Affordable Fun with Grandkids

The joy of being with your grandkids is what makes your life so rich. When they come to visit your 55+ community, you’ll want to make every moment memorable. Here are some affordable ways to have fun with your grandchildren, share your values, and leave a lasting legacy this fall.

Make a Mini-Film on Your Smartphone

Let your grandchildren’s creative talents flourish by scripting and performing a short film on your smartphone. This is a great activity if you have multiple grandkids visiting you at the same time. Let the kids come up with a movie storyline that is based on a popular theme such as crime doesn’t pay or overcoming adversity. They can develop characters, write lines, and act out the story as someone films the blockbuster on your smartphone. San Marcos is filled with great scenery for a filmmaking. You can choose to make your cinematic debut at Kissing Tree’s social building or on one of the community’s scenic hiking trails. Just make sure that you grab a starring role to make the activity a blast.

Read a Classic Adventure Novel Together

The gift of reading is your grandchild’s passport to success. Why not encourage them to read more by introducing them to the classics that you loved when you were their age? Set aside a few hours in the evening when everyone can relax after a long day. Turn off television sets, laptops, and smartphones to mark the time as special. Some fresh-baked cookies, cold milk, and a seat next to grandpa are all that your grandchildren will need to get caught up in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Swiss Family Robinson, or Little House on the Prairie.

Bake a Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkins have become synonymous with fall and the joys of the Thanksgiving season. This year, skip the pumpkin patch and go straight to the San Marcos Farmers’ Market or your local grocery store in search of pie pumpkins. You know that pie pumpkins, which are also known as sugar pumpkins, are different from those large, decorative gourds that people place around their homes every fall season. Your grandchild, however, may not know the difference. This is your chance to impart to them your knowledge of the plant and give a little cooking lesson that will yield benefits throughout their lives. After finding the perfect specimens, teach your grandchild how to make a pumpkin pie from scratch.

Volunteer With H-E-B Feast of Sharing

You and your family have plenty of things for which to be thankful this season. It’s sometimes hard to believe that everyone won’t be enjoying warm dinners among family and friends this Thanksgiving. Team members at Texas-based H-E-B grocery store, however, recognize the faces of hunger all too well. They have partnered with volunteers in communities throughout Texas to serve the underprivileged, working poor, and homeless persons with meals and smiles throughout November and December. Sign up now for the H-E-B Feast of Sharing that will take place in nearby Austin, Texas on November 20, 2018. Volunteering for this event offers a teachable moment for your grandchildren about true community and your family’s values.