"Snowmen" reminiscing and discussion, trivia, singing, and craft project

Planning a Snowmen fun reminiscing day with resident and you are absolutely clueless on what to do?
Follow this simple steps and approach outline for by Jo Anne Harrison Becker. This article contains discussion and reminiscing, A Frosty the Snowman Facts, Trivia, Word Game and Sing the Song

Here just how you should starts with snowmen 

• Make a snowman collage for display; include snowman collectibles, stuffed snowman, snowman globe, etc.

• If possible, have a real snowman outside the window of the activity room

• Have door prizes – snowman pin, snowman tie, snowman note cards, snowman globe, stuffed snowman, etc.

• For refreshments serve Snowman cookies baked at a previous cooking/baking class

Discussion and reminiscing

What are your memories of building a snowman? Describe the experience (including where you lived)
Who did you build it with?
What did you use for the eyes? Nose? Mouth?
Did your snowman have a pipe? Where did you get the pipe?
What attire did you use for your snowman?
Did you children enjoy building snowmen? Explain.
What is the best kind of snow for building a snowman? Sticky snow; fresh snow; slightly heavy; not dry and powdery snow
How much snow do you think should be on the ground in order to build a snowman? At least 4 inches in order to effectively roll the snowballs into bigger ones
What are some tips to share in creating the perfect snowman? Rolling the snowball (parts of the snowman in different directions; patting the “growing” snowball to make sure it is tightly packed; don’t roll the ball too far away, because it gets heavy; make a small dent on the bottom snowball to prevent the second (body) from falling.
What do you think is the average weight for a snowman? Approximately 112 pounds for a typical snowman.
How tall do you think a typical snowman is? About 4 feet tall
When do you think is the "best time" to build a snowman? The next warmest afternoon directly following a snowfall with a sufficient amount of snow
Nowadays, they have snowmen kits, which include a hat, eyes, nose, and scarf. Would you prefer the kit or to find your own accessories? Explain.

Create some snowmen sayings. (Examples: Snowmen melt my heart; Snowmen are cool; Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow: My heart belongs to Frosty; Snowmen are a little flaky)

And, of course, sing “Frosty the Snowman”

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

A Frosty the Snowman Facts, Trivia, Word Game and Sing the Song

FACTS

“Frosty the Snowman” was written by Steve "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson and recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. The song was a response to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. When song writers Jack Nelson and Steve Rollins saw what success Gene Autry was having in 1949, singing Rudolph's song, they decided to write their own silly but catchy song doing variations on an icon of Christmas. It took them months to decide on a living snowman as their subject, but they still had it ready in time for a 1950 release. Autry, delighted with the opportunity to ride his own recording's coat-tails back to the top of the charts, recorded it.

“Frosty the Snowman” has been covered by many artists over the years, including The Jackson 5, The Ronettes, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Conniff, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Beach Boys, Red Foley (and his daughters), The Partridge Family and Michael Bublé.

"Frosty" was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special

TRIVIA

1. What was Frosty’s pipe made of? Corncob
2. What were Frosty’s eyes made of? Coal
3. What was Frosty’s nose made of? Button
4. Did Frosty ever “come to life”? Yes, he did one day
5. What material was his hat made from? Silk
6. Where did the children get the hat? They found it
7. What happened when the children put the hat on Frosty’s head? He began to dance around
8. Who said that Frosty could laugh and play? The children
9. Why did Frosty say, "Let's run and we'll have some fun now before I melt away"?
10. Because the sun was hot that day
11. What did Frosty have in his hand when he went down to the village? A broomstick
12. What did Frosty say when he was running around the village square? “Catch me if you can”
13. When Frosty led the children down the streets of town, who did he bring them to? The traffic cop
14. What did the traffic cop holler? “Stop!”
15. As Frosty was leaving and saying good-bye, what words did he say? "Don't you cry, I'll be back again some day."

WORD GAME

How many words can you make from the letters in FROSTY?

For, fort, forty, forty, fro, frost, fry, of oft, or, ort, orts, rosy, rot, rots so, soft, sort, sot, soy, story, sty, to toy toys, try

How many words can you make from the letters in SNOWMAN?
Am, an, anon, as, awn, ma, man, mason, maw, maws, moan, moans, mow, mown, mows, no, non, now, on, own, owns, saw, snow, so soma, son, sow, sown, swam, swan, wan, was, woman

SING “FROSTY THE SNOWMAN”

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.

Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around.

O, Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me.

Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.

Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day,
So he said, "Let's run and
We'll have some fun
Now before I melt away."

Down to the village,
With a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all
Around the square saying,
Catch me if you can.

He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "Stop!"

For Frosty the snow man
Had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye saying,
"Don't you cry,
I'll be back again some day."

Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.

INDOOR SNOWMAN CRAFT PROJECT

Materials

• 3 plain round boxes in successive sizes (papíer-mâché are the best). Good sizes 5, 7, and 9 inches in diameter
• White acrylic paint
• Hot glue or tacky glue
• Buttons
• Orange bumpy pipe cleaner
• Infant’s mittens
• 2-1/2-foot string
• Infant-size hat
• Cloth scrap

**Invite residents who are able to make the mittens and hat.

Instructions

• Paint each of the 3 boxes with white acrylic
• Let the paint dry.
• Use hot glue or tacky glue to attach eyes and a button mouth to the smallest box.
• Add a row of large buttons to each of the 2 larger boxes, leaving room for the box tops. If your boxes are the sizes suggested, add 2 buttons to the medium size box and 3 buttons to the largest box.
• Cut a tapered section from an orange bumpy pipe cleaner and glue it in place for the nose.
• For the hands, tape the mittens to the ends of a 21⁄2-foot string. Tuck the center portion of the string inside the medium-size box before putting on the lid.
• Stack the boxes.
• Dress your snowman with the hat and a scarf made from a scrap of cloth.

At the end of the winter season, store the snowman parts inside the largest box for next winter.

For more activities head over to
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Theme activities for the spring “daffodil days” - activities for seniors

This post contains the following:  Daffodil Facts; Folklore of the Daffodil; reminiscing/discussion; info on the The American Cancer Society and “Daffodil Days”; Word Game; Make a Daffodil Collage; Sensory Activity; Daffodil Display

The Daffodil is the official birthday flower of March, the same month as the vernal equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere), which brings great celebration to the return of springtime.

Though their botanic name is narcissus, daffodils are sometimes called jonquils. There are over 25,000 varieties of daffodils and they come in yellow, white, orange and even a peach/pink shade.

The daffodil is also the 10th wedding anniversary flower.

The old name for daffodil was Affodyle, Affodyle means that which cometh early. The name Daffodil was first used in the English language around the 1500's.

Daffodils, the flowers symbolizing friendship, are some of the most popular flowers exclusively due to their unmatched beauty. Daffodils are the floral symbol from the Cancer Society, standing for love, hope through the joy of sunshine.

