Are you up for an art adventure that’s messy but loads of fun and teaches a little science? On one of my summer visits to my granddaughters it was too hot to go outside. So Juliet got out her
National Geographic Little Kids Magazine and said: “Let’s make Blue Goo, Baba!”

We probably should have followed the directions and covered her art table with lots of newspapers. But since it’s washable, we just put our supplies right on the table. We used one large mixing bowl, a measuring cup of water, a box of cornstarch, 4 small bowls, and a box of neon food coloring.

In just a few minutes we had whipped up a large bowl of white goo. We divided the goo into the four small bowls, added about ten drops of food coloring into each bowl and the fun began. The weird goo hardens in your hands when you squeeze it and feels like a solid. When you open your hands, the goo feels like a liquid and rolls out of your hand. Juliet squealed and giggled as she squished her hands into the bowl, happily enjoying the physical sensations of the “goo.”

Two hours later we had four bowls of greenish, bluish, reddish goo all over our hands and smiles on our faces. Reluctantly, we cleaned up the mess but promised to make it again with Amelia next year.

Blue Goo Recipe

You will need:

• Newspapers
• Mixing bowl
• Cornstarch (16-ounce box)
• Measuring cup
• Water
• Blue food coloring

1. Pour a box of cornstarch into a bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups (240 milliliters) of water.
3. Add about 15 drops of food coloring. You can also try this with different colors.
4. Mix it all together with your hands.

Have fun squishing!

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My husband and I visited the California Academy of Sciences to check it out before we bring our granddaughters. We bought a senior membership for $59 (fully tax deductible), which includes admission for one member plus one guest. Family memberships are $159, which includes admission for two adults and all your children or grandchildren 18 years of age and under each time you visit. Memberships are well worth the price if you live in the area because one adult admission is $24.95. Members get free unlimited admission, express entrance and special members-only hours. There’s underground parking, which is the most convenient but you can also search for a space on Martin Luther King Drive.

Volunteers are available everywhere to answer questions and describe the exhibits. We arrived at 9:30 am and got our pass for the 10:30 am show at the Morrison Planetarium . The planetarium has 300 stadium-style seats and six cameras that create an “Imax” effect. The current show “Fragile Planet” is spectacular and is appropriate for ages seven and up.

Before the show, we visited the African Hall, where we saw the newly painted dioramas and all the wild animals from the original Academy. In addition, they’ve added a penguin exhibit. Your grandchildren will love watching the colony of 20 African penguins dip and dive in the 25,000-gallon tank. According to a volunteer, these penguins are becoming extinct.

From the planetarium, we went to the Rainforests of the World exhibit where butterflies and birds fly freely around the trees and visitors. A beautiful red-winged butterfly landed on my hand and I watched a panther chameleon unfurl its long tongue to catch an insect.

For lunch, we checked out the Moss Room, which is a full service restaurant, but opted to serve ourselves at the bountiful Academy Café, which has a wide variety of tasty multicultural dishes.

We ended our day with a visit to the Living Roof, a 2.5-acre expanse of native California plants. The roof is designed to provide insulation for the museum as well as a new habitat for native birds.
Although we didn’t see all of the exhibits, we were satisfied with our four-hour visit. We saw many grandparents with their grandchildren of all ages. I know we’ll go back again and can’t wait to take our two granddaughters, and maybe their parents — if they’re good!

More and more grandparents are volunteering in the classroom, and the result is beneficial for both the volunteers and the children. “There is a special bond that develops between these two generations,” says Jyllian Halliburton, Manager of Avenidas Volunteer Corps, a private, non-profit agency that has been helping Mid-Peninsula seniors live well, learn and maintain their independence for 35 years. “There are important benefits for older volunteers: working in the classroom gives them a sense of purpose and independence, an increase in socialization, and an overall improvement in their health.”

Duane Stauffer, a grandfather and founder of the Avenidas Early Literacy program, completely agrees. Twelve years ago Stauffer learned that there was an urgent need to help children who were not reading at grade level. He wrote a proposal for a tutoring program, tested it in a school and now has over 100 volunteers helping children in grades K–3 improve their reading levels.

