Grammy on the Go

Winter birding is a family-friendly activity easily enjoyed from the comfort and warmth of your home. Watching the birds provides a great educational experience for grandkids. February is also National Bird Feeding Month, so it’s the perfect time to get started.  ...

It’s fall, and the trees are showcasing their beautiful colors and then releasing their leaves! It’s a wonderful season to share and enjoy the fall leaves with the grandchildren. From hiking and collecting different leaf specimens, to fun leaf crafts and raking leaves followed by jumping into a huge pile, there are many unique experiences to enjoy together. So, enjoy the fall leaves before fall leaves and winter appears! ...

~Grammy on the Go~
Train Time! All Aboard for Fun
By Karen Shadrach

Most children love trains, and what could be more fun than riding a miniature train through the woods and fields? Northeast Ohio has three miniature train clubs made up of friendly people who enjoy sharing their hobby and offering free train rides to the public. Riding on the steamers is a wonderful family event. Here’s where to find them before wintry weather shuts down the tracks:

The Lakeshore Live Steamers in Kirtland is located at the Penitentiary Glen Reservation of the Lake Metroparks. Their club is 50 years strong and what began as a simple track laid out around a floral shop in the early ‘50s is now thousands of feet of track winding through the woods of Penitentiary Glen. The live steam hobby consists of modeling steam locomotives that actually run off steam.

The remaining public train ride yet this year is a Christmas run on December 5. Reservations and tickets for these events may be obtained at lakemetroparks.com. Rides are always free of charge, but donations are gratefully appreciated.

All can board these miniature trains. Riders sit atop the cars, straddling them with their legs on either side. Small children must be able to sit on a seat. Infants unable to sit by themselves can still ride, but must be held centered in front of an adult. The trains do not exceed 5 mph. The young and young at heart love to hear the sound of the train whistle,  smell the steam and enjoy the clickety-clack of the rails. 

The Northeastern Ohio Live Steamers is located on Medina County Park District land at Lester Rail Trail. Trains are 1/8 scale with a 7.5-inch track gauge model railroad. They are open for public runs October 15 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.,  

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Nothing smells quite like fall as much as the sweet aroma of apples cooking in an old-fashioned, huge copper kettle over a wood fire! A special treat for the senses will be your reward as you attend a Northeast Ohio apple butter festival with the grandkids. ...

The annual flowers are at their peak! A fun art activity to do with the grandkids this time of year is flower pounding. Flowers and leaves can be hammered to release their vibrant natural dye onto paper or fabric. Great results come from flowers that are mostly flat and have a lot of color, such as rose petals, bright daisies, geranium petals, petunias and pansies. ...

Summer is, unbelievably, half over. A Christmas in July party may become your family’s new and much-anticipated summer tradition. Ho-ho-ho and Merry Christmas in July! ...

Why is it that children are so attracted to dandelions? Maybe it’s because of their bright yellow color and their round, fluffy seed heads that are so much fun to blow into the wind and make a wish. Whatever it is, grandchildren love these flowers that we adults consider only as pesky weeds! ...

Grammy on the Go Karen Shardrach adds to last month’s blog on magical playgrounds. She and her grandkids and have discovered several other unique and fun playgrounds here in Northeast Ohio that feature unexpected climbing structures, pathways, tunnel slides, bear bridges and even dinosaur bones! ...