A letter from Grandpa about Easter eggs and ducks

Then one little fellow said, "Mister, will you sell me a hen; maybe she will lay us some red eggs.‚"

Dear Children:

       I am going to write something about Easter eggs and ducks. Two little boys came into our house this morning and wanted to buy some Easter eggs - the kind that their Grandma bought of us last week; but we did not have the kind that suited. They wanted blue eggs and red eggs, and all kinds of colored eggs. They said that Grandma told them that our hens laid all kinds of colored eggs. Their sadness at the thought of getting no blue and red eggs was so great that I thought their little hearts would break and bleed. I would have given a dollar apiece for just two colored eggs, rather than to have looked into their little faces and said no. Then one little fellow said, "Mister, will you sell me a hen; maybe she will lay us some red eggs.‚" I took these little men to a corner grocery and bought each of them the biggest stick of red-striped candy I could find.

       I drove to the country yesterday. I wish every little boy and girl could live in the country. There are so many things to see. Everything we eat and wear grows in the country. Nearly all of the hen's nests are in the country, and nearly all the bird's nests are there. Nearly all the good apples grow in the country, and it beats all how much home-made fun a boy can have at his Grandpa's home on a farm. Where do all the cows come from, and the little bossies? They all grow up in the country; and oh, so many flowers! I tell you children, Easter only comes once a year; but flowers last all Summer, and just keep on coming. Yesterday, we stopped at a farm house to keep out of the rain. Mrs. Nelson had an old mother duck, and ten little ducks; and she declared they would drown if they stayed out in the rain. So, out she went hunting for the ducks, and after hunting an hour she found old mother duck and her little ducks swimming in a big pond of water in a pasture near the house. The feathers are so thick and close on a duck that they can stay in the water all day and not get wet, and their feet are so wide that they can push themselves along through the water like so many little boats.

Love, Grandpa.

 

Chickens that lay Easter eggs? 

 

 Now you can see what the goose and the rooster saw in the barnyard by connecting the dots...

Connect the dots by counting 1, 2, 3...44.

Easter Index/ Previous Page/ Next Page

"The Doll Party" letter from grandpa

Dear Children,

       Papa's letter came this morning. I was disappointed in his dog story. I don't suppose  he had a dog when he was a boy, as he had nothing to say about ever having been rabbit hunting when he was young; he surely was a boy, even if it was a long time ago.

       If he ever went rabbit hunting he ought to remember all about it. Your Papa could not have been a very big boy or very old when he was born, else he would know more about dogs, or perhaps, he lived in one of the big towns, about which I am going to write you, sometime, where dogs were not allowed to stay.

       Now, there are about as many little girls in the world as there are little boys, at any rate a good little girl is better than a half dozen bad boys. I am going to write something about dolls. I do not know how many little dollies there are in the world, but there are a great many. I don't know all about how dolls are made, still I do know that they are made, and made mostly for children. Of course, I mean little girls, and I have never met a little girl in all this great big round world but who at some time or other had a little dolly. I wish I could tell you about all the different kind of dolls I have seen, and there are so many pretty names for dolls. Little girls have about as many names for dollies as boys have names for their dogs. You should never give a doll more than one name. Dolls do not know much about names, anyhow, even a short name will in most cases last as long as a dolly does.

       I must tell you about a doll party that your Mama gave when she was a little girl. A great many invitations were sent out; in fact, every little girl in the village was invited, and every little girl came bringing with her one or more dolls. A doll supper was prepared, and, although nearly every dolly came with a new bib or apron of some kind on, not a dolly opened its mouth, and I am going to let you guess who ate the nuts and figs and raisins and other good things. At this doll party, there were many little childish games played, and after supper the dolls were arranged for some kind of services, so they finally agreed to have a doll meeting, and the dollies were seated in chairs, a pulpit was put in shape, made up of some paper boxes; but who would preach? It did not seem well to have a lady doll for a preacher, so a little boy who chanced to happen in, bethought himself that he could supply the needed minister. So, he presented the party the use of his Jumping Jack. "This," said one little girl, "will be just the thing," and they all shouted, "That's all right;" but the Jumping Jack would neither stand up nor lay down, would not sit cross-legged nor look sad; so after several vain efforts on the part of the children to have a church meeting for their dolls, one little girl thoughtfully said: "Girls, this awkward Jack will not do for a preacher for our little dollies, but I‚'ll tell you what we can do - we can make an Evangelist out of him."

