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Smiles Beyond Miles: Long-Distance Grandparenting Bloopers. Photo of puppet which turned out to be a blooper

LONG-DISTANCE GRANPARENTING BLOOPERS

We’re delighted to introduce the first in a continuing series of, “Long-Distance Grandparenting Bloopers.” That’s bloopers, with an “s”. Clearly, there’s more to come, so stay tuned!

And now for this week’s post. The reality is that for all our good intentions and preparation, there are just going to be times when things don’t go so well on video chats. In this case, it turned out to be quite a cliff hanger.

A little background – years ago I created and performed puppet shows with a few friends. Along with their pet dog, the puppet family (including grandparents) began their lives as socks. All were lovingly homemade. In addition, it should be noted that our shows at community centers were well received. I share this fact, because it’s highly relevant to this post’s blooper. Read more

Smiles Beyond Miles| Long Distance Grandparenting - Virtual Story Reading for Young Children, Five books for video chatting

VIRTUAL STORYTIME WITH YOUNG GRANDKIDS

Like many long-distance grandparents, the last time we visited with our grandkids was in the winter.  That is, unless I count yesterday’s virtual visit with our granddaughters.  Both virtual visits included storytime using video chat to read Pete the Cat, The Incredible Avocado and Goodnight Moon.  In fact, each grandchild followed every word and giggled along as I tilted the phone to cover the key parts of each page.

To try virtual storytime with your grandchild, here are some ways I keep it simple and special for different ages. Read more

Smiles Beyond Miles: Long-Distance Granparenting, Gardening Virtually with Grandkids

GARDENING VIRTUALLY WITH GRANDKIDS

My friend Carol, a long-distance grandparent herself, is growing vegetables in her garden.* (Check out her fabric pots above). I caught that “grow-your-own food” bug, too.  Not in a big way, mind you. It’s more like a “dip your toe in the dirt” version. Still, I’m in awe of how each plant grows.  My grandkids get excited about this, too! While gardening virtually with my grandkids, I hope to help them discover new ways to appreciate the wonders of nature. With a long distance between us, my creativity is being put to the test!

There’s lots of information online about gardening with kids, so I’ve taken a different approach. Instead of trying out random activities, I focused on ideas that would hold a child’s screen interest. Most of the ideas below can work with the simplest of gardens: from pots on a windowsill to a large backyard garden. Your grandchild might also have a home garden. If so, then try some of these together! Read more