Children are natural-born explorers. With a wild and wonderful sense of adventure, my little 2-year-old grandson Max loves leading me through his playground “jungle” in search of “meows” (aka cats). My 11-year-old grandson Jack is now questioning everything and with a maturing imagination, inspired by the fantasy lands of Harry Potter!
For children, life is just one
big opportunity for stimulation and adventure. They have an insatiable desire
to discover new things and to explore the magic of the world around them.
As their grandmother, I am proud
of their adventurous spirit and admire their open-hearted curiosity!
I love to be a part of their
lives and to help them find adventures that generate beautiful memories for us
both. A lot can be done right in my living room, but travel has always been for
me, the greatest teacher.
Road Scholar Helps Grandparents to
Forge Lasting Bonds with Their Grandkids
Road Scholar understands that
modern grandparents are looking for new ways to introduce their grandchildren
to the world in their fast-moving formative years. This is why they offer
around 140 grandparent focused trips.
Visiting new places in unique and
well-planned themed group experiences is a wonderful opportunity for children.
But, here are 6 ways Road Scholar’s grandparenting programs also help grownups
to learn how to enjoy the wonder of being a kid again!
Explore the Fantastic World of
Technology and Science
Our generation has contributed to
some amazing innovations in science and technology. And, this is an area that
is evolving all the time!
Many of the Road Scholar programs
that are focused on grandparents offer ways to share the incredible technology
and engineering innovations with the young people in our lives.
For example, this science program in St Louis for young children
from 6-8 explores the world of science, technology and engineering in a fun yet
educational way.
This Space and Robots program also looks wonderful!
There is a LEGO Mindstorm robot programming challenge in this adventure. You
can even build and launch your own rocket!
See the World Through the Eyes of
a Child
Children seem to have built-in magnifying glasses on their eyes. They see the tiniest things that grownups often miss. In addition, the natural world is not always accessible to city dwellers so getting away together into the world of nature can be a fabulous gift.
For older kids 9-12, for example,
you can explore the natural beauty of the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois
in a program of outdoor adventures.
Or, how about a trip with your
grandchild to the island of Chincoteague? It is a magical island, where
bottlenose dolphins play in quiet coves, herds of wild ponies run free and
eagles and marine animals are everywhere!
Learn About New
Places, Cultures and Historical Events
For me, travel has always been the greatest way to gain a greater
appreciation for our world. Learning about new cultures and experiencing fascinating
places offers a special opportunity for grandparents to educate grandkids. It
prepares them for living in the real world.
Road Scholar offers several European programs that get kids off their screens and into the real world. Perhaps these are places you’ve always wanted to visit yourself!
This program called Street Art, Fado and A Treasure Hunt in Lisbon
sounds like a beautiful way of introducing young children the wonders of Portugal.
Or how about this new grandparenting program in Amsterdam, which
focuses on art, windmills and flowers?
There are grandparenting programs in cities around the world as well
as in the United States and Canada!
Curiosity Supports Longevity and
Well Being
According to this article in Ageist magazine, Curiosity leads to better
human connections, helps with learning new things and, ultimately, contributes to
a better, longer life.
Giving your grandchildren a chance to develop their own sense of curiosity is a precious gift and one that a grandparenting program can offer. Road Scholar is introducing new adventures all the time.
Here is a
list of 15
new programs to explore.
Share Your Grandchild’s Personal Interests and Passions
Grandparenting programs help you discover your grandchild’s
interests. For Jack this Harry Potter program at Universal Studies
would be perfect! I must be honest and admit I’ve never even read Harry Potter,
but I know Jack would have a wonderful time and appreciate that we’ve shared
something together that he loves.
When Max is a little older, we can consider going on real outdoor
adventures like Glacier, Geysers and Volcanoes in Iceland
or looking for real wild animals in the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica.
Get Outside of Your
Own Comfort Zone
As grandparents, we often slip into those ageist mindsets of “I’m
too old” or “It’s too late to…”
Having your grandkids with you on a trip, enables you see the world
through a different lens and, often, pushes you out of your comfort zone.
Whether you are zip lining in Costa Rica, surfing in Hawaii, on safari in Tanzania or digging with paleontologists in Wyoming, you can try things you might have only imagined!
The Road Scholar grandparenting programs offer a full spectrum of
activities and always indicate the level of physical exertion to be expected.
There’s something for every child in the Road Scholar grandparenting
programs. And, in the process of introducing your young grandchildren to a
whole new captivating world of travel you can learn something about yourself as
well.
What was the last trip that you took with your grandkids? Where did
you go and did you have a good time? Where would you love to take your
grandkids next?