Grandchild on a boat .. aged 4

[ParaHandy]

and 8 months so i'm informed ie he can count and can be reasoned with.

Any advice? We're going on the mid-term break in October for a short day sail. Boat's a Tradewind 35, deep cockpit.

[Nick]

he can count and can be reasoned with.

Which side of the family did these attributes come from?

[claymore]

Obvious stuff really
It needs to be fun (which will be very difficult if you are on the boat)
it needs to be calm
It needs to be short sails
There needs to be a playground at every spot you visit or a beach to dig and stones to throw
There needs to be some fishing - let's hope he shapes better than Grandpa
The grub needs to be his favourite stuff
Bedtime means everyone in bed at the same time and stories till his lights go out
This needs to be the most exciting thing he ever did
Then he'll be hooked

I've stayed away from the risks of falling off and wearing lifejackets - you know all that stuff anyway.
Anna wasn't much interested in the sailing but just loved being on the boat

[ubergeekian]

and 8 months so i'm informed ie he can count and can be reasoned with.

Any advice? We're going on the mid-term break in October for a short day sail. Boat's a Tradewind 35, deep cockpit.

Day sail? Easy peasy. Take something for him to do when his attention wanders - books, colouring stuff.

My regular crew is five and has been sailing with me since he was three. We spend weeks on the boat together and as long as he can run some energy off on land every second day or so it all goes swimmingly. If you're on the Clyde and would like to meet up at half term just say ...

[ParaHandy]

If you're on the Clyde and would like to meet up at half term just say ...

I'm a little too far away, but thanks! And thanks to the Auld Goat for his help. Jings, as a denizen of education management, i can see you've not lost your touch with a power point presentation ... 'now, look here Ana, this is what we're going to do, next slide ...' bluidy cheapskate .. up comes a *picture* of an ice cream

[claymore]

kiss me

Has he started at school this September?

[ParaHandy]

He has ... school started half-day on the 5th Sept for a week and then full days. For the week before hersel' and I toured Devon with the two of them. Great fun. The parents wanted to come to ... blimey orf. We are now officially grandson minder during the school holidays.

Cost of childcare (£40/day) is ruinous ... thinking of charging the parents, certainly for the ice-cream costs ...

[Pete Cooper]

Let the wee chap have a go at things so he's part of the crew - not a passenger - steering and the like, pulling in sheets. Keep him busy and he'll be happy. We used to play a game - 10 points for spotting a porpoise, 5 for a seal and 1 for a seagull - the scoring varied.

[aquaplane]

Teach them life, we have a day or two doing what they want, and a few days doing what we want.
Life is a bitch and the sooner the little feckers learn, gently, the sooner he better.
Don't give in, or they will expect it for ever.
When it comes down to it, they have to do what you say. Wear your life jacket. Go to bed, it's grownup time. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD.
Being a grandad and being soft undermines the parents.
Being a parent is about training your kids to be a parent so you have to followup by being a parent to your grandkids.

[claymore]

Jings.......

[Arghiro]

Teach them life, we have a day or two doing what they want, and a few days doing what we want.
Life is a bitch and the sooner the little feckers learn, gently, the sooner he better.
Don't give in, or they will expect it for ever.
When it comes down to it, they have to do what you say. Wear your life jacket. Go to bed, it's grownup time. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD.
Being a grandad and being soft undermines the parents. Being a parent is about training your kids to be a parent so you have to followup by being a parent to your grandkids.

I grumbled at my Dad for spoiling the kids once & he looked me in the eye; "I didn't spoil you did I?" No, dead right he didn't! "You don't spoil 'em do you?" No, We don't.

"Well some beggar has to" he said.

I had no answer to that, and I think he was right. So go ahead, enjoy spoiling them, they won't damage if the parents don't do it too. There is no reason why you shouldn't run the trip entirely for their benefit. They learn quickly so show 'em a chart, where you are & where you are going. The Chart Plotter will be a great toy if they can spot the bouys & rocks as you pass them, my lad's eyes have always been really sharp so he was always chief bouy spotter.

Sitting on the bow (in a harness with legs either side of a stanchion) counting jelly fish was fun with 2 of them competing. Keep 'em below at times of high activity - reefing/ sail changes, picking up or casting off moorings etc. But let 'em out again as soon as you can.

[lady_stormrider]

A quick tip here - never let him down the quarter berth that has been lined - especially if he has a pencil. Also keep all felt pens & crayons off the boat.

Some books, portable DVD player in case it rains would be an idea. Perhaps you can order some appropriate material such as 'Parahandy', 'Swallows and Amazons' and 'Captain Pugwash' via a sponsored Amazon website link?

[Arghiro]

Crayons & colouring books (especially if seaside topics) were a mainstay of our anti-boredom armoury. Neither of them ever crayoned the walls or other unsuitable surfaces. Stuff lost in the bilges was only recovered when we needed to go there for other reasons so they tended not to lose stuff that often.

Card games like Snap, Top Trumps, happy families etc were useful too - board games are OK but you need to keep a careful tag on all the small bits. Kids love it when you play with them - they feel a part of the family, rather than a seperate entity that is only there on tolerance.

[ubergeekian]

Crayons & colouring books (especially if seaside topics) were a mainstay of our anti-boredom armoury. Neither of them ever crayoned the walls or other unsuitable surfaces. Stuff lost in the bilges was only recovered when we needed to go there for other reasons so they tended not to lose stuff that often.

Usborne do two sets of cards called "100 Things For Little Children To Do On A (Train) Journey" which I have found brilliant on the boat. Each set is 50 double-sided glossy cards with puzzles, games, drawing ideas and so on, plus a wipe-off OHP-type pen. They keep The Boy amused for hours.

[Nick]

kiss me

Oh do stop flashing yer Hardy . . .