9 Ideas for Grandparent's Day in Kansas City

2013 Edition

September 3, 2013 11:52 a.m.

Grandparent's Day (the second Sunday of September annually) falls on Sept. 8 this year! We are excited to honor grandparents with memory-making outings, homemade gifts, and treasured time celebrating them!

1. FREE Grandparents Day Train Rides

Sept. 8, one grandparent rides free with paid child's admission on Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad 816.331.0630. Trains bring out the child in everyone and the Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad's Ice Cream Social rides are truly fun for all ages. Take an excursion south from Belton on a 5 mile, 45 minute round trip, and enjoy a dish of ice cream with your favorite topping. Visit the Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad website for more information.

2. Revisit their childhood at the Toy & Miniature Museum

The Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City is one of our favorite attractions year-round, but we especially love to visit with grandparents! There is just something special about our childhood memories playing with beloved toys, whether it’s that favorite electric train set, a special dollhouse, a keepsake tea set or the greatest pinball game ever. Toys connect generations. There is no place better to reminisce and create family connections over fond childhood memories than Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City. The museum is one of our favorite "guaranteed to make great memories" places in Kansas City. Four generations of our family recently spent an afternoon at the Toy & Miniature Museum, exploring the 38-room house with the largest collection of nostalgic toys, fine-scale miniatures and marbles in the Midwest. As we culled through room upon room, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and children shared their favorite memories playing with marbles, a favorite Barbie doll or Raggedy Ann, ride-on pedal toys, paper dolls, Teddy Bears and dollhouses. The children loved discovering surprises in every dollhouse and each room of the museum, and the adults loved watching their reactions and remembering their own childhoods. One of the favorites for the entire family was the wonderful marble exhibit with an electric marble track that fascinated the kids with its tunnels and paths. The family had so much fun that after our visit to the museum, we ended the day with an old-fashioned lunch of burgers and shakes followed play with jacks, checkers and marbles.

3. FREE Admission for Grandparents at Mahaffie

One of our favorite local attractions, the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farmstead is offering FREE Admission for Grandparents on Sept. 8. Grandparents receive FREE admission with a paid grandchild admission. Admission for children is $4 ages 5-11 (Olathe residents receive $1/off admission). Activities may include stagecoach rides, cookstove and blacksmith demonstrations. Linda Johnston author of Hope Amid Hardship: Pioneer Voices from Kansas Territory will be hosting a special book signing. She was a docent at Mahaffie and used her time at Mahaffie as inspiration for research of Kansas Territory for her book. The Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Olathe offers a wonderful living history of pioneer life. From farming, the blacksmithing, to home life, and of course... Stagecoaches... Mahaffie is a wonderful historic outing to remember life in the 1800s.

4. Paint Pottery

There is something special about the handprints of a child, and the best places to make a handprint, footprint or thumbprint keepsake are The Ceramic Cafe or Paint, Glaze and Fire. Paint-your-own pottery shops offer a wide selection of projects from plates and mugs to frames and holiday pieces. The staff will happily help with project ideas and inspiration as your children paint ceramic masterpieces. You can invite grandparents to paint with you or make gifts in advance for the holiday (make a week or more in advance for gifts). Visit the business websites for events, inspiration, and savings.

5. Enjoy Apple Picking

Picking apples is a favorite memory-making activity for families. Kansas City is home to many great apple orchards, and Grandparent's Day Weekend is the season opening for many of them! Read our guide to Apple Picking in Kansas City for a complete list of Missouri and Kansas orchards. It's apple picking season! Kids love taking a trip to local farms. Each of the u-pick Apple Farms on our list is a locally owned family operation designed to provide the best in healthy produce and a great family outing. So, grab the camera and the cooler and take the kids on a trip they won’t forget! Read our Apple Picking Tips before you go to experience the most fun-filled day... AND be sure to call the orchard ahead to verify availability! Our #1 Favorite orchard? Schweizer Orchards in St. Joseph, Missouri! Read our Tips for a St. Joseph Apple Picking Day Trip before you go!

6. Go on a Scavenger Hunt at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Is Grandma an art collector? Does Grandpa paint? Share a love of the arts with a day at the gallery! Pack a picnic and sprawl out on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the largest and most prestigious art gallery west of the Mississippi. With gigantic shuttlecocks as the centerpiece of Sculpture Park, the lawn is a beautiful and magnificent place to snap photos, play Frisbee, picnic and, of course, meander inside to enjoy a marvelous art collection at the museum where admission is always free! Tip: Bring our Nelson-Atkins Scavenger Hunt along for more fun when you visit! On Grandparent's Day, Sept 8: enjoy FREE Story Time for Preschoolers at 1:30pm in the Noguchi Court (No tickets required). And, participate in art + family = FUN from 1-4pm with FREE activities for all ages! Ask a museum guide for the “What’s On” list to discover all the ways you and your family can engage with art.

7. Head to the Kansas City Zoo

Everyone loves a beautiful day at The Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Dr., KCMO. 816.513.5800). Pack a picnic and bring it to the zoo! The Polar Bear Passage is one of our favorite places to enjoy a picnic. We love to watch Nikita and Berlin play. Then, we head over the Africa and enjoy a ride on the Sky Safari. If you want to beat the heat, head to the Tropics or the Discovery Barn and always make a point to ride the train and stop in Australia to visit the kangaroos! Don't forget a ride on the carousel, boat or tram for more fun. Upgrade your FOTZ membership to enjoy free rides!

8. Conduct an Interview

Whether grandparents live nearby or far away, you can capture and preserve the special relationship they hold in your family. Help the kids create a journal or blog and interview their grandparents, recording the answers. Make two copies—one to keep and one to share—or create a blog to share online. Add to it each year.

Interview Grandparents:

When you were my age, what did you enjoy?
Did you watch TV? Favorite shows?
What did you enjoy in school?
What did your bedroom look like?
Did you have a favorite pet?
What did you want to be when you grew up and did you do it?
Tell about the first time you met Grandma/Grandpa.
What was my parent like as a child?
What did you think when you first met me?

Interview Children:

What do you enjoy most about your grandparents?
What is your first memory of your grandparents?
What do you look forward to doing together?
What would you like to know about them?
What do you share in common?

9. Make a Gift

Our KC Parent Art Director, Lauren Goldman, blogs for us sharing many great homemade gift ideas throughout the year. Some of our faves:

Still looking for more great family fun ideas in Kansas City? Check out our Kansas City Calendar of Events and Going Places in Kansas City on KCParent.com.