Grandparents Day is an intergenerational holiday that honors the elderly in our lives, and it falls on September 13 this year. As the day draws near, why not celebrate the senior citizens in your life with a couple of grand gifts and one tasty treat? Here are four ideas to get you started.
RUSTIC FAMILY PHOTO FRAME
- Twigs (six 6-inch and six 8-inch)
- String
- Scissors
- Glue gun, low setting
- Family photo, 4- by 6-inch
- Ruler
- Place three equal length twigs in bundles so you have two 8-inch bundles and two 6-inch bundles.
- Tie a temporary string around the center of each bundle to keep the twigs together.
- Place 6-inch bundles 6 inches across from one another. Lay 8-inch bundles above and below the other bundles to form a rectangle, with 1 inch of each bundle overlapping at the corners.
- Wrap string around the bundles at the corners in a crisscross (X) pattern to tie ends together and form a picture frame. Knot and trim string ends.
- Clip the temporary strings at the center of each bundle.
- Turn the frame over and apply glue to each of the four corners. Place photo, face side down, over the back of the frame. Press to seal.
- Turn the picture frame over. Tie a small loop between the upper twigs to hang the photo.
A SHADOW SILHOUTTE
- Large sheet of white paper
- A sheet of black or brightly colored paper
- A second sheet of paper or cardstock in different color
- Scotch tape
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Frame
- Tape a large sheet of white paper on the wall.
- Have your subject sit facing sideways on a stool – or any other surface with a low back that will not interfere with your drawing.
- Using a strong, easily manipulated light sources, like a desk lamp, position your subject so that their profile (including a portion of their neck and perhaps even their shoulders) creates a shadow on the paper. Be sure to leave ample white space at the top and bottom and around the sides.
- Using a soft pencil, trace the outline of the shadow onto the paper.
- Remove the paper from the wall. Following your pencil line, use scissors to cut out your subject’s profile, creating a template for your silhouette.
- Using your template, trace the silhouette onto solid, black paper or card stock.
- Carefully cut around your drawing, removing the paper from around the outside of the silhouette.
- Glue your finished silhouette to white paper and frame.
GRAND GLASSES CASE
- Colored craft foam
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Colored yarn
- Large, plastic sewing needle, fabric paint, foam stickers, other embellishments
- Measure and cut a 7- by 7-inch square from the craft foam.
- Fold one side of the square in half to create a rectangle that measures 3 1/2 by 7 inches.
- With the rectangle still folded, use a ruler and marker to place dots spaced ½ inch apart along the end opposite the fold and one short side.
- Thread the needle with 2 feet of colored yarn. Tie a knot at one loose end.
- Sew up the long side and one short side of the rectangle, using the dots as a needle guide.
- Secure the loose end of the yarn with a knot.
- Decorate the glasses case with fabric paint, foam stickers or other embellishments.
INTERGENERATIONAL ICE CREAM
- Sugar, 2 tablespoons
- Half & Half, 1 cup
- Vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon
- Zipper seal freezer bag, pint size
- Ice cubes
- Rock salt, 12 tablespoons
- Large coffee can
- Place milk, vanilla and sugar into the pint-size bag; seal.
- Fill the coffee can half full of ice; add rock salt.
- Place the bag inside the coffee can and secure the lid.
- Sit on the floor and take turns rolling the coffee can back and forth between one another for five minutes or until the creamed mixture turns into ice cream.
- Eat and enjoy!
HISTORY OF GRANDPARENTS DAY
National Grandparent’s Day is an intergenerational holiday that was birthed out of one woman’s desire for families to spend time together. In 1970, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade began working with civic, business, church and political leaders in her home state of West Virginia to campaign for a day to honor grandparents, a dream she realized three years later. Then in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation stating that the first Sunday after Labor Day each year was designated as National Grandparents Day for this purpose: to honor grandparents and give them an opportunity to show love for their children and to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer. With her dream fulfilled, Mrs. McQuade spent the next 30 years enjoying what she had worked so hard to establish. When she died in 2008, she left behind 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
GREAT READS
- “38 Ways to Entertain Your Grandparents” by Dette Hunter
- “41 Uses for Grandma” by Harriet Ziefert
- “Grandfather’s Wrinkles” by Kathryn England
- “I Don’t Want to Go” by Addie Meyer Sanders
- “Just Fishing with Grandma” by Gina and Mercer Mayer
- “Weekend with Grandmother” by Wolfram Hänel
