The Thunderstorm

You are keeping your grandchildren or grandchild for the afternoon or maybe the weekend. Suddenly a thunderstorm comes raging through. Most children are at least a little upset by storms because of the thunder & lightning - sometimes the electricity will go off. Don’t just hold the children in your arms and tell them not to worry (there is really nothing wrong with doing this – but where is the magic?). Take action. You’ve planned ahead for this – you know where 2 old sheets or blankets are stored. You have flashlights (hopefully one for each grandchild but just one will do). You have 4 straight-backed chairs from your breakfast or dining room or the 4 chairs from your card table. You have bread & peanut butter & jelly – and you have storybooks.

Say “OK, kids. Let’s get ready for the storm. We’ll make our shelter” (right in the middle of your largest room). Place the chairs to form a square. Put one blanket on the floor – the other over the tops of the chairs. Grab a loaf of bread, peanut butter – jelly – knife – flashlights and books. You ‘re all set – crawl in with all the giggling flashlight holders by the glow of flashlight, read a story or two. Soon the storm’s over and the brave band crawls out of the shelter with only a ‘little peanut butter & jelly in their hair and you have had one magic moment’. Note: The will probably have to become a tradition on stormy days - so stay prepared.

Thunderstorm preparation:
4 straight-backed chairs
2 sheets or blankets
Bread – peanut butter – jelly – maybe a roll of paper towels
Flashlights
Storybooks

What made the magic? Little souls that were afraid of the storm had their minds taken off fear by preparing for & having an adventure. They felt cozy in the small make-believe shelter – eating the peanut butter & jelly sandwiches was like a picnic and Grandmother kept their minds off the storm by reading a favorite story by flashlight. ‘Magic’.