A special guest post by Rosemary Whincop, especially for Grandparent's Day


'Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.'

What a blessing it is to be a Grandparent! Apart from the obvious joy of the precious times spent with the Grandchildren, God tells us that we do have a responsibility in helping their parents to bring them up and develop them into adults who love and cherish Godly values.
Psalm 145:4  says: 'One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.'

The Bible tells us grandparents, repeatedly, to pass on our experiences, and to teach the next generation. Our grandchildren are growing up in a totally different world from the one in which we were raised. I have a 22-month-old who already works the iPad,  iPhone and iPod. Texting and tweeting, Face Book and chat rooms, are the main socializing tools our grandchildren will be familiar with. The peer pressure on our grandchildren is enormous. So how do we fit in with this?

Can we make a difference? I believe we can. The love of a grandparent is very special. We love them; and can be there for them; be the lap they can climb on; the best friend they can touch and hug, and the understanding ear that listens. We stand a much better chance of keeping their affection as they grow into texters and tweeters.
If we can keep a close and strong bond with them through their teen years, our influence in setting Godly values will stand with them for life into their own marriages. Our legacy is that of imparting those values and the example of a strong Godly marriage relationship that they will want in their own lives.

Pray for your grandchildren every day, thanking God for the blessing they are.  Pray for wisdom for your children and for yourselves in your dealings with them.  

We have inherited this concern from our loving Father and He wants us to be involved in leading our grandchildren to Jesus.

Grandparents can pray, and prayer does change things. Prayer is not a last resort, but the most important thing we can do for our children and grandchildren.

To highlight Grandparents Day, we've included a list of ideas that you can use and adapt to connect with your grandkids and create lasting memories.

Many families today are struggling with the daily pressures of family life- financially, emotionally and practically; trying to balance work and home responsibilities plus the stresses of time and over-commitment and the potential threats for kids of school violence, internet predators, pressures to conform and substance abuse. More than ever, grandparents have an important role providing stability, security, unconditional love and increasingly, financial and practical assistance.

Some grandparents are separated from family by distance and family work commitments. But most grandparents are searching for creative ways to connect with their grandchildren and families to build strong and lasting relationships.

Cheri Fuller's book, 'Connect with Your Grandkids' outlines many creative and simple ways that you can enrich the lives of your grandchildren and connect with them through different ways, whether you have regular close contact or are separated by distance. 

Many of the ideas and activities are suggestions from other grandparents: ways to share your interests with your grandchildren, fun stuff to do together, ideas for travelling with your grandkids, using technology to connect, photo and memory albums, in the kitchen, camping, being a spiritual influence in your grandchildren's lives and so much more.

The book has been described as a treasure trove of practical, hands-on ways to bond with your grandchildren- every grandparent needs a copy! Find it here..

The old adage 'Laughter is the best medicine' may really be more true than you think. Research has shown that laughter helps boost immunity, decreases pain, lowers stress levels, relaxes and eases anxiety. 

Children especially need to laugh, and its absence often points to an underlying concern.
So.. how can you encourage healthy spontaneous laughter when you're with your grandkids. 

* Dress ups. Keep a box or area for dress-ups and funny masks ready for the kids to play with, especially young ones.
* Jokes and Limericks. Kids love jokes and limericks and yes, they will drive you crazy with their constant jokes, but try having a few corny ones of your own ready to tell to them. They enjoy tongue twisters, too.
* Bloopers. Watch an episode or two of Funniest Home Movies or Best Ever Bloopers. 
* Sing some silly songs together or play a silly songs CD. 'The Donut Man', Mary Rice Hopkins music or 'Veggie Tales' are just a few suggestions to get you started. See here
* Funny movies. Choose a great movie that you know will appeal to children's sense of fun, add in some popcorn, and enjoy a movie night together. Here's a few suggestions: George of the Jungle, Madagascar, Toy Story, Up, Baby's Day Out, The Muppet Movie.
* YouTube. There are some really funny clips on YouTube that you can share. Try: 'Emerson- Mommy's Nose is Scary,' 'Angry Birds Game- T-mobile,' 'The Best bloopers ever,' and 'Cat on iPad.' I'm sure the kids will know of some themselves. Check out the sample one below.
* Books. Read some of the humorous books available for all ages and kids will really appreciate it if you try to incorporate silly voices for some of the characters. The following list gives 18 suggestions of fun books for different ages. See here.

Remember, as worthwhile as laughter may be for physical and mental health, it's important not to encouraging laughter when a child is hurting or grieving, or if the laughter will demean or upset a child.

Ice cream.. what's your favourite flavour? Is it good for you or bad? Which is the healthiest flavour? Do you know your ice cream?

Take this quick online quiz to test your ice cream IQ.

 ICE CREAM QUIZ

 While we all grew up knowing Streets and Paul’s as popular Australian ice creams, there are now many brands of ice-creams and ice confections in our supermarkets today. There are also some terrific specialised ice-creameries that you may visit yourself or with the kids. A notable example is Mammino Ice-cream, with their roadside store located between Bundaberg and Childers, but available online or from various outlets.  This ice cream is renowned for its creamy and rich texture and the distinct flavour of Macadamia's which they grow and process off their own farm. Well worth a visit! Yum! 

But, you can make your own healthy versions or try these Traffic Light Ices for the kids. See here..

Hello Cupcake is a great little app filled with cupcake designs made using ingredients and lollies readily available from the supermarket. With designs for any occasions, you can make them for the kids or involve the kids to create these simple but ingenious designs. It includes video tutorials to walk you through the creations- see sample below.

Hello Cupcake also comes in book form and can be purchased from our online store.. here.

This is simple idea from WordofMouth. They list a range of easy recipes for families and for cooking with children. It's an easy idea that can be adapted to create other animals

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2

 :
* 4 SunRice 5 Grain Rice Cakes
* 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
* 1 sliced banana for the cheeks
* 1/2 carrot thinly sliced, then trimmed into triangles for ears
* shredded coconut, for whiskers
* 4 raisins for the nose
* 8 currants for the eyes

Method:
1. Spread rice cakes with peanut butter.
2. Arrange remaining ingredients to form the kitty faces.

Note: Rice Cake Kitties are best eaten immediately.