Call 1-866-SHORTERS to place an order. $6 standard shipping.

Log in / Sign in

Lost password ?

0 ($0.00) 0

No products in the cart.

Return To Shop
Shopping cart (0)
Subtotal: $0.00

Checkout

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Our History
  • Tour Our Stores
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Hiring
  • Contact
Cart ($0.00) 0
Log in / Sign in
Menu Categories
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Our History
  • Tour Our Stores
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Hiring
  • Contact
  • Easter Goodies!
  • Fun for Everyone
    • Puzzles
  • Holiday
    • Easter
  • PPE
  • Valentine's Day Boxes
  • Christmas
    • Christmas Gifts
    • Stocking Stuffers
    • Christmas Ornaments
  • Foodie Boxes
  • Gifts
    • Big Foot Themed Gifts
    • Gifts for Him
    • Graduation
    • Michigan Themed Gifts
    • Gifts for Her
    • Baby Shower
    • Easter
    • Your Vote Matters
    • Halloween
  • Petoskey Stones
    • Books
    • Cutting Boards
    • Money Clips
    • Petoskey Stone Ornaments
    • Petoskey Stone Key Chains
    • Collegiate Petoskey Stones
    • Petoskey Stone Hearts
    • Petoskey Stone Cabinet Knobs
    • Polished Petoskey Stones
    • Petoskey Stone Slabs and Chips
    • Petoskey Worry Stones
    • Petoskey Stone Souvenirs
    • Petoskey Stone Clocks & Bookends
    • Petoskey Stone Magnets
    • Petoskey Stone Favors
    • Petoskey Stone Cutlery & Wine Stoppers
  • Home
    • Candles
    • Cleaning Sprays, Wipes, and Soaps
    • Decor
      • Wooden Signs
      • Personalized Wooden Signs
        • Beach & Water Sports
        • Cabin & Lodge
        • Food & Drink
        • Hunting & Fishing
        • Sports, USA & Misc. Signs
        • Winter Sports
    • Bath and Body
    • Magnets
    • Ornaments
    • Trivets
    • Mugs
    • Michigan Car Decals
    • Coasters
  • Fashion & Style
    • Glasses
    • COVID-19 Humorous Hats
    • Socks and Hats
    • Clothing
    • Purses and Bags
      • Everyday Bags
      • Jenna Kator Collection
    • Jewelry
    • Deer Skin Gloves
  • Fabric Face Masks
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Keychains
  • Stickers
  • Puzzles
    • Puzzle Accessories
    • Circle Shaped Puzzles
    • Michigan Themed Puzzles
    • More Fun Puzzles
    • Nature & Animal Puzzles
    • Puzzles for Kids
  • Birdhouses
  • Toys and Books
    • Activities & Games
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Books & Journals
    • Educational
    • Sensory Toys
    • Stuffed Animals/Other
  • Tie Tacks
  • Pocket Knives
  • Stationary & Cards
  • Petoskey Stone Jewelry
    • Petoskey Stone Necklaces
    • Petoskey Stone Rings
    • Petoskey Stone Pendants
  • Bundled & Themed Gift Sets
  • Lake Products
    • Burt Lake
    • Lake Michigan
    • Mullett Lake
    • Pickerel Lake
    • Petoskey & Lakes Items
    • Crooked Lake
    • Douglas Lake
    • Lake Charlevoix
    • Walloon Lake
    • Great Lakes
    • Torch Lake
  • Sweet Treats
  • Mixed Stone Jewelry
    • Beach Glass
    • Gem Stone Rings
    • Leland Blue Beads
      • Larger Leland Blue Beads
      • Small Leland Blue Beads
    • Pudding Stone
    • Fordite Pendants
  • Gift Certificates
  • Sale
  • Brownwood Farms
0 ($0.00) 0
0 Shopping Cart

No products in the cart.

Return To Shop
Shopping cart (0)
Subtotal: $0.00

Checkout

9 Screen Free Activities for Families

March 18, 2020 / 0

If you’re looking to keep your family busy but want to do it tech-free, you will love our 9 screen-free activities for families.

Like the rest of us, I am sure you are probably trying to come up with activities to do with your family that don’t involve too much screen time. Our family has been taking the dogs for lots of walks, trying to get outside, and doing some fun indoor activities. Here are some additional ideas that we think you might like.

9 Screen Free Activities for Families from Grandpa Shorter's Gifts in Petoskey, MI

Sidewalk Chalk: Sidewalk chalk is so underestimated. You get to draw whatever you want, outside on a huge palette with tons of fun colors, and it all washes away with a little hose water or rain for the next day. Plus, you can write positive messages for those that walk by.

 Puzzles: Puzzles are a great option to pass the time. They are fun, good for the brain, and an activity you don’t have to finish in one sitting. You can set aside a little time each day to build a colorful jigsaw puzzle with your family or while enjoying some quiet time. GrandpaShorters.com has several to choose from, and they offer shipping if you don’t want to leave your home.

Puzzles for screen free activities from Grandpa Shorter's Gifts in Petoskey, MI

Paper Towel Roll Crafts: With all the spring cleaning everyone is doing lately, you probably have a few empty paper towel rolls. Make a craft from them: a pair of binoculars, a castle, or a rocket.

