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Thursday, June 1, 2017

I've Got Something Major That I'm Working on Today

I'll be back tomorrow! What's on your plan for today? Happy first day of June!

9 comments:

  1. I'm working on a sewing project here today. I'll blog about it soon. Happy first day of June to you too, Lili. :)

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  2. We will meet our son after he is done at work to pick up our grandkids, at a rendezvous spot midway between our homes. They will be spending the next five days at our house. So today, I have last minute cleaning and shopping to do. Also, harvesting and cleaning some garden veggies to give them. The part that stresses me the most is planning in advance what activities to do with them. Children mature so quickly, it is difficult to know in advance what they will be interested in. I usually have something new planned for them, but this time I do not. There weren't any good Lego deals at the stores, and somehow I thought they might need a break from all that building. They asked to go bowling again, I think more so for the good diner food than the sport. I bought some vintage new condition comics from Savers, that might interest them. Usually we play Monopoly and chess with them. I taught them to play Sudoku last year. I'm wondering if I should have a bunch of printables ready so they can do it at will for a little spending money. According to our son, they are still buying in-app games and that makes me very sad. So this is a way they can "work" to earn their purchases. Our son said it is very frustrating dealing with this problem, the concept of game in-app puchases should be outlawed. I see no difference between that and gambling. Sadly there is so much peer pressure and they are already addicted to their tablets (he's said they are not buying phones although the grandkids want that too). Our granddaughter doesn't have that problem, she is older, I wonder why she isn't as interested. She has a phone but uses it for texting and not so much gaming.

    Sorry for the rant, but it is such a big problem for our son and DIL. I wonder what we can do to discourage this when according to our son, everyone (maybe not every child literally) at school already has a phone and uses it for gaming. The irony is they bought a home in a "good" school district to avoid unwanted peer pressure.

    I wish you well in your endeavor today!!

    YHF

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    Replies
    1. Sorry about your struggles with your grandkids. Not sure from what you said, but it sounds like the younger ones are boys--my very non-scientific observation with my own kids is that boys are more susceptible to being glued to gaming devices than girls are. And I think there is more peer pressure for that kind of thing in more well-to-do areas, because the parents can afford to buy it.

      My kids (ages 11 and 13) like to do creative things, the messier, the better. My 13-year-old and his cousin (age 14) will create all sorts of stuff from my in-law's recycling. Tape, paint, glue, and so on, seem to be hits--I try not to interfere too much and let them create whatever they want to. Another activity "win" around here is to do baking activities--especially if it's a cake or cookies, something that they can decorate. Maybe make a homemade pizza and let them help? If you have an area where you can have a bonfire, that could be fun--as long as it's supervised, obviously--boys especially like to burn stuff. You could also make s'mores or some other outdoor treat--heck, you could have them roast hotdogs for supper over the fire and continue on from there. Maybe outdoor activities? If you have (or could borrow) yard games, that might be fun. Maybe have them plan, prepare, and execute a picnic?

      If you don't mind buying a new game, this one is a hit no matter when I've used it, and it seems to work with all ages--I've used it with 3rd grade on up. It travels well, too. www.amazon.com/Asmodee-00411-Spot-It/dp/B0039S7NO6/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_21_bs_tr_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5YRJZGAV7A92QRPY5QEP

      Hope my ideas help!

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  3. Thank you Kris, for some wonderful, and very helpful ideas!! I am going to order that game from Amazon as soon as I can figure how to get a $25 order together. The reviews are 5 stars, and the best is that the young and old can compete, squarely, and it will be good to keep in our cars and purses to occupy children while they wait for appointments or in restaurants. I know our youngest grandchild who is 6yo will do as well as his older brothers, 9 and almost 11yo. When helping the children with Lego, guess who finds the smallest pieces first? Another game we like to play together is the old fashion Memory game. The middle grandchild who is 9yo does the best with that one, and beats me all the time. These games are such great confidence builders too.

    Our three boy grandchildren are such home bodies, they don't like going outside at all. They are not interested in going to the park to play or even sitting outside to barbeque (they want to sit indoors while my husband grills their dinner). The middle 9yo is the most apt to help in the garden to kill worms on our veggies, but only for a very short while. Maybe we should try again, after all they are older and I would think one of these days they will have to get out there and man up lol This is indeed what they need to do more of to balance their indoor tablet time.

    Interesting that you noted that boys may be more susceptible to gaming than girls. For our granddaughter, I think crafting and her interest in art has helped steer her away. Our oldest grandchild is a boy, 19yo, and while he loved GameStop and buying games when he was younger, today, he doesn't play any games with in-app purchasing, says he doesn't have the time or money. There is no comparison between the two forms of gaming, the latter is just plain evil and forces the player to buy in to stay in the game longer.

    Thank you, Kris, for all your suggestions.

    YHF

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    Replies
    1. Glad to help! I helped chaperone the middle school kids for band festival. There is a lot of "dead" time and since this was my second year doing it, I learned from experience and brought Spot It and Uno in my purse with me. The kids were delighted and it kept them busy for quite awhile (and out of trouble ...). I have also used it with my Sunday School (middle school) kids with success. I love that it's portable.

      I find that if I have my kids plan and cook, they take more ownership than they otherwise would--and suddenly become less picky about what they eat, as well. If it's my idea, it's no good, but if it's theirs, it's the best idea ever. Ha.

      Enjoy your time with them--I know they will love seeing you.

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    2. Oh, you probably don't want to spend $$ on these now, but we LOVE giving these as gifts--maybe something to consider for birthdays or Christmas. /www.amazon.com/Hog-Wild-Toys-Penguin-Popper/dp/B00770NADU There are many different varieties and, again, I have given them for a variety of ages (up to 14) with success. Sometimes ya gotta be tricky to get them away from their electronics.

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    3. As far as helping in the kitchen, they do show interest in food preparation. Last time they were here, they made their own personal pan pizzas. They loved making their own Yoyanas frozen fruit bowls.

      However, when it comes to building things with recyclables, I wish they would have more interest making stuff. When they are here, they always see me with some crafting going on beside me. I feel they don't understand this crafting thing and think I am wasting my time (just my guess). The oldest asked me in a polite way why I make stuff so much. That's a good honest question, because even I sometimes question myself and other crafters, artists especially, why they make what they do. I hope my doing has not turned them off to DIY, but sadly I don't think they will see any fun in making things with recyclables or something that is not better than store bought. I mean after all, often what is sold commercially is nicer and more user friendly than anything a person can make DIY (that is probably more true about the stuff I make than as a general statement). I may be wrong, but I feel they are very indifferent to making things with their hands, sadly. They really need to do more things with their hands....all very good suggestions which would help them get away from gaming.

      YHF

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    4. There's no sense trying to force something that won't happen. Sounds like you have some good ideas already.

      The older ones might be interested in the Origami Yoda books by Tom Angleberger--if not for the actual reading, then maybe for making origami Star Wars creatures. Here's a link for making the origami creatures: //origamiyoda.wordpress.com/folding-instructions/
      You should be able to find the books at your library if you think they would be interested--they are written in a more fun way than typical books (you have to look at them to see what I mean). Speaking of libraries, our local ones have summer programming and typically are fun (and free). Maybe that could be an option.

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    5. Thank you for the link! I know they will be so excited making origami of the Star Wars characters, since they love the entire series and watched all the episodes from the very first.

      You have been so helpful with lots of current ideas. Most of the stuff we do with them are from our childhood and from our years as parents. We are so out of touch. We share with them The Three Stooges reruns on YouTube, that kind of things.

      Have a wonderful Weekend!

      YHF

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