One of those volunteers is Vic Althouse, a grandfather of seven. Five years ago after retiring, he volunteered for the Early Literacy program. After a year in the program, Althouse realized how much he enjoyed working with young children but wanted the opportunity to know more than one child at a time. His daughter, Leslie McClellan, was just beginning her teaching career as a kindergarten teacher at Theuerkauf Elementary School in Mountain View. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed by her first class, which had 18 students who were just learning English. She put out a frantic call to her dad for help in the classroom. Four years later, he’s still volunteering in her class three days a week and says it’s one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.

McClellan says her father is a godsend. “He bought all the children lab coats and safety goggles and used his background as a chemist to show them simple experiments that make science come alive.”

Now that the new school year is underway and teachers have gotten to know their students, they’ll begin to identify which ones need extra attention. That’s when they’ll put out the call for classroom volunteers, says Diane Levinson, a retired elementary school teacher who is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to volunteer in her granddaughter’s kindergarten class. Levinson says her mother volunteered in her grandchildren’s classroom 30 years ago and she wants to continue the tradition.

There are many opportunities for grandparents to make a difference in young children’s lives. “There’s an important bond that develops in this intergenerational interaction that teaches children there are kind and caring adults, surrogate grandparents, who will be there for them when they may not have their own grandparents for support,” says Susan Taylor who has been volunteering in her granddaughter’s kindergarten class at Nueva School in Hillsborough for a year. The children call her the Kindergarten Grandma, and ask her for Grandma Hugs and tell her stories about how they miss their own grandmas. She helps the children with reading, writing and whatever creative projects they’re working on.

Ted Pappas, 86, has 5 grandchildren and found his volunteer position through RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program). He’s been tutoring second graders at Horrall Elementary School in San Mateo for over ten years. A retired accountant, he loves reciting math sequences to the children and watching them solve the calculations in their heads. He remembers math games from his grammar school days and enjoys passing them on to this new generation.

If you would like to make a difference in the lives of young children, consider volunteering at one of the agencies listed in the sidebar. Volunteers should possess the following qualities according to Sue Sartor, Assistant Principal at Las Lomitas School in Menlo Park:

• Show up on time
• Be willing to work with all children
• Respect the confidentiality of the role
• Be cheerful, positive, and encouraging
• Be willing to do all kinds of activities
• Bring enthusiasm, offer to your share talents and expertise

Opportunities

Avenidas Early Literacy Program in Palo Alto
Contact: Michael Kass, Program Coordinator (650) 289-5419
The Early Literacy program, founded 12 years ago, serves 200 children in grades K – 3 who are identified as not reading at grade level. Each child is paired with a trained volunteer adult who works twice a week for one hour.

Experience Corp of the Bay Area
Contact: Janet Oh (415) 759-3690
Volunteer service program that recruits adults 55 years and older to tutor and mentor students in underperforming schools in one-on-one reading or teaching special interests that the volunteer may have such as knitting and crafts.

Foster Grandparents
Contact: Donna Campi (650) 696-7662
The program was founded 40 years ago but has only been serving San Mateo County since 1999. It provides low-income seniors aged 60 and over a tax-free stipend to work with low-income second language learners in programs like Head Start. Volunteers spend a minimum of 15 hours per week in the classroom helping children aged 3 – 5 develop social skills and pre-reading. The children often do not have grandparents near by and develop a close bond with the volunteers. They often call them “grandma” or “grandpa,” according to program director Donna Campi.

Jewish Coalition for Literacy
Contact: Jennifer Advani (650) 940-1229
The mission of the JCL is to reverse the trend of illiteracy by mobilizing volunteer reading tutors, organizing book drives, and developing advocacy for public education. Reading volunteers attend one 2½-hour training session and are placed in a public school or after-school program. Volunteers work one-on-one with a child in grades K – 3 and/or provide read aloud sessions for classes or small groups. The commitment is one hour per week for the school year.

RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) of San Mateo
Contact: Deborah Owdom, program director (650) 696-7661
This recruitment referral source matches the skills of older adults who want to volunteer with the needs of 140 different non-profit organizations.