TIME FOR INVENTION CONVENTION!

Last Spring I had the older grands over for a planning session and was able to insist, coerce, get them excited about the theme I have wanted to do for several years: INVENTION CONVENTION! I have some very creative kids and they are getting older so I thought they deserved a camp that would help them shine a little more. As they get older (High school) they tend to loose interest. I hope this camp will ignite some interest and creativity. I have an overflowing craft room that I affectionately refer to as my MacGyver room(you never know when that handy 'stuff' will be needed!) I have since asked friends, church members, and coworkers to save me random items that will be used this weekend. I was hoping to empty the room somewhat but I have a feeling that I just added to it! Each of my helpers are in charge of at least one project. This year the ratio of helpers to campers is almost one on one. One of the campers is proud to say he is all the way potty trained and can now sleep at "Grandma Camping". Many of the ideas came from Family Fun Magazine. Some from Pinterest, and still more from the kids own imaginations. We will guide the little ones toward 'inventing' the projects. We will be creating new food, games and toys. Camp is this Friday and Saturday. The parents will be challenged with a project (a bag of random supplies)when they come to the dinner to pick up the kids. We will have a convention to show the parents what we have done and also tell about how modern conveniences came to be. I can't believe it is finally here! I will post picts and details soon!

GLOW IN THE DARK STRING

Since I mentioned (clapped my hands, shouted from the rooftops, squealed with sheer delight) that we used glow in the dark string at Super Hero Grandma Camp, I have had requests for the directions. It is a top secret formula that only those empowered with Super Hero talents can know (aka: Grandma's!). I used craft paint and water!  I used Folk Art Brand glow in the dark craft paint. Yes, it really is called that! Tulip also makes glow in the dark paint.

 

I diluted it with two parts water to one part paint. I used a plastic butter spread tub to mix it and then unwound the garden string into the water/paint mixture.

Next I pulled the string from the paint and squeezed out the excess. Your hands will get messy but it is for a good cause!

And then laid it out on a plastic tablecloth to dry. It takes a few hours to dry and will be stiff. I rolled it into a ball to take down into the family room where the villain was setting a trap with a hostage. I knew that laser pointer lights would be a little more difficult to use with the kids bouncing around, so this was a cheap and easy fix. I had the kids take turns entering the family room so that I could have a few minutes of light exposure to "recharge" the string.

This was so cool that I was absolutely giddy in anticipation of having the kids and their parents enjoy it. The picture really was taken in the dark, but I am SO GOOD with my camera, especially in the heat of the moment, that the flash was on. My adult son climbed through the 'lasers" so I would be happy and to show his 2 year old that Dad is fun.

I hope you can use this string idea in one of your Grandma Camps, I know it will be used again sometime at my house.  Enjoy!

SUPERHEROES!!

I know, it has been almost a month since we had our SUPER SUCCESSFUL AND FUN SUPERHEROES CAMP! I didn't mean to keep the whole thing a mystery for soooo long. We fought for GOOD against BAD!

This theme was a hit with every age that attended. The kids picked their own power, cape and laser/sword design.
each child received a Super Hero Training Manual that had requirements and a record of the time that it took to pass off each particular skill. For each skill achieved a sticker was placed in the manual.

Throughout the camp a mysterious villain left a card with a different purple letter on it and a note each time there was a mischievous event. He hid the chips we wanted to take to lunch and a scavenger hunt through the house and yard ensued. We got the first letter "F".

When we got back from endurance training at the park we found that the villain had been in the "Lab" (similar to Iron Man's) and had mixed up a mysterious goop that had to be passed around before the music stopped. He left the letter "L".

A friend who lives around the corner had a super fun zip line that started in a tree hut and went across her yard that met the requirements for flying.

When Libby's baby came up missing, we had to cross over the acid covered stairs to get to the basement! The superheroes used their reasoning skills to figure out that they could cover the stairs with cardboard and slid down using a cushion from the cot that Grandma just happened to have rinsed off and left to dry on the railing. Once gathered at the bottom of the stairs the hero candidates had to enter the dark TV room one at a time. Once inside they had to go under the lasers

(MY FAVORITE- glow in the dark string that had been strung across the room as if it were laser lights! I know the picture doesn't show it well, but it really was dark and the string did glow!)

Then they all entered the room and found Baby with her mouth duct taped and tied up with a bungee cord! And of course another letter :Y" The villain was very sneaky!

The candidates were put through an obstacle course using most of their skills: running through a tunnel, target shooting, agility, laser fighting, and leaping tall buildings in a single bound. In the tunnel, the letter "O" was discovered! The villain was watching their training!

