Linda Shanahan

Grandchildren coming to visit and you need fun activities to keep them engaged? Join the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver (SLRGS) Club and learn activities that you can enjoy and pass on to your grandchildren.

Every year for the past six years, we have had one or more of our granddaughters spend a week with “Nona and Lampa.” We have created a week of activities to keep them busy and learn new skills. A trip to the park loses interest after a while, so we started thinking outside the box, especially in this, the year of the COVID-19 virus. We start each day with a scavenger hunt. Purchasing little gifts throughout the year, we wrap and hide them. The clues are parodied lyrics to songs they know. Example: “You/Will/Find your gift/Close to the ice cream. When you find your little box/Please let out a scream” (song “Row Your Boat”). Activities incorporated from my classes in the SLRGS are stained glass, wire wrapping, wire bracelets, beading, and fused glass. At eight years old, the youngest was able to master beaded bracelets, taking completed projects home to friends. Upon teaching the nine-year-old stained glass, I cut pieces of scrap glass into wings for butterflies and dragonflies, thinking these skills might be too advanced for her. Much to my surprise, she was able to cut better than I. The grinding, foiling, and soldering came easy. She was excited to take her suncatchers home to the family. The next year, she made window hangings using logos and colors of her sisters’ high school and university. We also fused glass: a club member shared her kiln. We played with wire wrapping, another skill learned in the club. Using cabochons I made at the SLRGS shop, the girls were able to wrap them with wire, creating beautiful pendants. Wire bracelets and woven wire bracelets were other skills they mastered. Think about it, if they can do this at eight and nine years old, you can do it. Come join us and learn these and other skills you can pass on to your grandchildren.

Other activities were baking Mediterranean olive bread, pecan sticky buns for our tea party, and a cookie bake. Shopping is always a favorite, but with a purpose. Cash given one scavenger hunt day was used to buy a few special outfits for school. Last but not least is our annual scorpion hunt. Black light flashlights taken to the washes after dark will reveal bright scorpions. They learned organizational skills as they planned each day with a checklist. Rewards came if a surprise spot-check revealed an orderly bedroom. All of these activities were fun, educational, and exciting and a way to enjoy spending time with the grandchildren. A photo shoot, pool time, and golf cart rides were highlights. These are moments and activities they will remember forever. For information on joining Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver Club, visit our website at www.slrgs.com. See you there, where I will gladly share my recipes.