Whether your grandchildren visit the Atlanta area infrequently or you’re together constantly, it’s all too easy to forget that shared entertainment can extend beyond tried-and-true video games, pizza delivery, or nearby playground visits.
If you’re eager to expand your repertoire and maybe entice tween or teen participation with fresh activities, there’s no time like the present. Here are a few offbeat, zany options that will invigorate the time you spend together:
‘Babble Lab’ Sunday show at Alliance Theater
1 or 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22. $20 adults, $10 children, all ages need tickets. Alliance Theater Hertz Stage, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.
“Babble Lab” makes a change from the videos and handheld games your young grandchildren view regularly. The world-premier live performance targets early learners in the 3-7 age bracket.
The premise is a science-lab experience that takes on a life of its own, resulting in letters bouncing about in babbling chaos. It’s fun and fast-paced and clocks in at 45 minutes, leaving plenty of time for ice cream on the way home.
The show debuted on Saturday, June 22, but reservations are more widely available for the Sunday shows this first week. If you miss it or want to catch it again, possibly with other young friends or relatives, it’s open through Sunday, July 28. Buy tickets here.
Sound Bathing at Dunwoody Nature Center
10-11 a.m. Saturday, June 22. $30 registration. Dunwoody Nature Center, 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody.
Sound Bathing could do the trick if self-care gets shoved to the side too often or you want to connect with a teen or tween in an extra-relaxing venue. The setting is the nature center’s temperature-controlled, indoor Northwoods Pavilion, which rests beneath stately trees.
Led by a certified yoga instructor and sound healer, the session employs meditation, yoga, and the dulcet tones of crystal “singing” bowls to promote stress release and calm. Oh, and it also may improve mood — is there a grandparent/grandchild duo in the world that wouldn’t appreciate that this summer? Register here.
Holey Ground: Caves and Karst of the Cumberland Plateau at Cloudland Canyon
10-11 a.m. Friday, June 21, or Sunday, June 23. $5 parking. Cloudland Canyon State Park, 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road, Rising Fawn.
Is it time for a multi-generational family day trip? Cloudland Canyons is alluring and educational, the only Georgia State Park with caves and deep, wide canyons on the property. These ranger-led presentations tell why holes have formed everywhere and introduce both the delicate cave ecosystem and a few of the critters found there.
It does take a couple of hours to reach the park by car, and even that is adventurous, with cool trees lining the byways and an impressively curving road leading up to the park. To make a day of it, plan to also take advantage of the playground swings, other trails and the view of Hemlock Falls nearby.
About the Author
