Research on grandparents

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren 
From: source

Are you a grandparent who has given up your retirement or your own plans in order to take on the diapers, daycare, teacher conferences, driver's ed, and everything else that comes along with raising children? Many grandparents today are stepping in to raise their grandchildren when the children's own parents are not able or willing to do so. In fact, the U.S. Census of 2000 found that over 2.4 million grandparents have responsibility for their grandchildren.

If you are one of these grandparents, you have made numerous sacrifices in order to provide a better life for your grandchildren. What are some things you can do now to provide the best possible care for your grandchildren while still preserving your own health and well-being?

Making the adjustment. Often, grandparents take on this obligation when the grandchildren's own parents abandon them or when the children can no longer live with them because of the parent's mental disorder, substance abuse, or incarceration. Thus, you may have the added burden of caring for children who suffered from abuse or neglect from their own parents. These children may feel insecure and afraid; they may be angry at their situation and even embarrassed by it. It will take time for these children to feel safe and secure. You can encourage these good feelings and ease their adjustment to their new home in a number of ways:

• Set up a daily routine of mealtimes, bedtime, and other activities so that the children have some predictability in their lives.
• Help your grandchildren to feel that they are "home" by making room for them and their belongings. Your home needs to be welcoming, safe, and child-friendly.
• Work on communication skills. Talk to your grandchildren, and make sure that the children know that they can always talk to you.
• Practice positive discipline that emphasizes education, not punishment, and that rewards good behavior with praise.
• Set up a few rules, and explain the rules to the children. Then, enforce them consistently.

Finding shared activities. Building new relationships can be difficult. Sometimes, it helps to find things that you can do with your grandchildren to nurture your relationship and to make them feel secure and happy in their new home.

• Read. Children love to hear stories, and even older children may surprise you by sitting quietly as you read aloud. Children who see you read have a better chance of becoming readers themselves.
• Get computer savvy. If you don't have your own computer, use the one at the public library. The library may have classes or other free help for you. You'll find lots of things that you and your grandchildren can do on the computer, from games to school research.
• Join a group. There are many local support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren, and a number of these groups also provide activities for the children. You might also find welcoming groups at your place of worship or in the local schools or library.
• Take up a sport or other outdoor activity. Children of all ages need to be active. Physical activity may help your grandchildren feel better and develop a healthy lifestyle, and it can be an important stress reliever for you.

Taking care of yourself. If you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and unhappy, you are not going to be able to provide the best care for your grandchildren. It's important that you take care of yourself and not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by your parental responsibilities. Here are some suggestions:

• Find a support group—either a group specifically for grandparents raising grandchildren or some other support group where you can share your challenges with others who will understand.
• Talk to someone. This could be a friend or relative or a professional, such as a counselor, family doctor, or someone at your church or temple. Unburdening yourself can be a stress reliever.
• Take a break. A short time away from your grandchildren may give you some time to relax. Look for a trusted adult who can babysit or take over while you're out.
• Take a parenting class. A class may help you to feel more comfortable with your status as a caregiver for young children. It will also provide resources in the form of your teacher and the other students in the class.
• Learn to say "no." You don't have time to do everything. Learn to make priorities, and eliminate the unnecessary tasks in your life.

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What are the things you can do with your grandchildren? 

100 Things To Do With Your Grandchild This Summer

Research on children

What Children Like To Do

From: source

Children have different needs at each age and stage of their development. Each child is also unique. If it's been a while since you've had children in the house, check out this list for activities that can help children learn, have fun, experience success, and feel good about themselves.

Most infants like:

• to be held, rocked, tickled, sung to, or read books with colorful pictures
• to hear you describe what you are doing during routine activities like feeding and dressing
• music and fingerplays (this little piggy, pat-a-cake)
• to play peak-a-boo or hide under a scarf or blanket
• to be taken outside for a short walk and have you describe what they see, touch, smell, and hear

Most toddlers still like infant activities but also like to:

• explore and look for rocks, flowers, and leaves; find objects to dump, fill, move, put together, and take apart
• separate from and return back to you
• run, jump, hide, climb; jump in leaves, pillows, old clothes, snow; put a sheet over two chairs
• sing or dance to music; imitate you (sweep, make pretend food, wash dishes, rock the doll)
• paint with water on sidewalk (bucket/sponge or brush), play with cups/lids in water
• ride tricycles, slide, swing, climb jungle gyms, play ball
• play hide and seek, Simon says, and London bridge
• build with blocks or Legos
• play pretend house, store, library, zoo, museum, bank, and other places