DID YOU KNOW?

The earliest known reference to Daffodils can be found in the 6th century A.D. writings of the prophet Mohammed.

Grown extensively by the ancient Greeks and the Romans, Daffodils nevertheless became a forgotten flower until about 1600 and even in 1860, there were fewer than 350 cultivated hybrids.

Around 1629, a group of Englishmen took the Daffodil out of the weeds and put it into the garden. Daffodils were in favor again.

During the days of the American experience and the expansion west, daffodils were well established as a "must have" in the garden.

Today, the majority of daffodils are grown in the Channel Islands, Great Britain, Holland and the Isles of Scilly.

All parts of the daffodil are poisonous.

The sap of daffodils can be damaging to other flowers. If you’ve picked them to display in a vase with other flowers, then it’s best to leave them in water on their own for at least 12 hours, before mixing them together.
The emblem of Wales is the daffodil. People often wear daffodils on St. David’s Day.

In New York, nearly 2,500,000 daffodils are grown each year.

The Victorians thought daffodils acted as a symbol of regard.

Australia holds an annual Daffodil Day in August to help raise awareness about cancer. The daffodil is also used as a symbol by Marie Curie Cancer Care in the United Kingdom.

Folklore of the daffodil

Medieval Arabs used the juice of the daffodil as a cure for baldness.
Tread with caution when walking around a bed of daffodils. If you step, stomp, or trample on a bed of Daffodils, bad luck will find you.

If you make a great effort to avoid stepping on a daffodil, you will be rewarded good fortune.

It is bad luck to bring in a single daffodil -- misfortune will fall upon the house. Always bring a bouquet filled,
if you intend to give daffodils as a present, this will bring good fortune to the house.

It is bad luck to be confined with a bloomed daffodil; the scent will bring on a migraine.

The State of Maine, USA has a superstition about the daffodil. The daffodil when pointed at with the index finger will not bloom.

According to Welch tradition, the first daffodil of Spring brings good fortune. Due to the bright yellow color, the first one who sees a daffodil can expect good fortune, bringing in more gold then silver for the following 12 months.

During Medieval times, it was believed that if a daffodil drooped or wilted while you were watching, it was an omen of death.

Another Old English folklore says, when you have poultry nesting on eggs, don't bring daffodils over the threshold. It was believed that the daffodils would bring bad luck to the chickens who laid eggs, and the eggs would not hatch.

As a Chinese lore, the daffodil which is groomed to bloom on the Chinese New Year will bring good fortune for the next twelve months.

In Wales, it’s said if you spot the first daffodil of the season, your next 12 months will be filled with wealth.
For a lady to give a man a daffodil, it denotes her insight to his chivalrous manner.

The sunny yellow glow of a daffodil tells the one you love that their sunny smile brightens your day.
To give a daffodil to your sweetheart it is a sign of love, hope, joy, through respect.

The American cancer society and “daffodil days”

You can give hope to people facing cancer and save lives by supporting the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days program. (Check in your area for dates as they vary).

The Daffodil Days program is an opportunity to fight back against cancer by raising funds and awareness to help beat the disease.

While the Daffodil Days program involves offering daffodils every spring to donors in appreciation for their contributions, it is about more than just giving beautiful flowers - it is everyone's opportunity to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays, where cancer never steals another year from anyone's life.

Money raised through the Daffodil Days program makes a difference. Everyone’s support allows the American Cancer Society to save lives and create a world with more birthdays by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer.

Reminiscing and discussion

Ask everyone in the group, “For how many in the group, is the daffodil your favorite flower”?  If so, why is it your favorite flower?

When you think of daffodils, what thoughts come to mind?

Did you grow daffodils in your garden?  If so, did you have more than one variety?  Did you pick them or leave them blooming in your garden?

Did anyone ever give you a bouquet of daffodils?  Who?  How did it make you feel?

Did you ever give anyone a bouquet of daffodils?  Who?  How did it make you feel? How did it make the recipient of the bouquet feel?

How many words can you think of that you associate with daffodils? (Go around the room and have each person give a word.  Write the words on a white board or flip chart.  See how many you can think of.”

The poetry corner

A poetry writing activity is a wonderful way to express one’s thoughts.  All the rules that apply in waking life are thrown out the window.

Poetry can envelop emotion, history, relationships, logic, learning, and a myriad other things. Poetry can help one to escape. Poetry has no bounds, like the universe or love. It is a universal form of connection with other minds.

Some benefits of poetry are communication, creativity and self expression.  Poetry is therapeutic in nature. It builds self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.

Poetry is designed to stretch the mind’s eye, touch the heart and entrench the senses.

Plan your Poetry Time Activity using both the theme and title (of the poem) “Daffodils.” This activity can be done in two ways.

If your residents are writing a collaborative poem, use a white board/flip chart and create the poem as a group. Remind residents that it doesn’t have to be a rhyming poem.

If residents are creating individual original poems, provide each participant with a pencil and paper.  Softly play relaxing background music and enjoy a cup of herbal tea.

Before you begin creating/writing, read two poems (with the title) “Daffodils.”

“Daffodils”     

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

“DAFFODILS”

By Jo Anne Harrison-Becker

I searched for flowers on the hill
One bright and sunny day,
And saw a single daffodil
Standing proud and gay.

No flowers standing by its side
In a field of shimmering grass,
It stood there bold -- not trying to hide
I paused before I passed.

I continued to search as I climbed the hill
The sun was gold and mellow,
I reached the top and stood so still
To gaze in a field of yellow.

There were thousands of daffodils all around
In truth, such a glorious sight,
Shades of lemon and apricot covered the ground
Meadow shining like sparkling light.

As I sauntered down the winding hill
Before heading back to home,
I spied my single daffodil
Standing gallantly alone.

WORDS IN A WORD

How many words can you make from the letters in DAFFODILS?

ad
add
adds
adios
ado
ads
aid
aids
ail
ails
also
as
dad
dads
dial
dials
did
do
fa
fad
fads
fail
fails
foal
foil
foils
fold
folds
id
idol
idols
if
is
la
lad
lads
laid
lid
lids
load
loads
loaf
oaf
oafs
od
odd
odds
of
off
oil
oils
old
os
sad
said
sail
silo
slid
so
sod
soda
sofa
soil
sold
solid

Making a daffodil collage

Request gardening catalogues from catalogue companies, staff and your friends or print off color pictures of the different varieties of daffodils to make daffodil collages.

Sensory – assess your resident

Use a bouquet of fragrant daffodils in a vase or one single daffodil.

Does the resident respond to the sight of the daffodils?

 If so, how?

A smile?

Verbalization?

Is the resident able to hold the daffodil(s)?

Is the resident able to smell the daffodil(s)?

Any reactions to the smell?  Is resident able to communicate?

You can also show daffodil collages to the resident.  What responses do you get?

If resident is able to communicate/verbalize, use some or all of the questions in the Reminiscing/Discussion included in this activity.

