January 24, 2023
Raising Teenage Grandchildren: A Guide To Keeping Your Sanity
#grandchildren, #raisingkids, #family, #socialmedia #parenting,
January 22, 2023
Raising teenage grandchildren can be a wild ride. One minute they’re sweet and innocent, the next they’re slamming doors and rolling their eyes. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here are a few tips for surviving the teenage years with your grandkids:
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August 29, 2022
It has been months since I gave an update on raising our 2 oldest granddaughters.
I will start with a quick recap of how we got to this point in life. About 8 years ago, our oldest daughter started her fight with addiction and she brought her girls to live with their Papa and I. If you would like to know the beginning of that story, I have put a link to that blog post here
It seems as though my home is full of hormones and teenage drama. I love having the girls here, but wow! Teenage girls can really test your patience!
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August 26, 2022
Simple Ways to Supplement Your Child’s Education at Home #kids, #education, #children, #teaching, #raisingkids, #backtoschool
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November 25, 2021
During the summer your kids can go outside and play from sun up to sundown. They can ride bikes, swing on their swing set, or play on a slip n slide. But in the winter in most climates, it is too cold during their holiday break to play outside.
My kids typically get a two or three week break over Christmas and New Years’ holidays. That is at minimum 14 days to figure out how to keep my kids occupied. Now you can take out a few days as we typically travel to see family and celebrate Christmas. But that still leaves 10+ days to find something to keep my kids entertained.
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October 25, 2021
Recently I have realized how much games in general have a huge part in our day to day lives. I came to this conclusion the other day as I looked around the room and both of my teenage granddaughters, my husband and myself all had a phone in our hands. When I asked them what they were doing on their phones they each answered individually that they were playing a game. (side note, I had also been playing a game on my phone prior to looking up at everybody else)
I have 2 teenagers in my home (my granddaughters I am raising) and anybody that has teenagers in their lives knows how hard it can be to get them to communicate with you. When I noticed my teenagers playing their games on their phones, all I could think was how hard it is to get the girls to communicate with me. When I asked them about the games they were playing it gave me a way to get them to talk to me. Anybody that has teenagers will appreciate that it can be difficult to find a way “into” your kids’ lives.
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October 7, 2018
PUBLIC SCHOOL OR HOME SCHOOL?? That is the question of the week!!
I have 2 granddaughters that I pulled from the public school system last year, They were headed into 4th and 6th grade. I am going to be bold faced honest here, I was scared to death to home-school them!! Yet, I was just as scared to leave them in the public school system. So I did a TON of research and decided to pull them. I wasn’t confident enough to feel as though I could do a good job with them by doing what is referred to as “traditional home-school”, so I enrolled them in a program that is Nationwide, called K12. They still followed all the educational teaching as if they were in public school, but they were taught at home, via a computer. The wonderful thing about K12, is that they will supply basically everything you need. They send a computer, printer, books, rulers, microscope, art supplies, music supplies, etc for FREE!!
Each day they had a class for all the major subject: Math, English Language , Science and Social Studies (history). In addition to that, they had additional time that was allotted each week for Art and Music. Every morning they were up , had breakfast and signed onto a virtual classroom with a live teacher and they participated in a classroom with other kids. I have to admit, 99% of the time we were doing “school” in their pajamas. This program is a wonderful tool for those that don’t want their children in public schools , for whatever reason, and yet don’t feel as though traditional home-school is within their realm of possibilities. Each state has what is called Virtual school and for my state that was Tennessee Virtual Academy (TNVA)
The girls still were required to do 6.5 hours a day of either live classes or live classes combined with assignments that were assigned through their teachers. The majority of that work was done on the computer for my oldest granddaughter, the one in 6th grade. We did some assignments that were offline, yet we still had to “turn in the work” via her classroom sign in. The 4th grader did a lot online as well, yet she had more offline work that I helped her with individually. We did things such as spelling , studying sentence structure, vocabulary, etc. Once she had completed her off line work, she would have to go online and take a test based on what we had studied. The wonderful thing is you don’t have to have a large area for this type of schooling, I literally used my kitchen table. We hung a whiteboard in the diking room area that kept our daily schedules and little words of encouragement or wisdom for the day.
Both the girls still had weekly tests they had to take, they received a grade for that work in addition to any classroom assignments for the week. At the end of the year, we also did the state mandated TCAP testing. That was the only testing that we had to go to a designated site and they were tested in a live one on one testing site. Of course, they received a quarterly report card with their grades each semester, just as they would in public schools. Several times during the year TNVA scheduled what they called “outings” where we were able to gather with other kids and teachers from TNVA and we had a fun day. In addition to that, my girls were enrolled in a local YMCA program for home-school kids on Friday afternoons, where they were able to get together with kids their ages and had some organized play,they went swimming and basically just had some time away from “school” on Fridays. We also had PE daily at home, basically consisted of jumping and doing tricks on trampoline or riding bikes outside
As they year came to an end, they both had told me they wanted to go back to public school for the following school year. Their mom and I had a lot of debates about that, yet we decided in the end that we would give it a try. We had originally pulled them due to several reasons, one of the main reasons though was we didn’t feel as though their individual educational needs were being met. In addition to that , we were concerned about some of the friend choices being made. So here we are , on Fall Break, nine weeks into their school year.
The question we are facing now is should we continue with public school or go to the next step, which is traditional home-school. For a variety of reasons, I won’t go back to the K12 system. The main reason though, is the freedom that homeschooling will give us as opposed to public school online, aka K12/TNVA. We were so locked into a schedule with TNVA, and that works great for some parents, yet for me I want the freedom to be able to teach them in order to LEARN, not just teach them to TEST. Sadly, I think that is what our public school system has become.
My youngest granddaughter that we had pulled from school last year, so far is doing great. Her grades are showing A’s and B’s. However, if you look at the actual work she is doing, they haven’t taught her very much that is new this year as opposed to what she was learning last year. I understand that they do review for the first few weeks, but her ENTIRE 9 weeks has been review with very few new things taught. My older granddaughter who is in 7th grade is FAILING. She is getting D’s and F’s. THAT is concerning to say the least!! We have tried communicating with her teachers and the end result is she is still failing. Now, I know a lot of that is on her and she just isn’t applying herself. I know that there has been some bullying and adjustments, but how long do we wait to see if she pulls her grades up? That is the question that we are debating right now!!
When do you make the final choice to pull your child from public school? I know in my heart, that she will do better being taught at home. She will have the individual attention needed to make sure that she is doing the work and actually applying it. After having had both girls home last year, I learned a lot and I feel that I could successfully teach her at home, through a traditional home-school curriculum. To be honest, I basically already have it picked out what I would use this year. As with any parent that home-schools for the first time, of course I am a little nervous and want to be certain that I give her the best education possible!
We are still in the decision making stages of Public School or Home-school question. There is so much more that goes into why I feel that home school is a better option for them at this point, but I will leave that to be talked about another day! I will update again once we have made a final choice and of course let you know how that is going!! So until the saga continues…..
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March 20, 2018
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Grandchildren are one of life’s blessings from above. Children are bundles of joy, even if they sometimes also seem to be bundles of endless energy. Like most grandparents, you probably are eager to spend more time with them, especially while they are young. When spending time with your grandchildren, you’ll probably want to consider activities that are entertaining for everyone while also keeping the children engaged. Of course, it’s also important to choose activities and experiences that are not only fun, but are equally safe for yourself and your grandchildren.
Here are some ideas for ways to bond with your grandkids:
Technology-free Activities
Experts have confirmed what many grandparents have been saying for years: today’s children are spending too much time in front of computer screens, iPads, and cell phones, and too little time being… well… children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends decreasing children’s technology usage. While technology isn’t all bad and can’t be completely avoided, it should be balanced with other healthy activities, including playtime and time spent outdoors.
All of the recommendations in this article allow us to bond with grandchildren away from the computer screen. Encourage your grandchildren (and your adult children) to put down the mobile devices and talk to each other. Go outside for a walk. Take them to a park to play. Enjoy cooking a meal together at home. There are many possibilities for how you can spend time together the good, old-fashioned way.
Educational Activities
As a society, so many of the ways we bond with children involve sports. While there’s nothing wrong with outdoor activities, there are many other ways to have fun with your grandchildren. Educational activities can be a way to teach your children something new while possibly even inspiring a lifelong passion. Best of all, activities like the ones included in these lesson plans are safe ways to spend time with your grandchildren without the risks of sports-related injuries.
There are endless opportunities to teach your grandchild something new about your favorite subject (or theirs). You could spend time cooking together and discussing food science while taste-testing the foods. You could look at ideas for safe, at-home science experiments online. You might even consider this water conservation activity from PBS, which can be performed using simple supplies that you probably already have around the house.
Pet-Friendly Activities
If you’re a pet owner, you might want to consider ways you can incorporate your “fur baby” into the family activities as well. If you own a dog, an easy activity is to involve your grandchildren in the training and care of your dog. Children can have a wonderful time teaching dogs tricks such as sit, down, or shake. A game of fetch can be another fun way to entertain both your children and your dog.
You might also teach your children how to properly walk your dog. You could start with a gentle walk around your block or neighborhood. Dog parks are another great destination for getting some outdoor fun. Your local dog park will allow your two-legged and four-legged family members to enjoy exercising outdoor in the sunshine. Not sure where the nearest one is? Try a site like Rover.com, which lists dog parks by city. Here are a few examples to get you started: Albuquerque, NM, Madison, WI, Indianapolis, IN, Knoxville, TN, Saint Paul, MN, Portland, OR, Miami, FL, San Jose, CA, Raleigh, NC, and Calgary.
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Any Other Ideas?
The ideas listed above are just a sample to get the ball rolling. The opportunities are truly endless! When it comes to deciding what to do with your grandchildren, your imagination really is the limit. As long as the activity is safe for both of you and keeps the children engaged, you’ll be able to enjoy spending time with each other and developing an even deeper bond. That truly is a blessing.
Article credit: Denise Long
I love hearing from my readers, please be sure to comment below and let me know your input! Whether you are a grandparent raising your grands, or are just blessed to have these little ones in your life, I want to hear from you!!
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