Plant Seeds: Grab a clear cup, fill it halfway with soil, and plant some beans. Water the seeds, set in a sunny window, and watch them grow. It only takes a few days for the beans to sprout. It’s fun to watch and a creative way to teach the kiddos some basic science. 

 Read a Book: Not by yourself, but as a family, you can start a family book club. You can all read the same book together or separately then chisel out time to all come together and talk about it as a family. 

Good Ol’ Fashion Coloring: Coloring is relaxing and a great way to be creative. In fact, when your coloring you can listen to music, listen to the news, tell jokes, or sing songs. We’ve even created a free set of Easter Bunny coloring sheets for the season and Downtown Petoskey Coloring sheets for you to enjoy.

Click to Download
Click to Download

Wash Toys: This actually can be more fun then it seems. Fill your tub with some soap and warm water, toss all your plastic toys in, wash with a clean sponge, and rinse clean. Kids won’t even know they’re cleaning, a tub full of bubbles is fun in itself.

Bake Together: Chocolate chip cookies are super simple to make and they taste yummy too. Your family will not be disappointed because they will get to eat them when they’re finished.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Grandpa Shorter's Gifts in Petoskey, MI

9. Go For A Walk: Go for a walk but make it a scavenger hunt. Bring a piece of paper with a checklist of things you’re searching for like a stop sign, a blue car, a dog, etc.

What favorite activities have you have been doing to keep busy? Let us know in the comment section below.

You might also enjoy these outdoor activities:

Northern Michigan Bucket List: We love Northern Michigan, the beautiful beaches, million dollar sunsets, and scenery like no other. We provided you with a few things you might want to check off your Northern Michigan bucket list while you’re enjoying the area.

When is the Best Time to Find Petoskey Stones?: If you plan on visiting Northern Michigan, you’ll want to know when is the best time to find Petoskey stones.

Snowshoeing Northern Michigan: Snowshoeing Northern Michigan is one of the best ways to experience winter.

Other blog posts you might enjoy:

Homeschooling-Through-COVID-19-2
Homeschooling-Through-COVID-19-2

Products you might enjoy:

Mommy Loves You book from Grandpa Shorter's Gifts in Petoskey, MI
Grandma Loves You book from Grandpa Shorter's Gifts in Petoskey, MI
Tags: activities, puzzles, screen free
Share Post

About author

Erica

About Author

Erica

Other posts by Erica

Related posts

Now that winter finally showed up, children have a renewed hope of getting a snow day or two off from school. There are a lot of legends and superstitions about “rituals” that will make it snow and keep the big yellow buses off the roads. We can’t guarantee any of these methods work, but if you want to skip class, building a snowman, or enjoy some extra R&R, you can give one of these a try.
General
Read more

Seven Rituals to Try When You Want a Snow Day

The snow finally came to Michigan! Now that we have some white stuff covering the ground the Ski resorts are open and buzzing with activity,... Continue reading
Boyne City in the Fall from Grandpa Shorter's in Petoskey
General
Read more

Boyne City in the Fall

Boyne City, in the fall or summer, is one of our favorite local cities to visit. It’s a great place to visit for some great... Continue reading
There's no question that Petoskey is a special place. Northern Michigan is a place most of us choose to live year round, a place to enjoy all 4 seasons to their fullest. Here's our Petoskey Word Search with words of a few places and things we love about where we live.
General
Read more

Petoskey Word Search – A Fun Local Activity

There’s no question that Petoskey is a special place. Northern Michigan is a place most of us choose to live year-round, and a place to... Continue reading
Bike rentals in Petoskey are plenty and there's a great reason why! Petoskey has many paved bike paths with great views, it's a must when visiting the area.
General
Read more

Bike Rentals in Petoskey

There are plenty of bike rentals in Petoskey and there’s a great reason why! Petoskey has miles of paved bike paths with great views, it’s... Continue reading
Still want to have a few friends and family over this summer? Here's how you can host a socially distant BBQ.
General
Read more

How to Host a Socially Distant BBQ

Still want to have a few friends and family over this summer? Here’s how you can host a socially distant BBQ. Do you have a... Continue reading

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

Categories

Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts is Petoskey’s original souvenir store, since 1946. Family owned and operated in the heart of downtown Petoskey, Michigan, specializing in Petoskey Stones, mixed stone jewelry, Minnetonka Moccasins, Michigan merchandise, Pendleton, and much more.

Call us to order: 1-866-SHORTER

Store hours may vary and change, please call ahead

Grandpa Shorter's Gifts

Monday-Saturday 9 am-6 pm | Sunday 11 am-5 pm

J.W. Shorter & Son Mercantile

Monday-Saturday 10 am-6 pm | Sunday 11 am-5 pm

The Katydid

Saturday 10 am-6 pm or by appointment

Our Stores

  • Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts
  • J.W. Shorter & Son Mercantile
  • Trapper’s Cabin
  • The Katydid
  • Hiring
  • Virtual Tours

Helpful Links

  • Customer Registration
  • GS Gift Certificates
  • Gift Certificate FAQ
  • Privacy Notice
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Terms of Service
  • Product Categories and Brands
  • Account Login

Category Favorites

  • Petoskey Stones
  • Leland Blue
  • Lake Products

© All Rights Reserved. Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts | Web Design by Eco-Office Gals • Social Media Consultant Sommer Poquette | Keep it Real Social LLC