Flower display

Ask staff, volunteers, family members or local establishments to donate daffodils.  Have residents place in vases.  Display in rooms or throughout your facility.

Written by JoAnne Harrison Becker
Find more activities at https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoAnneHarrisonBecker

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

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17 Easy Steps to Implement a Successful Reminiscing Activity for Seniors

To recollect and tell of past experiences and events is to reminisce.  Reminiscing has a profound value especially in the mid stages of Alzheimer’s disease because long term memory is relatively intact. Reminiscing is valuable because it becomes a mechanism for change.  It helps an individual sum up his or her life and put the various pieces in order. Through this process, one can achieve peace and harmony.

Having a hard time thinking of how to implement a successful reminiscing activity? Here are useful steps to guide you.

1. Complete a personal profile on every resident who participates in a reminiscing activity. This will help to identify key areas relating to the past.
2. Plan each activity carefully. Determine group size based on stages, behaviors, staffing, activity room, etc. Four to seven participants is considered the ideal size for a reminiscing group.
3. Choose a comfortable, quiet, well-lit room for group reminiscing.
4. Have one focus or theme for each reminiscing session.
5. Use multi-sensory materials and props to stimulate memory.
6. Incorporate music related to the reminiscing theme. Use music for listening as well as for singing.
7. Ask open-ended questions. These questions cannot be answered with a mere ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ (Example -- Tell me about the first car you owned).
8. Phrase each question carefully so the resident does not feel uncomfortable when not able to answer.
9. Focus on the resident who is reminiscing. Use prompting only when needed.
10. Never interrupt -- wait for a natural pause in the conversation.
11. Go slowly -- allow enough time for the resident to absorb what is being said and enough time to respond.
12. Be sensitive to topics that may be uncomfortable, unpleasant or stressful. If a topic appears to make the resident uneasy, ask if he or she wishes to discontinue the conversation or talk at another time. Never urge a resident to “reveal” something that he or she does not wish to discuss.
13. Include “paired reminiscing” (sharing your memories and experiences related to the topic).
14. Be observant to any changes in a resident’s condition. You may have to adapt questions, group size, length of activity, etc.
15. At the end of each reminiscing session emphasize that you will cherish the memories that everyone has shared.
16. Provide stimuli for one-to-one reminiscing. (Memory boxes, scrap books, photographs, posters, props, personal mementos, etc.)
17. And always -- gain trust and respect residents’ right to privacy.

Functions and benefits of reminiscing

• Through reminiscing, a person can be put in touch with a more integrated self.
• Reminiscing helps preserve both a personal and collective history.
• Reminiscing can promote self-understanding.
• Reminiscing has a calming effect by speaking about pleasant experiences from the past.
• Reminiscing can increase a person’s feelings of integrity and self-worth.
• Reminiscing can validate a person’s contributions, interests and feelings.
• Reminiscing stimulates the senses.
• Reminiscing can help maintain or increase concentration and attention span.
• Reminiscing can provide a person with a sense of pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, enjoyment, and enthusiasm.
• Reminiscing in a group presents opportunities for socialization.

Reminiscing and discussion "Childhood Memories"

Childhood is the most precious time of our lives, when we have everything to hope for and find constant wonder in the world around us. It is a time of excitement, happiness, sadness and tears, mischief-making, innocence and anxieties, but above all it is a time to love, to learn and to grow.

Plan a reminiscing/discussion on childhood. Ask residents prior to the activity to bring a special childhood photo if they have one.

“Know what it is to be a child... It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its soul.” Francis
Thompson (1859 - 1907)

Read the following. Ask residents to comment on what comes to mind.

1. Monday’s child is fair of face,
2. Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
3. Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
4. Thursday’s child has far to go,
5. Friday’s child is loving and giving,
6. Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
7. But a child that is born on the Sabbath day
8. Is fair and wise and good and gay.  (Anonymous)

Questions for reminiscing and discussion

Recall a moment of meaning from your early family life and share it with others in the group.

• What is your earliest childhood memory?
• Was childhood a happy time for you? Why? Why not?
• How many brothers and sisters? Were you the youngest? oldest? middle child?
• Where did you live? Describe the house.
• Describe the yard. What games and activities did you play in your yard?
• Did you have an attic in your house? Did you play in the attic? Describe your adventures.
• What chores were you responsible for?
• What was your favorite nursery rhyme? Let’s recite it. 
• Who was your best friend? What was so special about this friend?
• What do you remember about early school days?
• How far away was the school?
• What was your favorite subject?
• Who was your favorite teacher? Why was she so special?
• How did you do on your report card?
• Describe your favorite toys as a child.
• What was your favorite hobby?
• What was your favorite game?
• Describe your favorite place to play.
• Did you play any sports? Which ones?
• Did you have a pet? What kind? What was its name?
• What was your favorite childhood song? Let’s sing it.
• What was your favorite fairy tale? What was special about it? Who read it to you before you could read?
• What were your favorite candies?  What do you remember about the following: Hershey's Kisses; Baby Ruth; Sky Bar; Tootsie Roll; M&Ms
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

REMINISCING: 10 Most Popular Foods From the 50’s

What are your memories of preparation and or being served?

On a white board write the names of the most popular foods of the 1950’s.

1. Baked Alaska
2. Chicken pot pie
3. Deviled eggs
4. Gelatin & fruit salad molds 
5. Meatloaf
6. Melon boat salad
7. Shrimp puffs
8. Spaghetti with meat sauce
9. Swanson Frozen Dinners
10. Tuna Noodle Casserole

Going around the room, ask each person to choose their favorite from the list. Have each person tell why the one they chose was their favorite.

If they get off topic and talk about another food, that is okay, because the discussion is still inspiring/encouraging reminiscence.

Examples: Questions you might ask:

How old were you in the 1950’s?
Who did the cooking?
Do you still enjoy this food as an adult?

Baked Alaska

Why is baked Alaska referred to as a housewife’s favorite?

Baked Alaska (ice cream and sponge cake encased in toasted meringue) ovens in the 1950s made this dessert a housewife favorite.

Considered easy but elegant, Baked Alaska (supposedly) impressed guests with its colorful Neapolitan interior and its melding of hot and cold components.

The especially daring host might skip the oven entirely and set the whole thing aflame with a kitchen torch.

Chicken pot pie

Why is chicken pot pie called “the old American standby?” How would you describe the flavor? Did your crust come out flaky? If so, what was your secret?

Deviled Eggs

What is your recipe for deviled eggs?

During what seasons were deviled eggs most popular?

For what occasions did you have deviled eggs? (e.g. staple hors d'oeuvre at backyard barbecues and cocktail parties.

Most recipes call for a spring of paprika. What did this add to the recipe? A sprinkle of paprika added just enough zest to prevent them from tasting bland.

Meatloaf

What ingredients did you add to a meatloaf? (Add a side of buttery mashed potatoes and a tall glass of whole milk and you've got the quintessential '50s feast.)