 

High attitude training was a short hike in the canyon to our favorite water hole. The villain had taken our cooler--or so we thought! The older kids went up the trail to find it and upon opening it, found another letter "D" and note: the villain had taken the younger kids to his "bad side". When they came back to Grandpa and Grandma, they discovered the three youngest had been tied up and were holding TNT! They found some pliers and cute the already lit fuses. Good triumphed again!

THE VILLAIN?

It was PURPLE FLOYD! (Grandpa loves Pink Floyd and put a twist on it and said that Purple Floyd was the Bad brother of Pink)

We returned home to clean up and have dinner with the parents and break the homemade pinata with our lasers.

The villain was NOT successful in getting the SUPERHEROES to choose bad over GOOD! This camp appealed to all ages and was SUPER FUN.

For details about other camps, you can order a book!

Swim Noodles!

The greatest thing ever! A value at only a buck! I loved them when I took water aerobics. Anything that keeps me buoyant is a good thing. Last year we used them at camp: I cut them in 3 inch sections and put a shoelace through the hole in the middle and strapped one to each of the kids shoes. These were their "Space Boots". This year I bought a stash to be used when the kids choose their own "Super Hero" power. It can be customized with duct tape to be a sword or laser. I recently saw an idea in Family Fun magazine that used them for all sorts of fun things including high jump posts. (Just in time for Olympics Camp if you are doing that this year). I have a feeling that next year we will create a marble track out of noodles split lengthwise. Invention Convention here we come! I have a feeling these versatile and cheap noodles will be a part of Grandma Camp for years to come! I bet a Halloween costume could be created..........

Preparations Have Started!

Sorry to leave you hangin' about the theme this year. We went on a wonderful trip to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia for a couple of weeks. We were fortunate to be able to watch our son graduate with his Masters at Villanova! Great excuse to so some sight seeing!
As reported earlier, I had the older grands, who are my assistants, come to plan this years Camp. The theme is....drum roll....SUPER HEROES! Since that is all the rage of the summer blockbuster movies, it ought to be fun.
The kids will be choosing their power and their costume. We went to the dollar store to get some supplies to have on hand for camp (still no set date) and we will all be on the lookout for some low or no-cost items to add. the capes will be made from plastic table cloths, the wrist bands from wrapping paper tubes, and the shield will be from lightweight cardboard. There will be some training done in the lab (garage). and some physical skills that will be done in the yard. all this will be documented in a "Crime Fighting Super Hero Training Manuel". Each time a trainee passes off a level of training they will receive a sticker in their manual. We will be making super hero action figures out of homemade play dough and toothpicks. We will use long skinny glow sticks strung on string to make a laser maze that must be passed under to reach someone in distress. I do need to come up with some scenarios, any ideas?
We are super excited and even the villain (GRANDPA!) is looking forward to Camp!

Planning Time!

My grandchildren range in age from age 2 to age 17. Although all are invited to participate in camp, not all choose or are able to attend. To keep the older kids involved, I ask them to be my assistant beginning at age 12. I now have 4 elligible assistants with the addition of Addie this year! Rumor has it that she has a notebook full of great ideas!
Early in the spring and sometimes later, I get my assistants together to help me plan camp. This is usually a sleep over event. Once the theme for the year is decided upon (a task of trying to mesh girl ideas and boy preferences!), we outline the schedule. We get a design for the invitations, decide on a menu, craft, and field trip.
This is never a set in stone plan. There are alot changes that can mess with our grand plan! We have to be careful to plan around our active families lives. Sometimes I have to remind them of my budget guidlines and how long activities may take. My assistants are invaluable! They know what their younger siblings like and what they will and will not eat.
We do as much assembling of craft supplies and any decorations that may be necessary as we can. I hope that my assistants feel as important as they are!

Bowling Tournament

Why not host a Grandma Camp celebrating the interests or hobbies of those who have passed on. Each year we host a bowling tournament to honor my father and my husbands father.

There are traveling trophies (bowling pins, with the winners name and score) awarded for different age levels and catagories.

The bowling ball and pin clock is for the high series of all age groups. There is even a trophy for trick shot!

We have a pot-luck lunch of sandwiches, soup and salad. While everyone takes turns, the children watch a movie in another room or play in the toy room. It would be easy to turn this event into an overnight "camp". Invitations would of corse be the shape of a bowling pin. Breakfast of bowling ball pancakes is easy! A few drops of jam on the cooked pancake for the finger and thumb holes! You could give a short history of the deceased person you are honoring. The night before, the children could bowl with plastic pop bottles and a dollar store ball.
I am sure this could be a Beat the Winter Blahs Camp with a little planning and imagination!