Grandma Adventures

I love being a Grandma! When my first grandchild was born, I was ecstatic. Here's a quote from the early days:

"Becoming a Grandma means I get to mother in a grand way: I can play with him, craft for him, talk, sing... and laugh, laugh, laugh. I melt at the sight of him, stare into his face, whisper to him. I miss him when I don't see him every day. I hope to be a role model for him, teach him skills, share my ethical wisdom, and my respect for the environment. But: I will follow his lead and his interests because Grandmothering is not about my ego. I get to dote."

Agenda:

1. Look for teachable moments

2. Have adventures

3. Explore art materials

1. Look for teachable moments:

Following his lead has been the plan all along, and now that he is an active 2-year-old, it's the rule: I can offer opportunities and ideas, but I can't push too hard. 

But I do have some goals, namely "be a role model, teach him skills, share my ethical wisdom, and share my respect for the earth". So I look for teachable moments - a spontaneous moment during or after a meaningful experience in which I can share an important story or concept.

Of course, I have no idea what will be memorable for this kid - besides garbage trucks and fire trucks. And, at two, the stories need to be brief and the concepts simple, and repeated often. I use teaching mantras like:

Gentle with the plants (kitty, bugs, books); we love the plants (kitty, bugs, books).

When I want to feel happy, I just breathe. (see this blog entry)

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! 

The siren means someone needs help; everyone needs somebody sometimes.

 And a lot of the teaching is parallel play: This is the way we dance, hop, play with clay. He loves to mimic. When I noticed that all his drawing was spirals, I showed him how to "drive the pen like a car, Brrrrr," in a line, and how to turn corners to make shapes.

2. Have adventures:

First bus ride

Now that my grandson can (and will) wear a mask, a whole world of adventure has opened up to us! We can go in to the library, ride a bus, and go into stores together to shop.

We try to do at least one fun activity together each week. Last week we went to the Bounce Gym, and he was in heaven.

3. Explore art materials:

And of course I do lots of art explorations.

Tips for art with toddlers:

1. Toddlers have a very short attention span. Be prepared for art in 5-10 minute increments, working on the same project over several days. When we paint, we build layers on one painting over several weeks.

2. Have all your supplies handy and easy to grab when the mood hits. I have the luxury of a separate studio space, but a high shelf in the kitchen also works.

3. Painting and other messy crafts take a little preparation.  See tips for painting with toddlers here.

4. Repeat the same materials several times before adding a new element. We've been playing with a big hunk of clay lately -  just making balls, snakes, and stacks, and next week I'm going to add some clay tools.

5. After about 5-10 minutes, when interest starts to wain, and clay (or paint, chalk, marker, etc.) is going into the mouth, it's time to cheerfully ask "All done?" and start to clean up. First I take away the paint and brush and, before he can escape into the living room with messy hands, we play in water and wash hands and face. (Clean up is part of the fun!)