Swanson Frozen Dinners (first introduced in 1954) 

The first Swanson-brand TV Dinner consisted of a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, frozen peas and sweet potatoes packaged in a tray like those used at the time for airline food service. The cost was 98 cents.

Why were they called TV dinners? Which one was your favorite? How often did you serve them? Why were TV dinners called America’s favorite fake home-cooked meal?

Which TV dinner was and is the most popular? roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes and corn)

Spaghetti with meat sauce

Did you use the thicker or the thinner spaghetti? Which was the most popular in your family? How did you make your spaghetti sauce? Did you ever use sauce from the jar and tell everyone you made it from scratch? If so, were you believed or did you “get caught?”

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Although there are numerous variations on tuna casserole, historically it is made with egg noodles, chopped onion, shredded cheddar cheese, frozen green peas, canned and drained tuna, condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup, sliced mushrooms and crushed potato chips.

The original Betty Crocker recipe called specifically for Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and B&B Mushrooms. Sometimes this dish is topped with potato chips, corn flakes, bread crumbs or canned fried onions.

What topping, if any, did you have on tuna noodle casserole? Why do you think this casserole was so popular in the 1950’s? (Mainly because the ingredients were inexpensive and easy to find at the supermarket.)

REMEMBERING TV SHOWS DEBUTS - 1951

Reminisce about the following shows.

The first long-running soap opera, “Search for Tomorrow,” was broadcast on CBS in 1951. It first aired as a 15-minute serial. Procter & Gamble used the show to advertise “Joy” dish-washing liquid and “Spic and Span” household cleaner.

As the show's ratings boosted, additional sponsors started purchasing commercial time. Both "Joy" and "Spic and Span" continued to be the primary products and Procter & Gamble advertised on the show well into the 1960s. The final episode aired on NBC after 35 years in 1986.

"I Love Lucy," starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley, originally ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957. The show almost never made it to the air because CBS had difficulty securing a sponsor.

Finally tobacco giant Philip Morris signed on. As a result, lots of smoking was featured in each episode, and the name “Philip Morris” was worked into the dialogue whenever plausible.

The show topped the Nielsen ratings for four out of its six seasons and won several Emmys. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version continued for three more seasons with 13 one-hour specials; it ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first called “The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show” and later in reruns as “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.”

“Dragnet” aired in black-and-white from 1951–1959; and then Series Two aired from 1967 to 1970. The show portrayed the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners.

The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet" meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. “Dragnet” is regarded as the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history.

The series gave audience members a feel for the danger and heroism of police work and it earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. The show’s opening narration was: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

The Roy Rogers Show aired 100 episodes from 1951 to 1957 on NBC. Roy Rogers, “King of the Cowboys.” starred as a ranch owner and Dale Evans as the proprietress of the Eureka Hotel and Cafe in fictional Mineral City.

Pat Brady starred as Roy’s sidekick and Dale's cook. Animal stars were Roy's Palomino horse Trigger, who was featured in all 100 episodes and his German Shepherd Bullet, the "Wonder Dog". Dale Evans wrote the theme song, “Happy Trails to You.”

References
https://www.facebook.com/groups/933573683390948/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/933573683390948/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1348026331977652/

Image by Aline Dassel from Pixabay

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Creating Theme Collages: 23 Examples of Collages for Elderly Residents

Collage is an artistic form known for its unique visual expressions. Creating a “theme” collage involves gathering magazines, photos and postcards; selecting appropriate pictures; cutting them out; creating a design and pasting them on poster board. Because collage-making can be broken down into several tasks, it is a suitable activity for alert to moderately confused residents.

Creating a collage is a means of personal expression. It is used to explore ideas, offer opportunities for creativity and self-expression; enhances concentration; may help improve fine motor skills; making choices (where to place the items); it's an opportunity to be with friends.

Collages are easy and affordable to make. All you need is construction paper or poster board; glue stick; scissors; and pictures/cards/photographs/magazines/store flyers/catalogues. Fabrics, plastics, and metals are also common materials in modern collage art. Staff could collect leaves, twigs, flowers and herbs (dry them first), buttons, etc. for residents to create their collage.

23 examples of collages for elderly residents

1. Create a “Family and Friends” collage. Cut poster board into a large heart shape. Paste family and friends photos on the board.
2. Create a "Coloring Book collage."  Recycling coloring book pictures (already colored) into art unleashes creativity while being kind to mother earth as well. 
3. Make collages with pictures of foods you might order in a restaurant. Include beverages, appetizers, soups, desserts, ethnic foods, etc.
4. Use state vacation guides to make collages. Have each resident choose a favorite state for an individual collage.
5. Make a collage of animals. Use National Geographic magazine or magazines about dogs, cats, birds, etc.
6. Looking through magazines, instruct residents to find as many pictures as they can of things that begin with an ‘A’. Create an ‘A’ collage. (Use any letter of the alphabet.) This activity focuses on concentration.
7. Create a Modern Art collage. Colored vellum cut into shapes is layered onto a surface to produce a sophisticated piece of modern art. 
8. Create an alphabet collage. On a white poster board, place cut-outs of letters of the alphabet. Use letters of various sizes and shapes in both capital and small letters. Create your own original design.
9. Have residents create a collage using pictures of items found in a house. You can also make several collages, each one depicting a specific room.
10. Create an autumn collage using pictures of pumpkins, fall flowers, apples, gourds, children in fall fashions, trees in their autumn splendor, etc.
11. Create a summer collage. Use pictures of summer scenery, people dressed in summer fashions, picnic foods, parades, seashells, boats, etc.
12. Have residents create a “Personal Dream” collage. After the collage is completed, invite them to share their personal dream to the group.
13. Create collages with pictures from the various food groups, or use themes such as desserts, international foods, vegetables, etc.
14. Use song titles or quotations for themes. Then add pictures related to the song title or quotation.
15. Have residents find appropriate pictures to create a religious/spiritual collage.
16. Write each of the following themes on separate poster boards: “Kindness”, “Love”, “Friendship” and “Trust”. Assign residents to find pictures associated with each theme.
17. Create a patriotic collage in red, white and blue, using pictures and symbols that represent our country (flags, American eagle, president’s pictures, pictures of prominent patriots and other figures).
18. Make a “Home Sweet Home” collage. Look for pictures of wicker furniture, an old piano, an outdated telephone, Norman Rockwell prints, any nostalgic picture (or photograph), older magazine covers or advertisements that will stimulate a pleasant memory.
19. Create a “Back to School” collage. Include pictures of fall fashions, apples, books, pens, and pencils, etc.
20. Create a sports and recreation collage, using pictures associated with various sports, leisure activities, and sports heroes.
21. Create collages depicting the following themes: a. “In the spring a young man’s fancy...” b. “Spring Cleaning” c. “Spring Fever” d. “Planting a Garden” e. “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” f. robin redbreast
22. Create a Christmas collage using newspaper and magazine photographs, old greeting cards, calendars, postcards, gift wrap, colored construction paper, and other materials. Encourage residents to choose individual themes or use such themes as “Let It Snow,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Twas the Night Before Christmas”; or use titles of favorite Christmas carols. Write both theme and residents’ names on each finished product.
23. Create Letter Collage. Have residents cut out the first letter of their name from magazines and make a collage!

Creating a religious collage "MOMENTS FROM THE BIBLE" activity

DECORATIONS

Use the song titles or quotations (listed in this activity) for themes. Have residents find appropriate pictures to create a religious collage.

Write each of the following themes on separate poster boards: “Kindness,” “Love,” “Friendship,”  "Compassion," "Faith" and “Trust”. Assign residents to find pictures associated with each theme. Create collages to display at the activity.

RECIPE FOR REFRESHMENTS TO SERVE

• Noah’s Ark Cookies
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and blend well. Roll on a floured cloth covered board 1/8-inch thick. Cut with animal shaped cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool, and then top with sprinkles or other decorations. Make 4 dozen cookies.

How many song titles can you think of that remind you of the Bible?

• Amazing Grace
• The Church in the Wildwood
• He’s got the Whole World in His Hands
• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
• Rock of Ages
• Bringing in the Sheaves
• Onward Christian Soldiers
• When the Saints Go Marching In
• What a Friend We Have in Jesus
• Blessed Assurance
• In the Garden
• How Great Thou Art
• Tell It to Jesus
• The Old Rugged Cross
• Sing a few of these songs during the activity.

WORD GAMES

1. On a whiteboard or poster board, write (in column form) the letters of the alphabet. Have residents list as many Biblical words or names for each letter of the alphabet. 
2. Write the following Books of the Bible on a whiteboard

• Genesis
• Proverbs
• Zechariah
• Revelation
• Judges
• Exodus
• Song of Solomon
• Daniel
• Acts
• Corinthians
• Read the following clues. Have residents match the clue to the book.
• The value of wisdom   Proverbs
• The betrayal of Samson   Judges
• Locusts and darkness   Exodus
• The birth of Seth   Genesis
• The seven last plagues   Revelation
• A good name better than riches   Proverbs
• The descent of the Holy Ghost   Acts
• The Rose of Sharon   Song of Solomon
• The Den of Lions   Daniel
• The vision of the four chariots   Zechariah

Did you know? The English word Genesis is derived from the words Genesis kosmou, which is Greek for “origin of the cosmos.”

QUESTIONS for residents

Why is the Bible important to you?
What is your favorite Bible passage?
What can you relate about each of these Old Testament Bible stories? The expulsion from Eden; The Covenant of the Rainbow; Lot’s Wife is a Pillar of Salt; Moses Speaks to the Children of Israel; The Walls of Jericho Fall; The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon.

TRIVIA For residents

How many books are included in the Old Testament?   39
Name the first five books of the Old Testament.   Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Name the first five books of the New Testament.   Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts

Are the following books from the Old or New Testament?

• Song of Solomon  OT
• Revelation  NT
• Daniel  OT
• Psalms  OT
• Titus  NT
• Esther  OT 
• Jude  NT
• Proverbs  OT
• Hosea  OT
• Galatians  NT

Name the Books of the Bible that begin with the letter J?

James, Jeremiah, Job, Joel, John I, John II, John II, Jonah, Joshua and Jude.

Where was Moses born?

Goshen, a part of ancient Egypt

Which Book in the Old Testament immediately follows the two books of Samuel?

Kings

Who had an encounter with the Philistine Giant Goliath?

David

How many movies can you think of that relate to the Bible?

The Ten Commandments, Exodus, Samson and Delilah, David and Bathsheba

QUOTATIONS

• “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 
• “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Ecclesiastes 1
• “Love is patient, love is kind.” 1 Corinthians 13:4
• “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” Philippians 4:13
• “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waves.” Psalm 107:23
• “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians. 6:7
• “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7 
• “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
• “I will not leave you comfortless.” John 14:18
• “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come to him.” Revelation 3:20

FASCINATING FACT

The largest number specifically named in the Bible is a thousand thousands (i.e., one million). It is found in 2 Chronicles 14:9.

Written by Jo Anne Harrison-Becker  An activity director and an therapeutic activity specialist. Join her Facebook groups using the following lings below.

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/933573683390948/ 
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/368311466711327/

Image by Simon Steinberger from Pixabay

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One-on-One activity for the elderly – What You Can Teach Staff

It is the responsibility for the entire facility, including staff and volunteers, to participate in delivering individualized activities – including one-on-one activities.

Who needs one-on-one activities?

Residents who are room-bound or bed-bound and cannot physically get out to regularly scheduled activities.

Residents who are totally dependent or unresponsive (i.e., comatose or semi-comatose residents, residents on ventilators, stroke victims).

Residents who do not benefit from traditional group activities (i.e., late-stage Alzheimer's residents).

Residents who choose not to participate in scheduled group activities and Residents who want one-to-one attention.

If one-on-one activity is to be meaningful, it must have purpose, be voluntary, and feel good to the participant and offer the person a reasonable chance of success.

A one-on-one activity must be relevant to each person’s individual interests designed to reduce isolation, passivity, agitation, bring the person pleasure/enjoyment, etc.

It is important to identify activities with personal significance to the person before and after residing in the facility.

Ask each person about activities they “enjoyed the most” in recent weeks, those they enjoyed the most shortly before becoming an LTC resident, and those they enjoyed the most five to ten years before entering the nursing home

A one-on-one activity can provide intimate, private time to build relationships.
.
The Director of Recreation/Activity Director is responsible for organizing and training staff and volunteers to provide room visits/activities.

A one-on-one activity can take place in the person’s room, another room in the facility, outside the facility or in the community.

Activities should be planned to address the needs, history, strengths and challenges of each individual.

Avoid focusing activities that serve the interest of the facility and lose sight of the participant’s individual needs.

Keep expectations realistic—consider the person’s current capabilities, rather than what they used to do.

All activities and items used during the activity must be age-appropriate and if the person is diagnosed with A.D./dementia, stage appropriate.

How to carry out a one–on–one activity: 7 Useful Tips

During one-on-one visits: minimize background noise and distractions, such as turning off the TV or radio; be sure to have proper lighting; maintain good eye contact; give your full attention; be patient; monitor temperature if outdoors.

1. Document the resident’s response (or lack of it) to activity; how many visits per week; time spent during each visit and the time of day.
2. Stick to short, simple plans—avoid elaborate, multi-step activities.
3. Keep your comments positive and encouraging.
4. Avoid treating the person like a child.
5. Watch for signals, such as increased distraction, restlessness or agitation.
6. Make the most of the skills and interests the person retains.
7. Take your time and be patient. Be in the moment!

How do you justify if a resident needs a one-on-one activity and the number of times per week?

Residents who are bed bound or who are unable to benefit from group activities, should receive 2-3 per week. Those who are able to voice that they prefer independent activities and those who are in therapy only need to have 1-2 per week.

One on one engagement art by the bedside for residents with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia: Useful Tip: 

Have on display, a variety of completed art projects by residents.

At times, a person may choose not to participate in a special group project/activity in your activity room. In turn, bring the activity to the person.

Expression through art can become especially important as a person’s ability to communicate through words deteriorates. Art projects can add to quality of life. They can create a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

They can provide the person with Alzheimer's disease an opportunity for self-expression and creativity.

Participating in an art project can help the person to relax and offer a sense of well-being and accomplishment.

When planning an art activity, keep these tips in mind: (Discuss each of the following during the in-service)

1. Have all your materials ready. What exactly will you need for this project? (Present three examples of an art project. Have the group list all items they would need for the project.) Be sure to include wet wipes for clean-up, esp. for a painting project.
2. ALWAYS keep the project on an adult level. Avoid anything that might be demeaning, condescending child-like. (Discuss the importance of this. Ask for examples of both appropriate and inappropriate art projects. 
3. Assist the person at the beginning the activity. (Example: If the person is painting/ drawing/coloring, you may need to start the brush/pencil/crayon movement to serve as a reminder for how it is done.)
4. Keep instructions to a minimum to avoid confusion and frustration but give as much instruction as needed for each individual. 
5. Build conversation/reminiscing into the project. (Ask the group, “What are some questions/statements you might include?) Remind the group to always be sure to include in the conversation what the person is creating.
6. Provide encouragement. (Present a “situation” and ask the group how they would encourage the person) 
7. Assess the person throughout the activity and provide as much assistance as the person requires. Assess: How much assistance does the person need? Observe facial expressions, comments. Is the person calm? Anxious? Is the person enjoying the experience? 
8. Allow plenty of time. Sometimes a project cannot be completed in one session, although ideally, a person with poor short term memory benefits more if the project can be completed in one session.
9. Don’t be a critic. For example, if you don’t agree with the colors the person has chosen, keep it to yourself! Give positive feedback. (Ask the group why it is important not to criticize and examples of what not to criticize during an art project)
10. Always use safe materials. When using paint, observe for any sensitivities. Avoid sharp tools.

Use for examples some of the completed art projects that you have on display. Explain the process to give a better understanding of a person's engagement in the project.

During the in-service, ask the participants to;

1. Think of a person who enjoys art and have them 
2. Identify the art project that the person is working on or has completed. And,
3. Share with the group some of the benefits that person received from participating in an Art by the Bedside project.

One-on-One activity for the elderly – What You Can Teach Staff

Activity directors - one on one activities and visits

I had to sort out some opinions on Facebook and here is what I got:

Here is what Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni says about one-on-one activities

I find one-on-one with residents can be difficult because it requires a change of focus on my part, going from group to singular.  Once in the mind set though, simply engaging a person in any type of conversation while having them actively engage with their hands works for me asking them too many questions.

Sensory usually involves hand washing and lotion applied, essential oil diffusing, a food or drink according to their diet and liquid consistency.  We have scratch off paper crafts that are perfect and fun as well and "stained glass" crafts which are plastic panels for hanging in windows or boxes for trinkets we paint.


Daily one to one activities can be challenging. For very little money (I purchased everything here from Dollar Tree) I have created a very simple set that can be used a hundred ways. Pack everything in a fun canvas bag and it can travel to wherever the resident is!

Each set can contain the following; a variety of colorful plastic bowls, clips of various sizes and strengths, rainbow plastic cups in several sizes, poker-chips, pop cycle sticks, small muffin tin with color disks glued into cups etc. You can create so many fun games and "purpose focused tasks" to do with your resident:

• Sort the various objects by color and place into bowls. 
• Stack the cups by color or varying color pattern. 
• Lay out the pop cycle sticks by color or in a pre-determined pattern. 
• Clip the clips onto the side of the bowl using a variety of grips (pincer with thumb and forefinger, or pinch with closed fingers and palm). 
• Use each hand, clips on and then off into the bowl to put away.
• Use the large clips as a pick-up device to stack cups or pick up objects for dexterity.

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

Credit: Jean Ellen Capachione-Govoni

It's fun to add to the kits; Shawe building blocks found on Amazon, playing cards, skip-bo, Jenga (Dollar Tree had Pitco which is like a rainbow colored Jenga), colorful pompoms, multi-color rubber bands, etc! Each Care Team member has a set so that anytime, they can sit down to engage with a resident day or night! Hope this helps you all, our residents seem to really enjoy!


Here is what Becky Harris does with her mom

"My mom likes to do anything “domestic“The dollar store will become your best friend. She likes to take plastic knife fork and spoon and roll into a napkin to make a picnic pack. 

Sort and stack pot holders, make artificial flower arrangements, fold washcloths, sort and fold socks. Each activity takes about 20-30 minutes. We play music while she’s doing them. 

It allows me to go take a shower or take care of other things around the house. She can also spoon cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. I make the cookie dough and monitor the baking; it’s something we enjoy doing together. 

She also makes goodie bags with little fun items from the dollar store, paper bags and clothes pins… See pictures! At the end of the day I undo everything so it’s ready for her to do all over:)"

Other one-on-one activities you can do with the elderly with dementia/Alzheimer's 

• Go on some walks with your love one and listen to nature sounds and smell flowers etc, improves mood to get out especially if your love one has depression.
• Get books for your love one of things the person used to enjoy -- lots of pictures and not many words.  If you don't have any, you can get them at the library if you don't want to purchase.
• Listen to CD's and Sing along to songs your love one might know.
• For females, Brush her hair, sing to her, rub lotion on her hands
• Record your love one telling stories of their childhood.

Here are two suggestions from Janet Pond 

Two suggestions:  Fiddle boards or rugs and Music therapy.  Fiddle items have all sorts of sensory and reminiscing items on them and can distract the person from other things.  Just Google and you will find loads of images.  You can buy them or make one yourself specifically for your loved one.  I made a book for my mum from an old towel - I'm attaching a video of it.  Unfortunately after hours and hours of sewing and work making it mum thought it was sooo important that she hung it on the wall like her precious photos and so she used it occasionally but not to the extent I had anticipated.  Music therapy can have amazing outcomes too - Google, there's heaps of info.

Cassie McKinney Lincoln say

Laurie Thompson Hansen says

And here is another from Jen Wood

References:

ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATIONAL INFO POSTED DAILY

https://www.facebook.com/groups/500169056821185/

IN-SERVICING CNA'S AND VOLUNTEERS

ONE TO ONE ENGAGEMENT

TOPIC: ART BY THE BEDSIDE FOR RESIDENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE/DEMENTIA

Length of in-service is approximately 30 minutes

https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoAnneHarrisonBecker

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121+ Fun Group activities for adults that doesn't focus on just drinking

People have this concept that if you stop drinking you will be missing out on the fun! Truth is, if you don't drink you will be able to remember the fun.

Base on my observations group activities that focus more on sitting, talking or eating quite often is accompanied with drinking. Therefore, to avoid drinking a lot chose group activities that involves less standing, sitting and that are not focus on food too.

You should know that doing something that’s really active makes it difficult for you to want to drink. An active activity will keep the conversation going while replacing the need to drink since all that energy is being used for the task. 

If you must drink, drink responsibly.

I have tried a lot of these activities listed here both indoors and outdoors and some have been quite hilarious and others didn’t meet my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, am quite the adventurous type too! I will equally highlight a few of my favorites too. Here is my to-do-list of group activities that doesn't focus on just drinking.

Note: Most of these activities are very fun, simple, and cheap and requires no experience to engage in. 

Fun Group activities for adults that doesn't focus on just drinking

1. Go to concerts of any kind and See live music.
2. Join a hobby session together (example swing dance, or horse riding).
3. Go to a family-friendly arcade (less booze around kids).
4. Take Walk to a nature park, lodge, Water parks etc.
5. Rent bicycles together and ride around the country side. 
6. Form a book club.
7. Buy one of those super intricate adult board games beyond the classic ones and have a game night.
8. Theater show.
9. Rent a boat and go sailing on the sea, or lake, or whatever your group decides.
10. Go Rock Climbing (one thing to keep in mind, have an expert to drill you all the safety tips). 
11. Dining out (or if you are so fun of your buddies you all can decide to take turns may be at the end of each month whose house is going to host for dinner.)
12. Pool party ( alcohol is optional). 
13. Lego party (you can ask your friends to bring their Lego sets).
14. Get a huge white sheet and a mini-projector and find a good spot near you to have a mini cinema night. 
15. Go Bible study with a couple of your religious friends.
16. Booking a private Karaoke room.
17. Go play corn hole, friends and family will have a freaky blast.
18. Hiking, if you have a good trail in mind then you all will be blast.
19. Escape room game trying to solve an escape room may live you hyperventilating with excitement.
20. Go to a local co-op farms or orchard and pick your own vegetables or fruits.
21. Go karting (one of my favorite preferably near you).
22. Ice skating. 
23. Camping as a group.
24. Take a college class together, even if you all suck at painting. 
25. Visit an Amusement park on a weekend preferably since you may be busy during the week.  
26. Mini Golf, It is cheap, there may be probably one near and it’s also very competitive. 
27. Explore new neighborhoods.
28. Kick ball on the beach (rubber balls are cheap). 
29. Hide and seek in the dark (fun if you have creative places to hide, bathroom cupboards are my favorite). 
30. Kayaking (you can experiment between oceans and river kayaking).
31. Visit museums and Art galleries.
32. Visit a video arcade. 
33. Dance classes (social and keeps you fit).
34. Trips to the beach.
35. Going Caving and it is free in most areas.
36. Playing soccer.
37. Make your own game together.
38. Make your own stories together.
39. Hang out and watch a series.
40. Make a fort, for everyone loves pillow forts.
41. Coloring nights (Your group may love coloring).
42. Go take a walk in a graveyard. Bonus points if you do it at night.
43. Start a workout or walking or running club. 
44. Volunteering at a local animal shelter. Everyone likes to play with puppies or kittens
45. Go out for coffee, espresso and tea at a great cafe.
46. Play VR arcade games and hey! They even support co-op.  
47. Join a sport league for it gonna help you all stay fit. 
48. Have a Political debate. If you got an odd circle of friends, chances are, you and your crew may necessarily agree on a lot of things, but not all, and the differences may lead to some fairly fierce arguments.
49. Going scavenger hunt.
50. Geocaching, lots of cache to trace using your GPS or a mobile app like C:Geo.
51. Dog party: everyone brings their dogs, and plays with them.
52. Going swimming in a lake.
53. Tubing (preferably something near).
54. Top Golf (if there is one near you).
55. Playing Street ball.

25 Fun games to play with friends indoors

Some of these games may be complicated at first but with time you and if you find the right people, your all will catch the intended fun playing these games. Most of them will be tempting to play when drinking but I know you made up your mind not to drink. In fact playing games with friends are very fun, immersing, cooperative, and kills time. 

1. Play ludo (the one I played up to four people can play at a time. 
2. The resistance game is similar to werewolf or mafia just that players are not eliminated between rounds.
3. Play Rattles d20
4. Board games (Some good board games beyond the classics: Tokaido, Forbidden Desert, Betrayal at the House on the Hill, Camel Up, Dead of Winter, Space Alert, Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Bang, Cash, monopoly, Guns and Settlers of Catan are just a few of my favorite board games to play because they are so easy and anybody can play).
5. Carcassonne (You will need to pay a few dollars for full expansion) 
6. Laser tag
7. Cards against Humanity
8. Escape room
9. Multiplayer games like Nintendo 64. 
10. Betrayal at House on the Hill (A semi-random horror board game)
11. Munchkin (a card game)
12. Cards against Humanity
13. Play Codename
14. Play Telestrations for this one is so hilarious!
15. Pictionary 
16. The T-Shirt Game
17. Dungeons and dragons (and a great way to stretch muscles).
18. Pokémon Go.
19. Playing Chess
20. Playing Smash.
21. Playing Pathfinder
22. League of Legends (You may forget yourself playing this game alone! so much fun but once you a have couple of friends over who know how to have fun with this game then you all are just going to have a blast.) 
23. Play Jackbox Games (like Drawful, Fibbage, and Quiplash)
24. Play Fluxx
25. Play Fiasco! All it takes is the book and sufficient dice (4/person) in your group. 

13 Fun indoor group activities for adults

If you are more of the indoor type, here are few of my favorite, fun and cheap activities to do indoors; 

1. Cooking night, Look up simple recipes that only need a few cheap ingredients and cooking it together.
2. Pick out random foods that you have around the house, and do a chopped style cooking competition.
3. Telestrations (this how this game is played, your friends should all have a pad of paper to writes down a creative statement and hand over the pad to another person, the person then reads and draws a picture of what it written and also passes the pad to the next person who then have to guess what has been written based on the picture drawn.
4. Card games random examples are war, rat slap and crazy eights.
5. Get together and watching TV during movie nights, and constantly recommend TV shows and animes to each other.
6. Telephone Pictionary.
7. Sock wrestling or sock off (after all the wrestle, last person with still socks on wins).
8. Cleaning and doing laundry together ease the work on one person. 
9. Drawception (quite similar to telestrations but it is more of a picture or drawing game were sheets are folded to conceal the pictures inside and pass around to the next person were the folded sheets are unfolded and the pictures interpreted. 
10. Dice games random examples are beetle, yahtzee and farkle. 
11. Indoor bowling (will require some extra space indoors).
12. Russian Submarine (get a group of friends into a studio, cover the windows and under cracks of your door with blankets then unscrew all light bulbs and replace with a predominant single red bulb. have some bread or pickles and water with you and then wait it out for the first person who get bored and opens the door.
13. Going Treasure hunt. 

