Grandma Camp's a Growing Trend?

I was recently contacted by the Los Angeles Times about the Grand kid Camps that I host for my grandchildren each year. I was happy to learn that grand kid camps are a growing trend among grandparents. I was even happier to share my grand kid camp experiences with the Los Angeles Times.

I am currently the grandma to ten amazing grandchildren. It is our tradition to do two camps a year for our grandchildren. We have a twelve hour Christmas Day Camp soon after Thanksgiving to kick off the Christmas season or what we call the Ho...Ho...Holidays. In the early summer we have an overnight "Grandkid's Camp Out" for those grandchildren who are potty trained and older.

At the birth of this wonderful family tradition we only had two little campers. They were three and four years old. Last summer we had grown to seven campers at our overnight camp out. The campers were between the ages of three and nine. We had nine campers at our Christmas Day Camp in 2009. The kids were between the ages of eighteen months and nine years. The grand kids look forward to the camps all year long. I, as the organizer "The Camp Director" begin brainstorming for the next camp as soon as the current one ends.

My website www.grandmaslittlepearls.com shares several ideas for things to do at both camps. The camps are fully scheduled from the time the kids arrive until they go home. The activities are varied including a wide variety of crafts, group games and activities, learning workshops, music time, baking, hiking, sports, outdoor cooking, camping skills, and lots of eating!

I have learned over the years that ample pre-planning, over the top organization, a posted schedule, and prepping as much as possible for the planned activities, snacks, and meals are key to the success of the camp. With the number of campers growing so has my need for extra adult hands and eyes to help keep everyone safe and on task. My husband and I manage the overnight camp out together. The Christmas Day Camp has grown into needing even more help to watch the little ones. The children's great grandma who is in her mid seventies has helped us for the last few years.

My goals for the camps include providing a fun and enriching experience for the children, to strengthen family bonds between the generations, to create memories, and to help build love, friendships, family bonds, and special memories between the siblings and cousins.

I am a strong believer in the importance of and the blessings of having family traditions. Our family has many traditions that we look forward to throughout the year. Some traditions are just for the adults and most others are for young and old. The grand kids camps where it is "just for the kids" are priceless opportunities for Papa and I to create lasting memories with our grandchildren. Grand kid camps are an absolute keeper in our family!