Windows Inspire Delightful Cookies

Observe Colors and Light and Reflections

Have you ever taken young children to admire the brilliant colors of stained glass windows close up and watched them touch the colors with wonder? They are delighted by the light reflecting on their hands and often like to stand in the colors on a bright day. Children also love to make these easy and edible stained glass cookies all winter long.

Cookie Recipe

  Here are the Ingredients:  2/3 cup butter, 1  1/4 cup white sugar,1 teaspoon vanilla extract,2 eggs,3 cups all-purpose flour,2 teaspoons baking powder,1/2 teaspoon salt,3 Tablespoons  milk,40 fruit flavored hard candies (Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers melt well.)Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with tin foil sprayed with cooking oil. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and eggs.In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. 

Make Stained Glass Cookies

Add to egg mixture alternately with milk. Chill the dough and take out only what you need for a few cookies at a time. It will be easier to form cookies. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. To make window frames, cut into 1/4 to 1/2inch-wide strips.  Form into stained glass window frames with geometric designs inside. You can also make stained glass cut- out cookies. Cut out large cookies and take out dough in small areas and replace with candy.

 Keep colors separate, place candy in double plastic bags and a thick grocery bag. Help children carefully crush into smaller pieces with a hammer. Place candy pieces in the holes. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Ten -minute cookies will be crunchier. Check on them often as they bake, however. Cool well on baking sheet until candy is hard. Carefully lift cookies off the baking sheet with a pancake turner and by curling the tin foil slightly. 

Stained Glass Drawings

  To makestained glass style paper windows fold a black 

Make Stained Glass Drawings

piece of construction paper about 5”X 8” in half. Think of how you wish the window to look when the fold is open. Draw guidelines for groups of triangles, circles, rectangles, or a picture on the folded paper and help children cut out the shapes.  When you open the folded paper both sides will be symmetrical. Glue wax paper one side covering the holes you made. Paint one waxed paper section at a time with white glue and cover with one-inch square pieces of different colored tissue paper. You may overlap colors to make a stained glass look more realistic. If you want a shine, paint on Modge Podge. When dry, hang in a window. For more fun with children see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/Learning through the Seasons live and podcasts; Facebook and Pinterest.

Helping Children Become Handy

Woodworking is Useful and Builds Strength

“Woodworking gives me something useful to do when I’m feeling puny and it takes my mind off my troubles.”-- Gary McCarthy

 Kids and adults feel “puny” sometimes and a little woodworking can help them feel strong again and regain a great attitude when they work together.

  Anthony Carrino of the renovation show "Cousins Undercover”  suggests very young children can start with toy tools and children age 6 on up with real tools and a kid friendly tool kit.  Grandparents and parents can raid their tools and purchase a tool bag or start kids from scratch.

Starting Early!!

  Craig Stevens carpenter and author suggests starting with a small but real hammer and help kids pound some nails straight into a board or stump and then pull them out.  Help them turn a few screws on a soft pine board or tighten a loose one somewhere.  Look for both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers.

  Also, gift them with a fabric measuring tape that includes fractions and teach them to go around the house measuring furniture. Bubble levels are also fun to use. If you have new smart phone there is a level on your phone. 

  Craig Stevens has written the very popular, ” Woodshop 101 For Kids” He includes 14 woodworking projects for parents and kids to build together. His web site is woodworkersresource.com for school age children and their families.

 Needed Tools 

  Mr. Stevens suggests the following tools for this age: a 12 foot measuring tape with with fractions, a wooden 12- inch ruler with fractions, and 7-10 ounce hammer. 

Have Fun Gathering and Talking About Tools

You can include a hand saw, power drill (with supervision), auger, awl, nail and screw box sets of 1 ¼ and 1 5/8, Phillips and flat head screw drivers, western and Japanese hand saw, coping saw, block plane and rasp.  Add some sand paper (100, 120, 150, and 180), white and wood glue, clamps, combination square, speed square, and child size safety glasses that fit and won’t slip. Children may also like a wood burning kit.

Many Projects 

Bubble Measure Used in Many Projects

 His book and site have information about the science of wood and how -to directions for easy start up projects like picture frames, crayon or pencil holder, art caddy, step stool, marshmallow catapult, and many more.  Pinterest.com/ woodworking projects for kids is another good site for ideas.  Other books for teaching and ideas include: ”Easy Carpentry Projects for Children’” by Jerome Leavitt and” Kids’ Building Workshop”  by Craig Robertson. 

