Anytime Party Game

This is a party game that I first played with my grands a few years ago at one of our 

Grandkid's Christmas Day Camps. For some reason it was an absolute highlight of the camp. Since then they always ask if we can play it anytime the ten cousins are together.

I had it on this years Christmas Day Camp Schedule but we did not get to it. So, we played it on Christmas eve instead.

It is just like the old fashioned carnival cake walks but instead of winning cakes I have a tray filled with goodies and small prizes. 

To play:

Tape pictures, (I used Christmas pictures such as a santa, snowman, christmas tree, angel, etc.) numbers, or abc's to the floor in a circle. I use pictures because some of my players are very young and do not recognize there numbers and letters yet.  I also like using pictures that fit the occasion or season to add a bit more fluff to the activity. ( I  used some cute gift tags, glued them to an index card, then taped the card to the floor. Super Simple!) Place a matching picture in a bag or bowl to draw the winners from.

Before we start I give each child a goodie bag (sandwich zipper bag works) with their name on it.

To begin, each child chooses a picture in the circle to stand on.

Turn on the music (I used Christmas music this time) and walk in a circle stepping on each picture.

When the music stops (papa's job) they stand hoping that their picture will be drawn.

We pick two winners at a time. (My rule, the winners must pick a different prize each time.)

It is fun to reverse the march, change to hopping, and to sing along with the music!

At the end of the game all of the cousins come to grandma to gather any prizes they didn't win. All leave with a full goodie bag and another highlighted memory of our time together!

Organizing a Grandkid's Only Party

So, what needs to be done when you are expecting 10 guests between the ages of not quite two and eleven for an evening, night, and morning of food, activities, crafts, caroling, winding down, and hopefully some sleep?

In two words. Organization and help!

While I prep everything for our annual Christmas Day Camp it takes all available hands to help things go smoothly and safely during our time together. This year I had my hubby, my live-in-mother-in-law who is great-grandma to the little guests, and my youngest daughter who usually disappears but lucky for me she happened to owe me a favor this year to help me!

I gathered all of the supplies needed for everything we were going to do and I had them within my reach. How did I know what all I was going to need? I create a print out for each and every activity. The print out lists the materials, tools, and resources needed. The items that are unique to each project are placed in their own labeled bag with a sample of the finished project. Tools or resources that are needed to be used throughout the camp such as scissors, paint brushes, glue sticks were organized in caddies. I ended up having everything I needed within my reach except for a pair of wire cutters that my hubby graciously ran out to the garage to get.

Once the kids arrive I want to be in the moment with them. I post a schedule nearby so that I don't have to worry about what I need to be doing next. This schedule shows the shared tools and resources that are needed for each specific craft or activity.

Having this list prepared allows the other adults present

or the older kids to help me gather what we need next.

The schedule is full but we don't worry about getting it all done.

We allow the kids to have the time they need to finish their projects

or to enjoy a scheduled activity until they have had their fill.

One such activity was our Christmas Lights and Caroling Activity. As in years past, we bundled up, loaded up in the back of Papa's truck and drove around our rural neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. Normally, we have just sang Christmas carols with one another as we drove around. This year the kids wanted to ring the doorbells of our neighbors and actually sing carols for them. The kids had an absolute blast and better yet for Papa and I .... all of that running around and jumping in and out of the truck helped to wear them out for bedtime.

Wall to wall sleeping cousins is a precious site!

To back up a bit, one thing I always do when the cousins first arrive from three different homes is to have a gathering snack and activity ready for them. This gets everyone on the same eating schedule.

One labeled cup per camper for drinks and meals.

We wash them between meals of course!

Help yourself snacks for the first hour.

The gathering activity.

Always a tote the kids can fill with their finished projects.

The tote more times than not is made from 

plastic ice cream buckets that my parents save for me.

The gathering craft is always an easy one. This one, the kids were given four blank index cards, markers, and piles of Christmas stickers. One index card required their name to be printed on it. The other three they could deck out with a Christmas scene anyway they liked. The four cards were then taped to the ice cream bucket to cover up the writing around the bucket. 

All of the finished totes are then lined up nearby. As the projects are completed the kids put them in their totes. I am so sad that I didn't get a picture of the loaded totes. They all looked so cute with the santa on the sticks popping out of the top when it was time to go home.

My eleven year old granddaughter was over the other night talking through all we did at our Grandkid's Christmas party. She then followed up by asking me. "What's next?" Meaning what and when will be our next grandkids only party? I said that will be my Grandma Camp in May where we all sleep outside in the tent. Granddaughter: Not until May!!!??? That was a big ol' hug to my heart!

Today, I finished packing away my six tubs of labeled Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp in my garage. I couldn't help but to start thinking about next years Christmas Day Camp. So many many ideas already!!!!

Christmas Bingo

It is always good to have an easy no clean up activity between craft projects at our Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp.

I love seeing all of the cousins gathered and the older ones helping the younger ones in a shared activity.

This years Christmas Bingo game did just that!

