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A reader writes:
Our grandchildren 7 & 8, boy and girl, will be spending two weeks with us in our vacation cabin on Beaver Lake. Last summer they enjoyed boating, fishing and swimming in the lake but this year our 8 year old grandson is not very excited.
Trying to come up with some art and craft ideas. Going to a blueberry farm is a good idea but looking for ideas to do at the cabin. Can you recommend any web sites that have fun ideas for kids. We are competing with game boy, play station, video games and wrestling on T.V.
Two weeks at grandparents’ lake house — what an ideal summer vacation! Are there any other readers out there with ideas for this reader? If so, comment on this post, or email me directly at allsidesoflife@gmail.com.
Here is my response to get you started:
We are right there with you! My boys are obsessed with wrestling and video games.
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I assume you are close to Eureka Springs. If so, you may want to consider the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and spend some time on the Kings River. We just took our boys floating on the Kings this weekend and it was great (very slow and easy). We rented our canoe from the Kings River Retreat. In June it may be too low to float, but my boys had fun playing around in the water and looking for arrowheads.
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I have also heard great things about War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake. Just last night a friend was saying how her four boys can spend several hours there mining for gemstones and touring the cavern.
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As for arts and crafts ideas, I subscribe to a weekly newsletter called Kids Crafts Weekly. Many of the crafts are for preschoolers, but it might give you some ideas. Also, I love the website Family Fun. It is a Disney site, and always has great ideas. Another of my favorite sites for craft ideas is Kiddley. Unfortunately, it is not being updated any longer, but the archives have tons of ideas.
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One of the things my boys are into right now is making T Shirts. We buy packages of Tshirts and let them decorate them with fabric markers (Crayola makes them). They really enjoy making and wearing the shirts.
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I am clueless about girls these days, but I remember doing hook rugs in the 2nd grade. I wonder if your granddaughter would like that, or maybe some easy cross stitching?
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Are you a gardener? My boys love helping their grandmother in the garden.
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Also, we have found that books on CD keep our boys attention for long periods of time. They like to draw while listening to them.
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Finally, my husband is very good at setting up scavenger hunts. That might be a good activity at your lake house. Create clues that lead to the next clue, then to the next, etc. then to a prize.
Good luck!
Other ideas, anyone? Comment on this post or email me directly at allsidesoflife@gmail.com