       I don't know yet what I am going to write about next time, as much will depend on how Grandma's corns are getting along, and whether she has good luck with her mince pies.

Love, Grandpa.

How to make a jumping jack doll with your grandchild...

A letter about a new dog

Dear Children,

       I am going to tell you something about our new dog. We call him new, because he is not old. I expect forty days would cover all the time he has lived. So far he has had no birthday. I once heard of a great dog party in a great city. There were one hundred and twenty dogs present, and the dinner cost somebody four dollars for each little doggie, and while this dinner was going on on the inside there was a number of Grandchildren in the street crying for bread.

       I don't know much about dog parties, still I remember when your Mama lived at home, she never gave any more birthday parties after she was twenty-six years old.

       You know, Children, that dogs, like people, are not all alike. They are not all the same size or same shape or same color.

       Our dog looks like a little bear, only he is not a bear. He is about the color of a ginger cake, but he is not a ginger cake; in the face he has fur that is a bit darker.

       Our dog is about four inches long, six inches wide; his tail is fully seven inches long and leans over against his back.

       Our dog is a good little boy when allowed to do as he pleases, except when he is shut up in the dog house, and then he talks all kinds of dog talk; but I don't understand a word he says. When he barks I think he is laughing, and when he wags his tail, then he is trying to tell that he is hungry.

       I know some Grandchildren that always cry when they want something to eat. Our dog is not as large as a lion, still, he is bigger than a small cat. We call him all kinds of pet names; so one day Grandma said we must call him some real sure name, and she named him Disc. At first I did not like the name; but she said she got the record from our new graphophone, and, I suppose, now, that Disc will be in tune as long as the Record lasts. Mr. Benson says Disc is one-half Shepherd, but could not say what the other half was, so I just made up my mind that the other half was dog.

       Our dog came sixty miles in a car; was in the express office all night without a bite of anything to eat, not even a drink of cold water. The express man said the dog cried all night, and while little doggie was crying, the man was acting doggedly mean, as he was still growling the next morning.

       I asked him how he would like to be shut up in an empty box all night, and nothing to eat or drink. I hope every good little boy in the world has a good dog. I would rather all my Grandchildren would play with good dogs than bad boys.

       Now, when your Papa writes, have him tell all about your dog, as I am writing letters to a great many Grandchildren, and I want to tell them all about your dog.

Love, Grandpa.

Grandma and Grandpa named their new dog, "Disc" after their new graphophone.

Grandparent's Day Index

Grandparent's Day is frequently celebrated in early learning
centers and kindergartens across the United States. It is a day
for young students to give their grandparents a tour of their
school environment.

       Grandparents are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. In cases where parents are unwilling or unable to provide adequate care for their children (e.g., death of the parents), grandparents often take on the role of primary caregivers. Even when this is not the case, and particularly in traditional cultures, grandparents often have a direct and clear role in relation to the raising, care and nurture of children. Grandparents are second-degree relatives and share 25% genetic overlap.

       National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since 1978 and officially recognized in a number of countries on various days of the year, either as one holiday or sometimes as a separate Grandmothers' Day and Grandfathers' Day. It is celebrated on the first Sunday following Labor Day, September 10th. in the United States.
      During the week that follows September 10th, young children often spend time with their grandparents at school. Because the holiday falls at the beginning of the school year, there is little time for their teachers to plan elaborate shows or exhibits. So it has become a customary time for sharing the daily routines of young school children with their older visitors.
       Craft or reading activities emphasizing family are often planned in advance by the school sponsor or PTO for these holiday visits.