   There are also ready -made tool kits and projects from “Kraftic DIY Delux Carpentry Woodworking Kit” by Kraftic and “Active Kyds Tool Kits” for kids 6-13 by Active Kyds. For more project ideas to build relationships between kids and adults see grandparents teachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts.

Photos: https://www.pexels.com/search/tools/

Personal Keepsakes Written for Grandkids

Talk and Record the Past with Kids

 “Mom, did you know that after WWII Great Grandpa saw starving little kids searching in garbage cans for food in Germany and he always shared his rations with them?  Their faces bothered him for the rest of his life.”

  “Yes, dear, he had a hard time talking about his experiences.”

  Luckily with help  Great Grandpa wrote down his thoughts and created a family keepsake. Reading the keepsake helps grandkids understand why Grandpa had a soft spot for hungry children.

  Someone must be very disciplined to keep a diary or daily journal, but book companies are making it easier to share the most important life experiences with generations of family to come.

  The journals provide prompts and fill in the blanks for people who don’t like to write.

  However, sometimes people are surprised at how much Grandpa and Grandma will write once they are given a little nudge. Life experiences and childhood memories will come tumbling out.

Retell Experiences; Make a Diary

  Many of the memory books also have space for a few very important family photos, like giving Grandma a bent over backwards smooch similar to the famous WWII photograph of a soldier and a nurse in New York City.

  These memory books pass on family traditions and holiday celebrations like hanging giant holiday balls made from clear plastic cups laced with lights.  They recount favorite stories that would rival the “Little House on the Prairie” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

  The keepsake books reveal what life was like similar to the movie “The Christmas Story.”  Real little people actually were stuffed into itchy woolen long underwear and puffy snow suits with soggy mittens tied with too short yarn running through the sleeves from one arm to the other.  People really did touch their tongues to frozen water pumps and light poles needing rescue.

  Memory books often have guided questions for grandparents to recall their scariest moments, the biggest bully on the block who stole their lunch, or the girl with pigtails who actually did have her hair dipped in the inkwell.

  

Read Books About Journaling

They encourage grandparents to talk about education, love, marriage, family life, religion, military service and unique memories.

  The story of life, retelling experiences, and the wiliness to share hopes and dreams for grandchildren can be recorded this season.

  Here are a few of these books that also make great gifts: “For My Grandchild: A Grandparent’s Gift of Memory” by Lark Crafts; “Memories for My Grandchild” by Suzanne Zenkel; “Grandmother’s Journal: Memories and Keepsakes for My Grandchild” by Blue Streak; “For my Grandchild” by Paige Gilchrist; “Grandfather’s Journal” by Laura Westlake; and “Letters to my Grandchild” by Lea Redmond. For more keepsake ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts, also on Pinterest and Facebook.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Kids Learning to Love Math

Simple Activities Done Together Counts

There are some simple math activities that families can do that are really cheap but effective. It is what families think, say, and do that counts, according to researchers. Remember the saying, “Children who are read to, read?” The same is true for math.  When you’re in the kitchen, car, restaurant, or park try these suggestions and see how easy they are to do. Math thinking becomes an enjoyable habit.

 Number Meaning

  Teach young children to make connections between numbers and sets of objects. Point to beans on their plate and ask,” How many beans to you see? Let’s count them.”  Showing children three Cheerios or toy cars when teaching the number three helps them understand what numbers mean better than reciting strings of numbers by memory. 

Make Connections Observe Patterns and Sets

 Shapes and Patterns

  Spot patterns in picture books like dots and lines on a character’s shirt. Build towers of blocks side by side and invite children to make theirs look like yours. Look for rectangles, circles and other shapes on the playground. What shapes are on houses and other buildings? What shapes can you find during a walk in the woods?  Use gestures and words to describe shapes and how they are bigger or smaller than other shapes. Use shapes to draw simple animals and other figures. 

Addition and Subtraction

  Draw a number line on the sidewalk, garage, or basement floor. Then hop on numbers, such as,” Hop to 5,” and now, “Hop to the number that is 1 more.” Piggy bank their money or use threejars.com to practice adding and subtracting when they want to use money.