There is no need to make this game yourself when WalMart sells really cute sets every year for just a buck! The game as packaged is for up to six players so I purchase two sets for my ten Christmas Day Campers.

Since I had not gotten to it before the camp prepping the game by gently tearing apart the dozens and dozens of game pieces became a part of the activity. No one even knew that I was feeling a bit guilty for not being better prepared!

Playing bingo with a Christmas theme was

truly enjoyed by all ages!

I do have a personalized bingo game 

(using pics of the grands) on my to do list.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Santa on a Stick Craft Project

This project, by far, was a favorite among my ten little 

Christmas Day Camp campers.

My inspiration started at the after Christmas 

clearance tables last year at Michael's.

These wood Santa's on a stick were just .20 each 

and they had exactly eleven of them left.

Ten of anything is my "golden" number when I know that it is

something that my ten grands would love.

I however, prefer finding eleven so that I can make 

a sample of the craft project ahead of time.

To make this craft we first did our painting. 

The youngest grands used crayons instead of paint at a different table.

I supplied long handled Q-tips as the paint brushes.

This made it far easier to stay within the lines of the project

and there was no washing of paint brushes!

We painted/colored the hat, nose, mouth, and stick in red

and the face in pink.

Once the paint was dry it was time to add the 

cotton ball beard and hat trim.

We cut the cotton balls in  half for the trim on the hat.

We dipped each cotton ball is school glue and stuck it in place.

Whole cotton balls filled in the beard portion.

Stretched out cotton balls in the shape of a mustache

created the mustache above his mouth. 

A special glittery white pompom was hot glued on

 (with assistance)

to the tip of his hat.

(The special pompom came from a clearance priced strand

of garland that I had cut up for this project.)

Remember to watch for crafting resources in unlikely places!

A glittery accent of Christmas holly finished the project!

The kids could hardly wait for this project to dry!

Their finished (play with) santa masks on a stick

were a huge hit!

Made with Love

This was a scheduled activity for the Grandkid's Christmas Overnighter. It has been a standing tradition that each child makes and packs their own lunch around my big kitchen island as one of our camp activities for an outdoor picnic lunch here in the warm winter deserts of Arizona.

I always supply special Christmas lunch sacks, sandwich fixings, chips, goodies, baggies, a special Christmas napkin, and a drink box. It is always a flurry of mayo spreading, baggie filling, and goodie selecting. The prepared and labeled lunch sacks are then put in the fridge until it is time for our picnic.

However, this year there was a twist. Each child was to make the lunch for one of their cousins rather than themselves as an act of service using the "made with love" lunch sacks.  And, because of our change in schedule this year it would be taken home to be eaten for lunch rather than eating it at the camp out.

HOWEVER, we ran out of time before the cousins could pack the lunches for another cousin. (We were up against some early in the day dental appointments for the kids this year.) Papa and I packed the ten lunches (with a whole lotta' love) ourselves. Some of the lunches required a later in the day special delivery which we did not mind making!

This little modified tradition is already penciled in for next year. I can't wait to see their little acts of Christmas service in action!

Milk Jug Christmas Lantern

There is little that could have brought me more holiday cheer 

than from receiving this priceless glimpse from the home of three of

my grandsons the night following the Grandkid's Christmas Camp.

The Milk Jug Christmas Lantern 

was one of our camp projects.

Each child was shown the flowered example in the above photo.

They were given a sheet of green tissue paper and a sheet of red

tissue paper to create their own lantern designs.

Tissue paper, a sponge brush, school glue,

scissors, a strand of lights, and an imagination is all

you need to make this project.

To make:

Wash the milk jugs and drain.

Cut along the top and two sides of the milk jug label.

This will create a door flap to insert the lights.

Dry the inside of the jug well.

(I had prepped my ten milk jugs to this point.)

Draw and cut out desired shapes to decorate the jug.

Brush on a thin layer of glue to the area of the jug where

you wish to place your paper.

Gently smooth out the paper in the glue.

Brush over the top of the paper with a thin layer of glue too.

Repeat until desired design is achieved!

Allow to dry.

Insert lights.

Oh so merry and bright!

Snow Scene Ornament Craft

You just might have everything you need on hand to 

make this kid friendly Christmas ornament. 

I used:

A plastic cup

Repurposed foam core white poster board

Snips of wired green pine from my garland

Repurposed miniature Christmas tree ornaments

You could use any little Christmas odds and ends

that you have on hand!

Children could choose the objects and the placement and an 

adult could help to hot glue them into place.

Once the scene is complete

hot glue the cup (the dome) to cover.

Add a hanger,

hang it on the tree,

watch how it sparkles,

see the children smile!

Puzzle Tin Craft

This is a very creative gift idea for the kids to make for just about anyone. I made this "Remember When..." puzzle tin for a Grandparents Day crafting idea over at Grandmotherhen.com but the idea can be tweaked to fit many different occasions.

You can find the complete how to tutorial

HERE.

These photo puzzles would be a great Christmas gift

that the kids could craft themselves.

