G’littles Sleepover Saturday and Other Fun Summer Stuff
The G’littles came for a Sleepover Saturday
and we made Father’s Day cards.
We also have lots of fun stuff to share
with all you other kids who need some Summer Fun.
The G’littles Come for a Sleepover Saturday
About once a month my grand-littles who live near me come for a weekend sleepover.
That means we need lots of fun stuff to do to keep their boundless energy from getting out of bounds.
You other moms and kids relate?
Yep, these two girls, age 6 and 8, are pretty much for this Gramma to keep up.
But this week we totally know what we need to do.
Make Father’s Day Cards!
Father’s Day Cards
After a little “Pinteresting” the girls chose this Papa Bear Card DIY. (Click the link to get the pattern download.)
and
The girls were super happy with the results.
Then the middle glittle said it’s their parents’ anniversary next week and wanted to make a card for that occasion, too. That one was a little more complicated, but she sat happily by as I did most of the work. She loves the Butterfly Pop Up card. (We’ll show that one to you another time.)
G’littles Sleepover Saturday Card Game
Kim got this cute little game for her birthday, so she and the g’littles taught me how to play it.
There are quite a few ways to play Spot It, so we started with the simplest way.
Just in honor of Grandma, I guess! Perhaps they thought I wouldn’t catch on if they didn’t start simple. After all, they are 6 and 8 and I am annnnn-cient!!! Numbers don’t even count at their age. 20 or 35 or 62, all of those numbers make you old. And presumably almost brain dead.
Okay. So the game.
You lay out 9 circle cards. And everyone grabs for sets of three. Hand, there’s a smaller hand, and… there’s another hand!
“Hands!”
The first one to holler hands gets the set.
Or hollers “scissors” or “snails” first.
I didn’t win.
I can’t figure out why.
We didn’t go beyond the simplest game.
Because when g’littles visit they have so many things to do, that 2 sets is all we can manage before it’s time to go do something else.
But it’s definitely a game you want to try for the family’s indoor game time. It’s fun, fast and lively.
And you can get it here.
(I am not an affiliate of any of the things I recommend here, and do not get any reimbursement. This is purely for your interest.)
Other Fun Summer Stuff
Now for a round up of other summer fun stuff for littles.
Reading Books
If you need an absolutely sweet book for a gift or for yourselves, this book has been on the New York bestseller list for 59 weeks. If that isn’t proof of it’s popularity, than this page will convince you…Get “I Wish You More” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
Find our choices for 10 Classic Baby Books to Begin Your Child’s First Library
Coloring Book
Coloring mandalas and other patterns tops the coloring list these days, and now the g’littles have their own book. What could be more fun than sitting down to patterns like this from this coloring book.
Best Bible Story Books to read on Sleepover Saturday
Hands down, “My Bible Friends” series tops the list of favorite read-aloud books. While the series consists of only five volumes, the children never tire of the stories. Oh, and the gorgeous, detailed pictures take hours of perusal time.
More Read Aloud Books
Few children can resist the mix of sibling independence and mystery that liberally seeds the imagination with the old fashioned “The Boxcar Children” series by Gertrude Chandler Warren. What if they could live on their own and have all the adventures? Of course, at 6 or 8 that sounds a trifle scary, but it’s lovely to read about how it could possibly happen!
Kids Magazine for Sleepover Saturday
“National Geographic for Kids” in the hands of a lazy, just-awake child totally enthralls. A subscription is affordable, and even though they’re smallish issues, they are jam-packed with kid-friendly information and great pictures.
Children’s Cook Book
Another popular activity at this house when the g’littles come? Cooking. The “My First Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen creates a great starting place. The recipes promote healthy eating while entertaining with fun and artistic pages.
Children’s Crafts Website
The great spider web in the sky contains hoards of websites with kids craft ideas. Our long time favorite is daniellesplace.com for the sheer volume and nice variety. They’ve been online for a long time and it shows. We also like their Bible Story crafts and coloring pages. Well, after our own, that is.
Best Scissors for G’littles
The g’littles sleepover Saturday requires the right tools. Children can be picky about scissors. After they’ve learned to cut with those awful pre-school blunt jobbies, and you can trust them not to run with scissors, you can let them advance to something that’ll get better results. The Crayola Sharp Point Scissors are rated second highest by borncute.com, and we definitely agree that this scissors gets the job done for little hands. An important helpful note about cutting: tell your littles to look on their cutting line a little ways in front of the scissors to get a straighter edge. Especially for curves and circles. My 8 year old g’little was thrilled when I shared that with her today, because “it totally works, Grandma!”
Best Glue for Kid’s Crafting
Have you ever thrown a glue stick at the wall? In my humble opinion, glue stick is the silliest thing anyone has ever invented for crafts. You think you’ve got it good and stuck, and then, a day later, it falls apart. And kid friendly? Like which child doesn’t roll the whole stick out at least once and ruin it? Most children will do it again and again, simply because they’re bored. My answer is Bearly Art Precision Glue. While the bottles seem too small for kids, the glue dispenses easily and yet sparingly. Teach them to lay the bottles on their side with the tip over a scrap paper in case it drips before they shut it again. If the glue gets left open and dries on the tip, you just pull the hard stuff off. My favorite trick: place a wet piece of paper towel in the bottom of a jar with the open bottle tip down on it between glue applications.
Best Cardstock for Kid’s Crafting
Cardstock tends to run on the expensive side. Try not to introduce your littles to all the marvelous big books of themed cardstock too soon. Keep them happy with oodles of colors to choose from, and I’m not talking about construction paper: another of this world’s more miserable inventions. No. Keep a watch on your craft store’s ads, and every so often they’ll have a brand of color packs on a really good sale. Gorgeous, modern colors! We love Michaels.com Reflections brand. If I’m ordering, this is a good, although lightweight choice.