Cooking with Fractions

  Use fractions to divide recipe ingredients while helping in the kitchen. “How many half cups make a whole cup? Help children cut pizzas, fruits, and vegetables into halves, fourths and thirds.

Problem Solving

Families Activities Can Teach Math

For families who want to jump into math problem solving there is There is a site that provides fun math problem from time to time to figure out.  Go to bedtimemathproblem.org. There are problems for wee ones, little kids, and big kids. Here’s a sample. Wee ones can count on fingers: If you rake up 2 bags of leaves and use a leaf blower to pile up 3 more bags of leaves, how many bags of leaves did you clean up? Then when outside raking leaves use the idea to talk about math.  “We raked up two piles of leaves. If we rake up two more, how many piles will we have to jump on?”  The same is true for making snowballs and snowmen. There is also “Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out” part of the Bedtime Math series by Laura Overdeck. Math conversation can be fun!

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 

Dice, Tallies and Fine Motor Skills

Teach Fine Motor Skills with a Pair of Dice

Fine motor skill is the coordination of hand muscles so children can print and do other related tasks correctly. Simple fun activities help teach, practice, and refine these skills. All you need are a pair of dice, pencil, paper, and ruler.

Fun with Math

Start with investigating. Help your children study a pair of dice. What do they see?  Count the dots. What numbers are represented by the dots? What shape is a dice? How many sides are there?

    Explain a guessing game you can play. With your help, young children draw a chart using paper, pencil, and ruler. Across the top should be six squares. Help your children write the numerals 1 – 6 and draw a vertical line from the top to the bottom of the paper from each numbered square.

   Explain that tally marks keep track

Play Guessing Games with Dice

 of how many times a number is rolled. Discuss that tally marks are another way of representing numbers and a way of recording an outcome. Ask your children which number they think will be rolled the most. 

  Have your children roll one of the dice. Count the number of dots on the side facing up. Show how to make a tally and have your child make a tally mark under the correct number. Continue doing this for ten rolls. Show how you record five tallies by placing a slanted line over four of them. Talk about how it is easier to see and count which number has the most. After ten rolls, ask children if their guess was correct. Which number did come up the most? Which number came up the least?

Gaining Strength 

  The simple act of rolling dice helps children gain strength in the shoulder, wrist, hands, and fingers. 

Rolling Dice Strengthens Muscles

This control leads to correctly using tools like pencils, crayons, scissors, and other objects. Tally marks are a useful tool for children to keep track as they count and collect data quickly in science, math, and everyday life. Grouping tally marks also reinforces counting by fives. 

  You may want to use the pattern of the dots in the tally squares instead of the numeral itself. This helps your children visually understand a number. For an older child, you may use the numbers up to 12. A child will need to add the faces of both dice to record the correct number. This helps practice addition skills.

   Count with tallies often. When your children understand five tallies, add on more tally marks for counting practice.  “Tally O’Malley”by Stuart J. Murphy and “Tally Cat Keeps Track”by Trudy Harris are great read together books.

  For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Children Can Toast Breakfast Often

   

Begin With Nutritious Bread

Sometimes making breakfast is the last thing you want to do, but families can teach children to make toast with many toppers nutritionists urge. 

  Good toast begins with a nutritious bread like 100% whole wheat or multigrain bread already sliced for safety. They have about 50 calories and 4 grams of protein. Some of the following suggestions have ingredients that can be set aside in the refrigerator the night before.  Some can be used in school lunches.

Toast Toppers

  Nut butters like almond butter with only nuts and no sugar have many possibilities with sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon or granola. A new possibility that has been a favorite in Europe for years is nut free semi healthy chocolate spread with bananas, mashed strawberries, or pear slices. Cream cheese is a good base with slices with mashed strawberries or no sugar jam.  Children can also sprinkle dried cranberries, cherries and pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Some children may like mashed small curd cottage. Apples sauce with no sugar and a little cinnamon is a good way to start the day. 

Be Creative With Breakfast

  Putting eggs on top of whole wheat toast adds nutrition whether eggs are hard boiled, scrambled or cooked both sides with the yolk broken, avoiding runny eggs. Topping with melted shredded cheese is a hit. 

  Some children are learning to like hummus, mashed black beans with a little salt and pepper and a teaspoon of spaghetti sauce, melted shredded cheese, or shredded carrots.

