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Grandparents Day 2011 |
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National Grandparents Day is annually observed on the first Sunday after the Labor Day in the United States in order to honor grandparents and senior citizens. This event is also celebrated in other countries on different times of the year.
The purpose of observing this day is to strengthen the bond between the older and younger generation and make the latter aware of the guidance that the former can offer.
Facts about Grandparents Day
Below you will find details on the origin of this event, when it is to be celebrated in 2011 and the official flower and song for this occasion.
Origin of National Grandparents Day
Grandparents Day observance was actually the idea of Marian McQuade, a West Virginia homemaker. She was a national leader in senior issues and had campaigned to establish a special day of observance for the senior citizens. Marian McQuade’s campaign was successful in 1978 when the U.S. President, Jimmy Carter officially proclaimed the Sunday after the Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. This was followed by the first observance of this occasion on Sunday, September 9, 1979.
National Grandparents Day 2011
Grandparents Day 2011 is to be celebrated on the 11th of September. The reason behind choosing the month of September is to indicate that the grandparents are in the autumn years of their lives.
Grandparents Day Flower and Song
The forget-me-not is considered as the official flower for this occasion. This flower serves as the symbol of lasting memories between grandparents and the young generation. The Grandparents Day song is “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa,” by Johnny Prill.
Celebrations for this Event
This event is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. On this day, people visit their older friends and relatives and do things to show respect to the seniors in their family.
National Grandparents Day Council organized by the descendents of Marian McQuade promotes activities and events to encourage young people to take care of seniors. They have state representatives to organize songwriting, essay writing, art and poetry contests on Grandparents Day for better interaction between seniors and their children.
National Grandparents Day Activities
Below is a list of activities that help establish a sense of togetherness between grandparents and children on this day.
Hiking: People prefer to explore trails with their grandchildren on National Grandparents Day. They take advantage of packages offered by companies which organize hiking, motorcycling and kayaking. Some people prefer to go hiking on their own, as they have plans to turn the hike into a treasure hunt. What they basically do is engage the children in finding out the pictures of flowers, insects, and items hidden in the hiking trails. This is how they make the young minds active and intelligent. Hiking helps the young people discover new varieties of plants and insects, and explore nature at its splendid best.
Fishing or an aquatic experience: Some grandparents love to go for a fishing excursion with their children on National Grandparents Day. This fun activity not only helps them spend great time with each other but also gives them an opportunity for serious bonding.
Apart from fishing, people love to have an aquatic experience like participating in scuba diving. In such activities, they encourage their children to enjoy an encounter with a variety of aquatic animals like sharks and fishes. So, if you’d like to engage your children in fun activities on Grandparents Day 2011, you may choose fishing or scuba diving.
Going on a family outing: This is one of the best ways to let the young and old family members connect better. So, with food, fun and games, a family outing often turns out to be a great opportunity for bonding.
Starting a tradition: On National Grandparents Day, people encourage their young ones to start a tradition in their family. For example, they make the young people go on a fishing trip every year on this day. In some families, there’s the tradition of cooking new recipes or visiting seniors in a nursing home on this occasion. There are families where children are encouraged to write Grandparents Day poems and recite them to their seniors. You too may encourage your children to write such poems on Grandparents Day 2011.
Grandparents Day Crafts for Kids and Adults
Kids and adults can get together and create handmade items as a way of giving respect and honor to the older people. Some of the Grandparents Day ideas for crafts are mentioned here.
Making a collage: Kids can use the photos of family members and grandparents to make a collage. The adults need to help them to glue the pictures onto a cardboard. The kids can now be encouraged to decorate the collage with markers of various colors. The adults can assist in writing something unique for each family member. The grandparents and family members will love to see their children spending time in such creative activities.
Creating Grandparents Day gifts: Kids can prepare cute heart-shaped cards for their grandparents on their special day. All they need to do is cut a piece of construction paper. Then they should draw a picture of a heart. Next, they can draw a picture of a flower on another piece of the construction paper. This flower can be pasted onto the heart-shaped card. The adults can help the kids write a cute message on this card along with a lovely poem for the grandparents.
One of the best Grandparents Day gifts is a photo album which has photos of lovely memories shared by the young family members with their grandparents. The seniors may simply treasure such a gift forever.
Grandparents Day Printables
There are websites providing printables like cards, coloring pages, bookmarks and cute little booklets which can turn out to be exciting gifts for the seniors. These printables are actually meant for kids. What the kids need to do is color the cards, pages, and bookmarks or write a cute message for their grandfather and grandmother on the booklets. The adults can help them take printouts of the Grandparents Day coloring pages, cards and other stationary which can serve as gifts for the seniors.
Grandparents Day is an important occasion for seniors. So, the young generation and their parents should do something special on Grandparents Day 2011, so that they can create lovely memories for the older family members.
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