I had a message from our daughter-in-law asking if we could look after our granddaughters so that she and Leon could do some Christmas shopping. So this afternoon we took the two girls (aged 11 and 13) out to lunch at Frankie & Benny’s, and then took them to see The Grinch at our local cinema. Following this we brought them home to ours for tea.
I’d been wondering which activities would appeal to both of them when I originally agreed to babysit, and so bought some acrylic paints and a selection of pebbles for painting. I reckoned this activity would keep them amused until tea time.
Freed of their phones, we all sat around the table, chatted and painted pebbles. This activity, simple as it was, seemed to go down very well. The girls commented on how quiet our house is, and we replied how we like it that way. They’re used to the TV being on in the background at home, and at first they whispered until they became used to the silence.
They remarked about how much they’d enjoyed themselves when it was time to go back to Mum and Dad. I know as soon as they get home they’ll be on their phones again, but hopefully they’ll remember how nice it can be to sit around a table with family members and chat face to face.
Painting pebbles is cool.
Love your ‘anti-social devices’! Yes, tablets/iPhones definitely render the user anti-social. It’s great running about with the kids and wearing them out. We wear ourselves out too in the process, but it’s creating great memories. What memories will they get from staring at a screen?
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Mine are not old enough for phones, but do have tablet ASDs (anti social devices) and you’d be surprised how much fun it is to put them down, go out in sweater weather in sock feet and help papa rake the leaves into a giant pile and jump in it, toss a small football and run like crazy in any direction, no mom or rules about anything but stay away from the street, much less about leaves and hair and dust and shoes and rolling in the grass squealing at little brother…Later I get a text from the daughter – “You picked the kids up, right?”
Yep. Wear their butts out, send them home hungry, tired and a little dirty. There are no video games for those things!
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Good on you for enforcing serenity on the girls, and who knows, maybe they’ll practice it once in awhile. 😉
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Hopefully…
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🙂 Hope floats.
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A super idea, and definitely healthier for all concerned than screen time. On that subject – and I don’t want this to appear like a sales pitch (although I guess it is!) – I have just this week launched my book that aims to inspire adults with ideas on how to get children off screens and into the natural world outside. If you or anyone might be interested, you can find more at https://encourageachild.org/ Thank you.
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Thanks Denzil.
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The best! Far better than anything involving technology.
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Too true.
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😀
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A great idea – fits with Denzil Walton’s ideas about getting them involved with nature so I’ve shared it on my site, referencing my interview with him.
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Cheers Frank. It stops them looking at their phones. That’s what I like about it.
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Pingback: More Non-Screen Activities to Share « Frank Parker's author site
Thanks for the link.
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What a great idea. My girls like doing that sort of thing too. They also like baking with me. Xo
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I don’t do baking, as I hate cooking. I don’t mind painting or colouring though.
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What a cute idea! My daughter’s two so she might be a little young but I have some older nieces. I’m totally going to suggest this to my mother in law! Thanks!
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It’s good for getting them away from their phones, as they can’t text and paint pebbles at the same time.
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thanks for re-blogging! Merry Christmas!
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and to you and yours, Stevie!
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I love peace and quiet, and painting anything. Very restorative…
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Yes…good for the soul.
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Beautiful
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Thanks!
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It’s important to unplug and enjoy the quiet, that’s how people lived for the great majority of human history.
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Absolutely.
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brilliant way to spend time together 🙂
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It was great. Nanny’s going to put a nice film on now that doesn’t feature a Grinch. Bye for now.
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LOL
I think Nanny deserves a glass of something that isn’t all sugar, colouring and bubbles as well 🙂
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Green tea will do me just as well.
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I could never cope with the hard stuff 🙂
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