  Try a few ideas when there is more time on weekends to give kids practice. The above recipes are good to do with budding teenage cooks and grandparents.

Easy Chia Jam

  Children can make this strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or plum jam in 20 minutes with chia seeds. The Aztec seeds have omega 3 fatty acids, fiber and protein. j No pectin or huge amounts of sugar are needed. 

  Children will need 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen thawed fruit,1 tablespoon lemon juice,1 tablespoon honey, or maple syrup and 2 tablespoons chia seeds. They can be ground in a coffee grinder and will still work. Dark fruits are preferred.

  Remove fruit stems, etc. and chop into small pieces, if needed. Cook on medium- low heat in saucepan until fruit starts to break down about 5-10 minutes. 

Cheeses, Fruit, Seeds, Nuts - Go For It!

Remove from heat and mix. Stir in honey and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Stir in chia seeds and let stand for 5 minutes.  If too runny add a little more seeds. Jam will continue to thicken somewhat while in the refrigerator. Transfer to a glass jar and keep refrigerated. It is good in the refrigerator for two weeks and can be frozen for three months. Children can also skip the cooking, if desired.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; Facebook and Pinterest.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Getting Back to School Routine

Time to Plan for School Again 

It’s time for families to plan for school again.  This is an exciting time for students of all ages as they look forward to new classes, activities, and friends. It’s also a good time to teach planned shopping, economics, and routine.

Helping Prepare

  You can include young children in your shopping plans for school supplies and new clothing.  Most families with elementary aged children will have a supply list from the school. Preschoolers may not have a supply list, but will enjoy buying something new like a t-shirt for the first day, a special folder for notes and papers, new chunky pencil, and crayons. Most students will need a backpack. Preschools often request a washable pillow or mat for napping and a change of clothes. 

 You can make this a good learning experience by reading the supply list together and writing down what is needed. Since most stores only discount supplies now, families may want to buy a few extra pencils, folders, and spiral notebooks to replace worn out items needed in a few months.

  Keep a few extra supplies around the house for older children like colored pencils, crayons, markers, ruler, and paper. Families will avoid making a late night emergency store stop.

Positive New Year

   Read local or on line ads and coupons with children. Teach them the importance of printed information, costs, budgets and price comparisons. Help children add up costs to determine the total.  Add on and explain state sales tax. 

 This interesting practical activity helps build positive attitudes about starting a new school year and reviews math and reading.  At the store, involve children in decision making as much as possible. 

Make Places to Organize School Materials and Clothes 

  Some families may be unable to purchase suggested supplies. Communities and religious groups will help.  New supplies help children feel this is a new beginning, and “I’m going to do my very best.”

   At home children need a special quiet spot with good 

lighting for writing, drawing, looking at/ reading books and working.  This can be a little desk, small table, or the dining room table near to family supervision. Help your child organize this space with some home supplies in a storage box and no distraction.

  You can mark supplies, backpacks, and jackets and other clothes with first and last names to have lost items returned. 

  Have a place in your house, either on a wall or on the refrigerator to display pictures, notices and good papers from school. 

Remember a Space to Display School Information

Go over homework papers and clean out the backpack every night. That’s how families know what is happening in school. 

It’s a good time to return to family conferences, an early bedtime, bath, nightly reading to relax, nutritious snacks, video and other technology rules.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org /Learning Through the Seasons; Pinterest and Facebook. 

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Training Little Sous Chefs

Make Cooking Delicious, Educational and Fun!

How can we help our children become foodies with a broad palate? How can we teach them to make their own food by themselves when they are a bit older instead of complaining, “There is nothing to eat around here!”  According to professional cooks and nutritionists, hands-on family cooking lessons in the family kitchen make the difference. 

  You can teach some easy old favorite recipes or try other resources to make cooking delicious, educational, and practical for busy families. Cooking helps with math, especially fractions, measuring, doubling, and halving. Reading directions teaches careful reading, questioning, and problem solving. Cooking also teaches perseverance because a lot can go wrong and cooks need brain power and creativity to make it right. While cooking, read out loud and go over directions to check for understanding. Very young children can get equipment out of the cupboards, do stirring, and learn to use equipment under supervision. 

