I’m travel editor for Grandparents.com, looking for grandparents who paddle with their grandkids for an outdoor adventure article. Need sources to interview, or perhaps you are an experienced scribe who can write about grandparents and grandkids kayaking together. Please contact: marcyb(at)grandparents.com. Thanks for your help.
Just got my first grandchild, but
haven’t paddled him yet.
Grandparents/Grandkids Paddle Togherer
We’ve been kayaking for years and when my grandson was old enough (around 6) we got him his own kayak. He paddled around in our swimming pool to get the hang of it and took to it like a duck to water.
We usually head out to a local lake that has some neat little tributaries coming into it. Eric loves to explore them. Last summer he and I headed down one of them and were enjoying seeing all the leaves, fish, etc. on the bottom.
I don’t think we were in water much deeper than 6 or so inches. Eric parents were tagging along behind. Eric kept saying “let’s just go a little farther” so naturally Grammy obliged! He was ahead of me and going along fine. There were some rocks and it was getting more shallow and I was warning him to be careful, when all of a sudden I hit bottom. Not surprising since I weigh a “bit” more than my 9 year old grandson!! When he turned around and saw me, he jumped immediately out of his kayak (shoes and all) and hollered “don’t worry Grammy, I’ll save you!”. He gave me a good shove and dislodged me from the bottom and hopped back in his yak. We did turn around at that point.
He couldn’t wait to tell everyone that he had “saved Grammy”. My daughter said that he told everyone at school and you might have thought that he’d jumped into shark infested water and drug me to safety. It was one of those special moments that I’ll always cherish.
mine just turned five
and will be taking his first canoe camping trip with us this summer.
We dont have a kayak for him…but he double blades my Nakoma…its a small canoe.
Souds great,
but we need pictures!!
The only…
pic I have on public website,
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h218/tjalmy/gav3.jpg
Grandson Gavin, in the front of the blue ox, on the Weeki-Wachee as it joins into the gulf.
Gotta get him out more often, he really does love it once he gets used to being away from video games for a couple of hours.
T
Grandparents/grandkids paddle together
Oops. Gave my wrong email. Make that marcy(at)grandparents.com.
Looks like a great time
Paddling with Grandkids
– Last Updated: Mar-09-08 11:47 PM EST –
We have five grandchildren and all have been kayaking with us. The youngest two, princesses age 5 and 8 have been going with us for 2+ years. My son and I bought Perception America 13.5 rec kayaks. One of the reasons we chose this boat was the larger cockpit that allowed the girls to sit in front of us on a boat cushion and be our guides and auxiliary paddlers.
We go on local lakes and rivers.
One of our favorite spots is a stretch of the Mackinaw River in Central Illinois. Both girls have paddled their own boats down the 2 1/2 hour stretch of river and are really good at managing the small rapids, logs and other obstacles. The fish, birds, waterfowl, snakes, deer, otters, and other wildlife keep the trips interesting.
A key ingredient on these excursions is the snack stop on a sandbar or "island" and exploring the various rocks, types of turtles, animal and bird tracks, tadpoles, fish, minnows, and many artifacts that catch the eyes and immagination of young minds.
Their dad is great at teaching techniques and safety and they have learned that the water is to be respected. They also enjoy water polo that we play on a local lake.
Our grandson, who lives in Northern Illinois always makes time for the paddling whenever he visits........one of the few things that drags him away from his video games. His sisters, ages 14 and 15 have enjoyed their outings but not with the same enthusiasm as the younger ones. They most enjoyed our time on a Northern Wisconsin Lake where they did their own "exploring".
My wife, Gramma, finally tired of others having all the fun and got her own boat this past summer. She has found it very relaxing and a lot easier to control and more stable than the canoes we used to paddle when our kids were young.
My son now has 6 boats and with our 2, we have a small navy whenever relatives visit and we take them on a river run. We get out on the water any time we can but limit the grandkids to the warmer weather and water of late spring, summer and fall. My son and I enjoy winter kayaking as well.
What's really great is listening to the stories of some of their experiences grow and become somewhat embellished..........they woud make their great granddad's fish stories seem tame and believable. We have a great time!!!!!
Old Padler