Grandma Camp brings cousins together

What’s a granny to do? With grandkids scattered throughout Washington state, how does a granny strengthen that grandparent bond?

Welcome to Grandma Camp!

Dorothy Thomsen, a southeast Spokane grandma, wanted her grandkids to “get to know their cousins and grandparents and share memories of times together.”

Thomsen’s “camp” is one week and consists of five grandkids ranging from 5 to 16 years old. Two live in Spokane and three in Western Washington.

“Having an older granddaughter and grandson was my ace in the hole,” Thomsen said.

Valerie Moore, Thomsen’s daughter who lives in North Edmonds, agreed about the important role the older kids play.

“Brendon and Brianna are great with the younger cousins and help my mom and dad out a lot,” she said.

So what happens during Grandma Camp?

“Plenty!” Thomsen said. Swimming, a day at Color Me Mine and Mobius Kids in River Park Square, making tie-dye shirts, steppingstones and bead bracelets, reading, feeding the ducks, playing in the fountain at Riverfront Park, going to Cat Tales, trips to bookstores, water balloon fights, sleepouts in the backyard, and DVD and popcorn night, to name a few.

“We also plan a ‘Talk Time’ centered on topics like how the world began, behavior in certain situations and how to deal with fear,” Thomsen said. In addition, each year scrapbook pages of their Grandma Camp experience are added to their albums.

The fuel for Grandma Camp was Thomsen’s desire to provide a special week of bonding among grandkids, cousins and grandparents.

“This is a totally hands-on camp,” she said. “They choose the meals and participate in preparing the food, setting the table and cleaning up afterwards.”

It wasn’t easy pitching the idea to the parents.

“At first I thought my mother was a little crazy,” said Rhonda Bogart of Spokane, “but then I saw how organized she was going to be about planning their activities with each having something new to do to keep their attention.”

“I thought of Grandma Camp several years ago,” Thomsen explained, “but the parents insisted we wait until the kids turned 4 years old. They were sure the kids would get homesick after one night, but the little ones had so much fun, they hardly had time to talk to their parents when they made their nightly call!”

Now, the parents are gung-ho about Grandma Camp.

“I believe it is great,” Randall Thomsen of Seattle said. “It gives my parents an opportunity to spend time with my children and also gives me and my wife a break from the kids.”

Moore also found the camp, now in its second year, helpful for both her and the children.

“Daniel has gotten to know his grandparents without interference of his parents and them him. I’ve learned that you need to let your kids grow up and do things without their parents,” Moore said.

Bogart agreed.

“Now I see how valuable it is for the kids to interact with their grandma and each other,” she said.

“My kids have gotten to know their younger cousins and learned how to care about other people than just themselves. I know this is something that stays with you a lifetime.”

So, what has Grandma learned during Grandma Camp?

“I’ve learned my daughters and son are raising and training wonderful children and that we can recapture family closeness with just a little time together now that will last a lifetime.”