Looking for Help

  If you want to get a little help and share expense with friends, there are cooking kits for kids. Little Sous Kitchen Academy is a subscription service designed specifically to educate and empower children in their process of learning how to cook. 
  The subscription service sends children ages 5-12 a box each month, and aims to "change the way kids learn how to cook." The boxes come with easy-to-follow cooking lessons, collectible recipe cards, activities, posters, stickers, and high-quality kitchen tools that are safe for children to use. Their website mylittlesous.com has a few archived selections to get started.

 Other sites are Foodstirs Baker’s Club and Raddish. They all also include special utensils, nutrition information, general cooking instructions, and recipes for a monthly fee. Check out foodstsirs.com and raddish.com. Families can take a look at the sample kits on their sites, too. 

 Families can also use the sites as guides for their own 

Try  Making Slushes in the Summer

simple cooking classes based on family favorites. Then add a little family culture, ingredient geography with a map, and be ready for fun in the kitchen. Older children can be great teachers.

Watermelon and Strawberries

 Here is one recipe to try: Watermelon and Strawberry Slush. Ingredients: 9 cups seedless watermelon pieces without rind, 12 ounces of frozen or 1 ½ cups hulled fresh strawberries. Either strawberries or watermelon must be frozen for slush. Place whatever is not frozen in a blender. Add the other fruit. Blend again.  If desired add a little fresh lemon or lime juice and/or honey to taste and blend again.Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day. Slushes may be frozen as popsicles.  Serve with some family  adventure stories. With training, older children can use a blender themselves. Encourage yogurt smoothies, too.  For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons. 

Photos: Fran Darling, darling fotos

Teaching Kids Nature is Full of Sounds

“The song of earth has many different chords”—Amy Lowell

   

Explore Nature by a Stream

Children can become good listeners while walking in fields, along a shore, in the mountains and forest or their own backyard. The trick is to get them to be very quiet. Juliet Robertson and Chris Hall both expert teachers and naturalists have some suggestions. 

Deer Ears

  Ms. Robertson uses owl ears and Mr. Hall uses deer ears, but the idea is the same. Children cup their hands like scooping up water and place the hands behind their ears to collect sounds like satellite dishes.  Children may have  observed animals moving their cupped shaped ears around when they are on high alert gathering sounds. The cupped ear triples the size of the outer ear.

Look for Beaver-Chew

 Children can find a pleasant spot, cup their ears, and be very, very still. Some naturalists ask children to blink very hard or wink when they hear a new sound. This distraction keeps them quiet for a time.  They will will let you know when it is time to stop. 

  Another interesting activity is to find a snail or slug. Do not handle it. Leave it on the ground and experiment with different pitches of sound.  When someone reaches the correct pitch, the animal will uncurl, stretch its antennae and start moving.

Walking quietly

  Children can also learn to walk quietly based on Native American teachings.  Place the heel of the foot on the path ahead. Carefully place the foot down on the outer edge first and roll the rest of the sole down until it touches the ground. Stop if you make a sound, pause, and slowly continue.  Crouch low and bend the knees.  Walk slowly and carefully with the body balanced low over the center of gravity. 

See Beaver Teeth Marks

The foot is never totally flat. Soft sole running type shoes or bare foot work well. Children can practice bare foot or with socks walking on newspaper. They can also practice walking with shoes on gravel.  Children find quiet walking a lot of fun and will learn to how sneak up on the rest of the family once they learn the technique. 

  The “cat walk” like a cat stalking prey. This is done for a very short time, straining to move very slowly.  To do this walk lift your foot and point your toes at the ground. When you put your foot on the around again touch the out edge first. Next roll the rest of the foot down until the sole touches the ground and repeat with the next foot. 

  Inhale and exhale very quietly through the nose with the mouth shut. When walking with others, match one person’s pace and feet exactly. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogsot.com/ Through the Seasons, Facebook and Pinterest.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Kids Love Cheap Easy Activities

Playing in Water is Fun & Teaching Time

Playing with water is a great way to have fun, increase vocabulary and teach.  Young children who read and do fun hands-on learning activities while talking to adults start school with about ten times as many words than children who don’t have these opportunities. 

Math and Science

  When the family heads to the beach for fun there can be  a little teaching, too. Take along different sized containers , a bucket, shovels, and plastic toys.  How many cups will fill a bucket?  How many buckets does it take to fill a hole in the sand? Where is the water going if  there is no exit stream? 