Friends, teachers, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents,

coaches, dance teachers, karate instructors, and more

would all love this special little gift.

Pinterest has my Interest!

Have you checked out the new Pinterest website? Awesome.  I have been compiling tons of grandma ideas there. Save yourself some time and check out my creative grand parenting board. Visit my other boards while you are there too. I have a Grandkids Christmas Day Camp board...... so much fun!!! Great Fall holiday board too. You can follow me if you like so you don't miss out on any of my creative finds! Best of all. It's free.

A Fringed Winter Scarf ... All by Myself!

Our gathering activity at this years

Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp

was a 

Winter Scarf

I had pre-cut lengths of fleece fabric. 

They were each cut the full width of the 

fleece fabric (approx. 58") and 9" wide.

1 yard of fleece fabric yields four scarves.

Each child was given a length of 

fabric of their choice, a pair of scissors,

 a  ruler, and a piece of chalk.

They began by cutting off the salvage edges.

Nice and straight cuts please!

They then used their rulers to measure 6" up

on each end and they drew a nice straight chalk line

using their rulers as a straight edge.

(a new skill for some)

They then cut the ends to create a fringe.

Cut 1/2-3/4" wide slits to the chalk line.

Each piece of fringe is tied across

the top of the fringe piece.

 Tie  like you would a balloon.

(another new skill many were happy to master)

They were pretty proud of their handmade scarves.

And they did look

pretty darn cute on them.

No sewing required and you can purchase any length of fabric so you could easily do this with one child or 20. Wouldn't it be fun to make matching scarves with your child? After Christmas there will be great deals on holiday fleece throws... for probably less than you can purchase fabric for. They could certainly be re-purposed for this project. So, plan ahead for next year!

Nativity Ornament

Each year at the Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp I always include activities and crafts centered on the true meaning of Christmas. This ornament was easy enough for my 2 year old camper to make and it was also enjoyed by my oldest granddaughter who is ten. 

While the kids colored the card stock graphic I hot glued the tongue depressors together to create a stable. Lay  the sticks three across and spaced just wide enough for the two edges of the artwork ( found the graphic in the Christmas kid crafts at Hobby Lobby)  to be glued at the edges. The center tongue depressor was about an inch higher than the two outside ones to create the roof line. I hot glued another stick across the first three 3/4 of an inch down from top of the outside sticks to hold it all together. (There is no stick across at bottom) The children could do their own gluing using craft glue but you would have to allow ample time for drying.

The kids colored the artwork with colored pencils and the tongue depressor stable with crayons. Once all of the coloring was done I hot glued the artwork to the stable and hot glued the gold glitter star to the center top. The glittered star came in a 12 pack (from Michaels)  and they already had an ornament string which now served as the ornament string for the entire nativity ornament. Worked for me!

Write their name and the year on the back of the ornament..... especially if you have a bunch of little crafters like I did!

Remember to watch those after Christmas clearance sales for next season's craft supplies. You can find them for pennies on the dollar after Christmas! This is how I craft with my grands. I find great resources at great prices then I create the craft.

Today is your last chance to win this weeks Ho...Ho...Hol..liday giveaway prize. I have three Hallmark Recordable Books valued at $29 each.  All you have to do is post a comment on this link:

"Free Hallmark Recordable Books" 

Make sure I have a way to contact you if you become one of the lucky winners. You can e mail me your email address at  grandmashelley@grandmaslittlepearls.com   Good luck!

Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp.... 2010

Are you looking for some fun activities to do with the children you love this holiday season? How about some inexpensive homemade fun? I just hosted our annual Grandkid's Christmas Day Camp and this is what was on the schedule and some of what was not on the schedule.

Gathering project: Fringed fleece scarf

Picnic lunch

An Arizona Winter!

Unplanned shaking of fall leaves from trees!

The kids ran from tree to tree.

"Papa shake it!"

Giant Gingerbread Village 

Unplanned turns running Papa's remote control car.

The biggest cousin gave rides around the back yard.

Playing in the fall leaves barefoot in December!

Jingle bell necklace using Ho...Ho..Ho... ribbon

Perfect!

Cool Christmas painting pad. Paint right on the page and

you use a Q-tip as your brush. (Michaels)

Hungry campers polished off a full pan of 

lasagna and 2 loaves of bread.

Christmas cups and straws added to the fun.

A kids joke book, a coffee table stage, and you

have self made entertainment!

Getting ready for a night time ride in 

the back of Papa's truck through 

our rural community for a

 Christmas light scavenger hunt.

We sang Christmas carols and wished neighbors 

who were outdoors a 

very energetic Merry Christmas!

Tailgate party at the end of a very dark road.

Papa brought his lantern

and read the children a book.

Tailgate refreshments were donuts and milk.

Our final craft and activity was on

the true meaning of Christmas.

More details to come when time permits.

Don't forget about the Ho...Ho...Ho..liday Giveaway. Check it out today!

Click here for a chance to win a : Hallmark Recordable book $29 Value