Crafts for Grandparents Day:

• My Family Tree Craft for Grandparent's Day
• The "Love" Canvas - How to with hand and foot prints of child
• Potted Plant with children's photo flowers
• Grandma's "Tweet" Hearts - kid's footprint canvas
  

Little Louise and Her Grandmother,
Frances Cordelia McDowell.

Poems About Grandmothers by Lillie Gilliland McDowell:

1. When Grandma Sews
2. Grandma's Aprons
3. Cuddle Time
4. Grandma's Errands
5. Grandma's Little Girl
6. Herb Tea
7. Tea at Grandma's
8. When Grandma Knits
9. A "Blue" Story
10. Christmas Secrets
11. Dancing Dolls
12. Heigh-ho. 'Tis Her Way!
13. Girls Will Be Girls
14. When Grandma Comfys Me
15. Out At Grandma's
16. My Grandma's Getting Old, They Say
17. Fellow Feeling
18. What Kind of Grandma Do You Like?
19. Grandma's Stories
20. A Tea Party
21. When Grandma Loses Her Specs
22. G-R-A-N-D-M-A
23. Contrast
24. I'll Be Your Valentine
25. Two Proverbs
26. The Old Sampler
27. When Grandma Tucks Me In
28. A Pertinent Question
29. The Way Out
30. The Old And The New
31. When Grandma Was a Little Girl
32. Counting The Baby's Toes
33. Grandma's Young Days
34. Grandma's Hygiene
35. Grandma's Prayer
36. Loneliness
37. When Grandma Punished Me
38. Grandma's Lullaby
39. The Old Willow Basket
40. Retrospect
41. Grandmother's Garden
    

More Poets Write About Grandparents:

1. For Grandma
2. Grandpa
3. Grandpa's Glasses
4. To a Grandmother

A collection of letters written by a grandparents to grandchildren. I have edited some of these and updated spelling. Use them in a literacy unit or read them aloud for fun. (Letters by children telling Valentine stories here.)

1. A letter about a new dog...
2. "The Doll Party" letter from grandpa
3. A letter from Grandpa about Easter eggs and ducks 
4. The donkey and the dog pull a cart... 
5. Disc and The Cats Now Eat Together! 
6. A letter about Grandpa's childhood

Grandparents Online:

• thespruce: Sharing books with long-distance grandchildren 
• GRAND magazine - free online magazine for grandparents
• Christian Grandparenting Network

Tea at Grandma's

Tea at Grandma's

When I go to my Grandma's house, she plays I'm

company,

And takes my wraps with such an air and says:

"You'll stay to tea?"

She gets out her best silver, then-great-Grandma

Winslow's plate-

And all her pretty china, and we eat in grandest

state.

But when I'm done, although she's made for me

all that to-do,

She says: "There childie, run along, so Big Dark

won't catch you."

Cuddle Time

Cuddle Time

Each morning, soon as I'm awake,

Before my prayer is said,

Or 'fore I'm ever dressed at all,

I climb in Grandma's bed.

I put my arms about her neck,

She puts her arms 'round me;

And I just lie so comfy there,

While Grandma cuddles me.

She talks to me so soft and low,

About this "clean, new day";

And what I'd ought to put in it.

Of study, work and play.

It really is the queerest thing,

But true as true can be;

It's easy to be good all day,

'Cause Grandma cuddled me.

Grandma's Aprons

Grandma's Aprons

Of mornings, till her work is clone,

She wears a great big gingham one.

It covers her from waist to shoe,

And if she ever had to do

Without it, 'xpect she'd sigh and say,

"I really cannot work to-day."

But after-noons, when work is done,

She wears a nice white starchy one,

With cunning little bows in place,

Or maybe it's all trimmed in lace.

She looks so sweet in this, I say,

"My ! but you're all fixed up to-day."

I wonder, when I look at her,

Which of the aprons I prefer.

The white one is so nice and neat.

The gingham means good things to eat.

But ask me, and I'd likely say,

"I love her most dressed either way."