Most school-agers like:

• board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Candyland, and Checkers; card games like Uno and Go Fish; and computer games
• preparing favorite snacks (rice krispie treats, brownies, ice cream sodas)
• athletic or competitive games
• putting on a play with costumes and props
• rulers, scales, magnets, thermometers, magnifying glasses, balls, and binoculars
• to make crafts like jewelry, candles, and sand art
• to plant vegetables or flowers in a garden
• trips to gardens, museums, libraries, and florists
• camping, fishing, biking, hiking, going on a picnic, and going to amusement parks and waterparks

Most teenagers still enjoy board games, cards, computer games, athletics, crafts, and trips. They also usually like:

• shopping
• eating out
• going to movies
• watching TV
• solitary games and privacy

Although children of different ages have different needs and interests, playing with younger and older siblings can enhance learning and understanding. And, the time you spend together will help create warm memories for a lifetime.

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10 Reasons To Take Learning Outside The Classroom

From: source

Make learning more engaging

It can be difficult to keep kids on task in the classroom.  Especially as the school year draws to an end and the weather is nice outside and all they want to do is run around like mad things.  Why not take learning outside and let them do just that?  Take maths outside and have children estimate then time how long it would take to run, hop, skip across a field.  They can discuss it outdoors and graph it back in the classroom.

Make learning relevant

By taking learning beyond the classroom you’ll find dozens of opportunities to make learning concepts, real and relevant by putting them into a more realistic context.  Many concepts which seem too difficult to get a grasp of in the classroom are a lot easier to understand in the big wide world when they’re set in context, and when the children are more engaged and motivated to understand and learn.

Nurture creativity and imagination

Taking kids beyond the classroom is like unclipping their wings.  Suddenly their minds are free to explore and you can often end up with some very creative results no matter what subject you’re teaching them.  For example, instead of learning about castles in the classroom are you able to take your children to a real castle ruins and have them act in role?  You’ll be amazed at how their imaginations run wild – but make sure you know your stuff as they’ll have no end of questions to ask you to help fuel their role play.

Develop learning through play and experimentation

We all know that children learn more when they’re happy and engaged.  It’s amazing just how much they can learn through playing.  You can bet that the kids who did the role play in the castle will remember heaps about what life was like for their characters.  Experimenting is also a fantastic way to learn – very young children learn a huge amount about volume and textures by simple things like sand and water play, whilst older children will enjoy becoming nature detectives and learning about minibeasts and their habitats.

Improve attendance

If you’re able to build outside play – and visits, into your curriculum and engage and motivate your pupils to learn, you’ll inevitably find that they’re more motivated to turn up to school.

Reduce behaviour problems

Whilst learning beyond the classroom certainly means implementing a whole new set of behaviour management processes, on the whole it can often mean a general improvement in behaviour – yet another consequence of children being happy, engaged and motivated.  There are not many children who are likely to act up if the consequence is that the whole class has to go back to learning maths inside…

Develop interest in the environment and wider surroundings

Learning outside can give you a great opportunity to teach your pupils about the environment and about your local area.  This is an important part of developing them as responsible citizens that can be difficult to convey in the classroom.

Expose children to new opportunities

Learning outside the classroom doesn’t just have to mean wandering around the school grounds, though this is a great place to start.  There is no end of places you can take the pupils that they might not get access to otherwise.  Museums, galleries, zoos and farms can be of great interest or somewhere where they can find out how things are made and maybe even have a go themselves can provide learning experiences that won’t be forgotten fast.

Keep healthy

Even if you’re just going to work a few feet from the confines of your classroom, well directed outdoor learning opportunities can offer a great opportunity for fresh air and exercise.  Even pupils who aren’t much interested in PE can usually be tempted by a fun learning game without the pressure of needing to ‘win’.

Enjoy almost limitless resources

One of the key benefits of learning outside is that you have the most amazingly well resourced stock cupboard you could hope for – and a lot of it is free.  No matter how tight your school’s budget, so long as you have a good imagination you’ll be able to develop free, meaningful learning opportunities for your children that will stick with them.