  Families can gather flat rocks on the beach and teach older children to skip them in the water.  Little children can throw a few stones in the water close to them.  Do bigger rocks make bigger splashes?  Why?

   Place some water in a container and start adding a few stones. Guess and count how many stones it takes before a container overflows. Gather natural items found on the beach and find out what floats and sinks.  Children also like to fill a small plastic boat- like container with rocks and estimate how many are needed to sink it.  You are teaching water displacement and volume which is a measure of the amount of space an object takes up.

  Children can make an outlet stream from their hole back to the lake. Now can they make a dam with sticks, stones, and mud?

  Speaking of mud, who can make the highest castle tower by drizzling mud through their fists?  This is a good technique for sugar sand that doesn’t pack well.

Water is Cheap Paint!

Paint and Wash with Water

  Water is a cheap paint, too. Young children love to paint with water and a small brush on colored paper or concrete. Provide a bucket and different kinds of paintbrushes. Together make the ABC’s, numbers, shapes, and draw pictures on the driveway. You can explain that the water molecules evaporate into the air.

 Children love to help clean bikes. They can use a hose or a thoroughly rinsed spray bottle filled with water.  Teach children how to spray and wipe with hand towels. They can also rinse off soap from your car and themselves on a hot day.

Indoor Water Fun

Water is Great Anywhere!!

  Water play is easy indoors, too.  Fill a dishpan or tub with water. Use plastic measuring cups to fill different containers.  Dolls, trucks and other toys can be washed with a little dish soap and a brush if you don’t plan to use the water for plants later. Give children straws to blow bubbles in the water or on their cupped hand. Estimate how many small toys are required to sink a container.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts.

 Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

When Grandparents Must Step In

First, Swing Into Protective Mode

When because of a variety of serious family problems, grandparents feel they must take over, even adopt grandkids, there are a number of issues to address and places to go for help.

  First, what all experts agree is grandparents must swing into protective mode.  Protect your grandchildren and protect yourself—your physical and mental health, safety, legal status, and financial status. Check with an attorney for a variety of custody arrangements in your state before going any further.

  Grandparents taking on the task of raising grandchildren are very courageous. That said, here is what can help with the day to day care.  Although every family is slightly different, there are protective factors to help the new grandfamily prosper. Grandparents can borrow the knowledge based on many years of study by Drs. David Hawkins and Richard Catalano of risk factors and protective factors for preventing problems.

  Grandparents can find out more about the Botvin Life Skills Training, an evidence-based prevention program for schools, families, communities, and places of faith. The information  about life training skills  is at www.lifeskillstraining.com.

   In your own grandfamily experts suggest finding prosocial involvement in the community like Scouts, organized sports, Y, 4-H, faith based clubs, other youth groups, and volunteer to help. Grandkids need recognition for prosocial involvement and behavior. Prosocial means having a positive helpful view toward other people in general.

Look to Training and Research

  Grandparents can develop a strong family unit with reasonable rules, duties, organization, and responsibility.  Provide opportunities for prosocial involvement like helping with the work load around the house, playing, volunteering, discussing together. Provide recognition for prosocial involvement like praise and hugs. Control technology use.

  In school, grandparents can participate, volunteer, check homework and school notes and communicate with the teachers. Be a part of school organizations. Be alert.  Insure children have opportunities for participation in prosocial learning, volunteering, working hard, studying, helping others, and being involved in many activities that nurture their talents and potential.  Find ways for children to receive recognition.

Structure and Social Skills are a Start

Are grandkids learning and using social skills? Establish a moral order of right and wrong in the family. Teach grandkids your faith. Join faith groups and be active as a grandfamily. Search for a school that teaches self- control, self -discipline, responsibility, respect, and helping others. 

  Do the grandkids interact with prosocial peers?  Some grandparents are taking parenting classes, switching schools, and even moving to a different area. However, the change must come from within or grandkids will seek out the same problem peers.

The problem is such an epidemic that there are many sites and places for help. Search for articles about financial help for grandparents on-line:
  See grandfactsheets.org; 
GrandFamilies.org; 
SavvySenior.org;  
GenerationsUnitedHelpGuide.org;  

GrandparentsRaisingGrandchildren at usa.gov. FocusontheFamily.com has many helpful articles especially at “Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.”  
See activities for all age groups at grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/ Learning Through the Seasons.
Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos