keeping grandchildren amused

How about a couple of magnifying glasses to look at he mini beasts in the garden?

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My grand children like bug hunting. I found young children do better with a largish white tub e.g. Margarine tub or ice cream tub. We hold this under a bush or some other type of plant, shake it and see what falls in. They find it easier to look at the bug against a white back ground. We do have a magnifying glass but young children can find them tricky to use so it isn't really essential. It's a good way to encourage them to be observant.

Me and my grandchildren aged 6 like to bake cakes. I taught them to knit, one liked it, one didn't the one who didn't was a wizz at French knitting, these little French knitting kits are available in lots of shops and not expensive. A tent in the garden filled with throws and cushions. A sandpit is hours of fun or a washing up bowl with soap suds and things that pour then we went on to discover what objects sink and float, any odd things around the house will do. Bobbing for apples works for ages or a treasure hunt. I keep a stash of puzzles and books and some Lego and they both like to draw and do collage so keep craft materials, paper, felt tips and colouring pencils and also a box of play dough. I am lucky enough to have a lovely park/ playing field T the end of the road so we take a ball there or they bring their bikes/scooters to use on the way. They always eat more lunch if it's a picnic on the lawn/in the field and we make daisy chains and look for insect/ stones/ feather/ sticks etc.

At not T sorry hit the capital

Lots of towns have treasure trails-you can download them from Internet, they're great fun.

A big packet of (cheapest) foolscap paper, string, rolls of sellotape from the £1 shop and crayons. My granddaughter (who will be 5 in December) spends hours drawing on and colouring bits of paper, cutting them into shapes and sticking them together to make masks, kites, models, etc. My daughter (her aunt), covered a balloon with papier mache, waited for it to dry and made hats and masks, which my granddaughter painted.

She and her brother (who is 3 this month) also enjoy old-fashioned DVDs such as The Wizard of Oz and The Lorax. They like to talk about the characters and learn the songs and dances.

Visits to the local park are very popular too - and a simple picnic is always exciting.

If you are into cooking (which, to be honest, I'm not), on CBeebies there is a cookery programme where the children follow the presenter in making a very simple dish. Every child seems to enjoy this enormously and to be very proud of their creations - more importantly they eat every morsel.

Gardening is good or if you can't make some miniature gardens.
Visit the library - in addition to just having a good read they run a reading safari scheme for 4-11 yr olds and you can enrol them as visitors - they often have free activities too. Look out in the library for free activities posters- often nature ones like pond dipping. The National Trust often do ones like 'Wild Wednesdays'.

I tried to teach my GD to knit but she found crocheting much easier. I bought a cheap book with very clear instructions and patterns. She made a small basket, we put some sweets in and she gave it to her Mum as a present. I had texted her parents to warn them that lots of 'wows' would be needed. Her Dad said 'gosh did you do that all by yourself?' 'Yes' said my GD and then there was a slightly guilty look in my direction!

I have memories of my great aunt spending time with me and teaching me various crafts. Let's hope our GC have such happy memories of us.

I am a great one for the outdoors and fresh air especially as they spend so much time in during the winter.
Pack up a picnic
Fly a kite
Climb a tree
Go on the beach
Swim/paddle in a river/lake
Take a book and "discover" wild flowers, butterflies etc.
Make a map for them to follow and go for a walk.
Go pond dipping
Camp in the garden eat lunch in the camp
Take drawing/painting equipment and paint a. Scene.
Go out on a bike
Go bird spotting
Do a treasure hunt
The list goes on and on and they are just at that lovely age. Make the most of it as mine are 15 and 10 now and too old for such things

Make up a bucket of soapy water and give them a paste brush each. Let them " clean" either your outside walls or inside ones with embossed wallpaper. Everyone's a winner!

Just had 2 year old GD for the day. She was reluctant to go out because last time we did she was set upon by a dog (see a previous thread) so I did not press her and we have:

- played with a trayful of flour - very messy but great fun.
- played with sand, pretending to feed horses with buckets of sand.
- stood at the sink and washed everything she could lay her hands on
- read books
- played the piano
- read many books
- stuck stickers all over her
- played an Incy Wincy game
- sung lots of songs
- lost her shoe! - then found it behind the sofa which required retrieving it with a grabber - now that was fun!
- watched a bit of Peppa Pig
- sorted through all my hair ornaments

She's gone now and it is very quiet!

I do find that what they enjoy most are things that are not officially toys - like scarves, handbags, hair ornaments, contents of drawers etc.

Well, we've just finished the first activity (went bug hunting with a marge tub - thanks EastEndGranny) and grandchildren thoroughly enjoyed themselves. THanks again for all your suggestions - they'll keep us busy all summer!!

I saw something on tv a while ago. This family bought cheap pictures from charity shops, then let the children overpaint them. It looked like fun. The pictures were so faded, they could either do a new scene, or try and bring back the original scene. Anyway it seemed to keep their kids occupied for days! The fact that you can then put them back in their frames makes them look special.

inishowen what a great idea, I will definitely try it when they're a bit older.

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Make your own clock golf with ping pong balls and 12 flower pots and use old golf club if you have one or tennis racquet . I use to have my DGCs most of the summer so would acquire things throughout the year. The Works, Wilkinsons and pound shops gave me lots of crafty stuff. A tent and pop up goal have been good and a little wheel barrow for collecting dandelion heads or sycamore seedlings. A magnifying glass is quite useful for budding arsonists scientists and a packet of balloons and some string is great to see how many it takes for a stuffed duck to fly but tether duck first. Poison or perfume potions with leaves and petals and seeds went on forever. We have bubble batons from the pound shop and they are great. But buy a bottle or two of the refill stuff .

I got some chalk for my 2 year old GD (about £1 in Tesco). We've now got lovely pics on the patio, on the walls, on the wooden fence. Everytime I look out, I smile! Also small bucket of water and a new cheap paintbrush and she paints the fence for ages.

Don't know where you are but my GC of a similar age love the museums going to the beach to collect odd shaped stones then coming home and painting them with paint from the £1 store ,cutting pics out over afew days then making a large collage on lining paper very cheap at B&Q rest of paper good for drawing round each child then cutting it out and kids decorate themselves GOOD LUCK and remember ENJOY

Just had my two granddaughters here for a week. They are 8 and 11. This time we baked, played pencil and paper games, card and board games. We made a life sized mermaid of sand at the beach, and went for a forest walk and picnic. I also always provide paper and pens, pencils etc. During other visits we have knitted, sang and danced, had mini sports in the garden, gone ten pin bowling and visited N Trust properties. They also are allowed to have some time on their tablets, and in front of the TV!! A sign of the times.

Dancing on a sheet of bubble wrap is fun.

We do this a lot in the car......
use the registration letters to make up silly phrases...eg...
RML = REALLY MESSY LION
So many possibilities !!

Oh, I want to dance on a sheet of bubble wrap, absent