take them on the Street Car by Lake Harriet, but we never got around to it.
Have fun!
I'm a bit late on this but I single-grandfathered for several years and what I would add to these many suggestions is that you befriend, and trade off with occasionally, one or two families with one or two other children (play dates) so that you will feel less of a burden over the long haul of the summer. One would of course need to find good friends for your grandchildren, and it would mean that sometimes you would have more than those two, whatever it is you were doing, but it would also mean the occasional time to be alone (or with peers). Who knows, you might even make some new, younger, good friends. I did.
So I've pulled back form the situation a little and given an overview. Hope it helps.
Enjoy it all.
As Darcy said, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a great place, and because it's free, you can see as much or as little as you like without feeling as if you can't leave until you get your money's worth.
The Walker Art Sculpture Garden is another great place for the same reason. They also have a beautiful garden.
And if you're walking along the southwest side of Lake Harriet, you can have the kids keep a look out for the Elf House door in the tree. Bring a bit of paper and something to write with so that the kids can leave a note.
I can bring you some science fun in July (I'm booked every week this summer except for two. Click in my name for my website. Jane Copes (Professor Sepoc)
From a google search it looks like you have some wildlife refuges fairly close. It's never too early to learn, flora, fauna. birds, reptiles, amphibians, snakes, insects-I dare not go on. In general, there are activities scheduled that would be of interest.
Outside is good, field guides can be inexpensive and it's always good to know what to avoid.
If this has already been suggested, I second the idea.
Enjoy
P.S. A big perk up there-no gators.
Shelley, Make a routine...There is difference between daycare and summer fun with Grandma. Establish a daily routine: that way the kids know what to expect and not every minute is a planned activity - activities will soon become expected- and expensive. without a routine, it will be difficult when they go back to school. I love all of the ideas- pace yourself and them Tammy- mom of 8 and 5 year old boys
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