Local grandma Patti Hartog shares seasonal tips and ideas to spark your creativity and enhance your experiences with your own grandchildren, whether near or far, toddlers or teens.
After an unusually long and cold winter for us here in Kentuckiana, spring is springing! And that brings to mind a couple of things: Derby and flowers. This season with my grands, we’re marking our calendar for the family-favorite Derby events and checking out some nature-inspired events, books, and crafts.
Care for our planet with your grandkid!
Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22. This is the perfect opportunity to walk side by side with your grand doing activities designed to take care of our world. I found these Earth Day Activities for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hands, which has a form that generates activity guides based on the child’s age. I have a long-distance grand with an Earth Day birthday, so I sent a pre-birthday gift of an “Earth Day is my Birthday” T-shirt from Etsy shop MarHappyPrints, and a charming little book, Twas the Night Before Earth Day, which I picked up at Carmichael’s Bookstore.
We also celebrate Arbor Day each year on the last Friday in April, this year falling on April 24. A fun Arbor Day event to check out with your grandkids is TreeFest, held April 11 from 11am-3pm at Thurman-Hutchins Park on River Road. You’ll find tree giveaways, hikes, birding, food, music and more.
I love planting flowers with my littles and seeing their delight at all the new colors of spring. Whether or not you have a green thumb, you can most likely coax annuals to make it through the summer! Check out your local nursery. We found a beautiful variety of geranium colors at Diebold Nursery in Crestwood.
A lovely book and art activity…
In keeping with the theme of caring for the earth, one of my all-time favorite children’s books is Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Encouraged by her grandfather to make the world a more beautiful place, Alice grows up to do just that as she spreads her lupine seeds far and wide. This is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. It inspired our craft of Q-tip flower painting! Use a Q-tip for the blooms and mix paint colors for various shades of pink, purple and blue (we used Colorations Simply Washable Tempera Paint on posterboard), and your grand can create their own field of lupines.
Delightful Derby events they’ll love
Now let’s talk Derby. With my own children I loved seeking out kid-friendly activities in the lead-up to Derby, and I am excited to share these now with my grands. The Middletown Kroger Master Florists (12501 Shelbyville Rd) are continuing the tradition of creating the Oaks Day Garland of Lilies and the Kentucky Derby Garland of Roses. The Garland of Roses will feature over 400 hand-sewn “Freedom Roses,” with the finished garland weighing approximately 40 pounds and measuring over 10 feet long. Before the completed garlands are transported to Churchill Downs with a police escort, you have the opportunity to observe their creation – see the lilies being assembled from 4pm-8pm on April 30, and the roses from 4pm-8pm on May 1.
Other Kentucky Derby Festival kid-friendly events include the spectacular Thunder Over Louisville on April 18, the Great Balloon Fest April 23-25, and the Pegasus Parade April 26. If you’d rather stay in, you can always plan a family party, including fascinators for everyone and a traditional Derby brunch. It’s never too soon to start your tradition!
Do you have a favorite activity with your grandkids? Tell me about it at pattihartog@gmail.com.
P.S. Here are some rainy day ideas to do with the grandkids.
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