Grandparents Day, STEM Style

Flickr photo by Saint Francis Academy cc

National Grandparents Day falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It's not a holiday invented to sell cards and flowers. It was initiated at the grassroots level by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, with the behind-the-scenes support of her husband Joseph L. McQuade.

There are three purposes for National Grandparents Day:

1. To honor grandparents.
2. To give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children.
3. To help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer. (legacyproject.org) 

What a great opportunity to do fun STEAM activities with Nana and Papa!

Science: Visit a Museum

Many museums offer free admission for grandparents on Grandparents Day.  For instance, the Challenger Space Center in the Phoenix area has free admission for grandparents with the purchase of a child's ticket on September 6th.  They will have special presentations and activities throughout the day to help you celebrate the day.  

The Bay Area Discovery Museum has activities all day long!  Free admission for grandparents AND grandchildren!

Not sure if your local museum has activities for Grandparents Day?  Go to their website and click on either "events" or "calendar".

Technology and Engineering: Do a Project

Flickr photo by Angela cc

What have you always wanted to do with your grandchild?  Make a soapbox car?  Make a rocket?  Make your own hand scrubs?  Now's the time to learn.  

Don't know how to do those things?  Don't worry.  Your grandchild probably does.  Or, they at least know how to watch tutorials on YouTube.  Search DIY and whatever you want to make.  Then, set out to do the project together.  

Not sure what to make?  Check out Instructables and find a project together!

Art: Memory Box

Do you have a memory box? It doesn't have to be fancy.  My children's memory boxes are made from old cigar boxes, decorated with shells on top.  This Grandparent's Day, pull out those old trinkets (photos, ticket stubs, old baseball cards, lockets) and share their story with the kids.  Help them make their own Memory Box out of an old box, a mason jar, or even a shoe box.  (click here for a tutorial)

Math: Baking/Cooking

Flickr photo by Peta Hopkins cc

Does your family have an heirloom recipe?  Is there a dish that Grandpa is famous for?  Bake/cook it together this weekend.  To bring in an element of Math, use non-standard measurements.  For instance, instead of saying "I need 1 1/2 cups of sugar", ask "if I only had this quarter cup measuring cup, how many quarter cups would I need to equal 1 1/2 cups of sugar?".

Literacy: Read with Them

Flickr photo by Phil cc

Depending on the age of the grandchildren, this can take different forms.  Pre-readers will enjoy a book being read to them.  Go to your local library and check out a few of your favorite children's books.  Young readers and older readers might enjoy a new book of their own.  Take them to a library and let them pick out any book they want.

Now the fun starts.  Choosing a place to read.  Of course, you can go home and read on the couch, but what about taking some blankets outside and reading under a tree.  Or IN a tree!  What was your favorite place to read as a child?  Under a blanket fortress in the living room?  Share your favorites with them.  Remember, it's your day.

Additional Resources

Arizona Geographic Alliance has great lesson plans that are standards based.

Grandparents Around the World (grade 1)
In this lesson students will learn the names of grandparents around the world and share how they like to spend time with their own grandmother and/or grandfather.

Grandparent Names: What Do You Call Yours?
In this lesson students will learn that grandparents have different names in different cultures. They will discover that grandparents are all unique, but that all grandparents share some common characteristics. Students will also learn where some of the names for grandparents originated.


Looking for more ideas?  This website has great ideas including painting a portrait, quizzing each other, and interviews.  Have a great day.  Make it yours and make many memories!