29 Fun Outdoors group activities for adults

If you are an outdoorsy person, you will find some of these activities listed here to be fun and hilarious, your only problem should be to find the right people to join you. Here some fun things you can do with your friends:

1. Jet skiing in a local lake.
2. Disc Golf, is an amazing sport, lots of fresh air and significantly cheaper than its ball counterpart, most courses are free and the discs are inexpensive! Find a course near you.
3. Setup an outdoor movie night.
4. Go on Road trips together, preferably around the countryside and chat aimlessly. Works best at night for if you live urban areas, the traffic is going to be busy.  
5. Swimming.
6. Go-cart racing.
7. Ultimate Frisbee. So hilarious!
8. Going Picnic in the park, never underestimate sitting under a big tree and eating some treats.
9. Going to Flea Markets
10. Visit Zoos and aquariums
11. Go to conventions together.
12. Go thrift store or junk store shopping, it great to out useful thing in a bin of unsorted items. 
13. Bonfires.
14. Hire some mountain bikes near you, pick a route, and go and explore. 
15. Movie marathons.
16. Hiking and camping, doesn’t need to be strenuous, just take basic supplies and a simple jaunt in the woods counts, and its super fun exploring. 
17. Go Fishing
18. Paint balling.
19. Going kayaking.
20. Going to Yard Sales.
21. Get a fire pit.
22. Arcades.
23. Trying new restaurants.
24. Biking or skating.
25. Sports games.
26. Grilling.
27. Museums and galleries.
28. Geocaching is a great cheap thing to do; you don’t need an expensive GPS for just your Smartphone and some gas money will be enough for you can go search for cache. Some of these caches are difficult to find but you can simplify that with the help of a Google map. Groundspeak owns geocaching.com, and it is the website that has the most listed caches, by far. If you're android I would recommend you download C:Geo. 
29. Playing Letterboxing. It is quite similar to Geocaching, except it different for it is much of a glorified scavenger hunt.

What group activity did I miss? Let me know how you have fun with your friends. 

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41 Easy Activities for Elderly with Macular Degeneration and Dementia

Seniors are known to sit and stay lazy all day especially those diagnose with dementia and other age related disease like macular degeneration. 

Gradually going blind is traumatic enough for us younger folks, I certainly understand how much more so for elderly ones, especially if they don't have access to or ability to use technology devices available now a days that give visually impaired/blind ones the ability to function in life more easily. 

Even with low vision, the senior can therefore; there is a need for seniors to engage in activities 

The elderly need to engage elderly in touch, sound, taste, aroma and movement type activities to all gently stimulate the brain to help the individual to relax.

Remember, there isn’t a cure that can return already loss sight, but exercise is known to help prevent age related blindness and macular degeneration is common among the elderly.  

Seniors can’t do the exercise and activities the young do but there are easy and simple activities to keep them engage and active and they don’t need to only rely on their eyes to do them.  

If you need something your love can do without them relying much on their eyes" This may be the answer.

41 Easy Activities for elderly with macular degeneration and dementia

1. Make or buy a fidget blanket! A fidget blanket has many different sensory items ...easy to just sit on a lap and then it keeps fingers busy. As the dementia progressed you will find often times that they are very restless. Many times simply giving the senior something like this will give their fingers something to work on and keep them settled. Your love one will sit for hours and zip and unzip and play with the beads.

2. Buy a kids xylophone so the senior can PLAY music and record it back. 

3. Get a recorder and lessons for 30 minutes 3X a week. 

4. Buy an inexpensive keyboard and get lessons for 30 minutes a week so the senior can learn to play it! 

5. When holidays are around the corner, learning holiday songs would be excellent focus! 

6. Get clay or take the senior to a pottery class. 

7. Get a kit that the senior could make potholders and the senior can donate to the assisted living centers, preschools, kindergartens, etc. if they want or keep them... My house looks like a pre-school classroom! Think small toddler activities!

8. Smelling kitchen spices and talking about memories they trigger. 

9. If they senior has a favorite scent, Put in scented shower products or a candle the seniors loves and ask their opinion on the scent.

10. Play guessing games on what they can smell e.g. lavender, mint, basil, even basic things like coffee, chocolate, cheese, list is endless! Senses are still there for most people especially their smelling sense.

11. Bubble wrap popping elderly people loves to pop the bubbles.

12. Folding laundry, Small task like this works the memory.

13. Massage, Hand lotion and hand massages Feet massages Nail polish.

14. Give the senior a baby doll to snuggle with.

15. Get a large piece puzzle that have large pieces (2×2) and bright colors. For example child jig saws 12 big pieces.

16. Checkers or dominoes, checkers or draughts is a board game with black and white counters and dominoes are small rectangular pieces with dots on and you have to match up the dots if you Google the rules it will explain how to play.

17. Magna-Tiles are awesome. They are larger building tiles (great for people with limit dexterity/ impaired vision) and click together magnetically so there is no precise lining up. They connect easily and pull apart easily. And the build options are endless. Just need creativity.

18. Fidget cube, they are literally what it says is a cube with a bunch of different things on it for fidgeting.

19. Tea and scones, something English people in particular eat with a cup of tea you can have savory ones or ones with currants in and eat with cream and jam. They’re yummy!

20. Get an echo for the senior if they are into comedies and biographies, sit and discuss the comedies and books. Just normal talking and ask their opinions, even if they are odd sometimes, share a hobby can break this uncomfortable time.

21. Air dry clay can be bought at most crafting stores, but just the manipulation of it with the hands might be appealing.

22. Untying knots in shoe laces.

23. Put Large Lego’s together, the senior can build whatever they wants and will keep them busy.

24. Get a tape recorder or something similar to that and ask the senior to record their history so that future generations will know their story.

25. Get a large prints coloring books with large illustrations, nothing intricate. Preferably seasonal ones so the senior is aware of the time of year.

26. Get oversized playing cards that the senior can plays with.

27. Does the senior like animals? Depending on where you live, you can often visit or accept dog visit for the senior to interact with them. That would be tactile.

28. Play dough slime, good to massage and mess with and good with limited sight.

29. Take walks in the park.

30. Sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.

31. Talking about the old days, reminiscence.

32. Anything to do with shapes or textures such as sorting items or sensory mats/cushions. They are amazing.

33. Watch a quiz channel on the TV. 

34. Paint birdhouses and other wooden items.

35. Make memory boards and picture books.

36. Visits the senior’s favorite places. 

37. Sing along with sing the senior. 

38. Visit family and invite family and friends to visit too.

39. Music the person enjoys - created a collection for the senior with music from the 30 and 40, especially Mozart for it activates all the brain waves that no other music activates slowing the progression of dementia. Any music from their younger days...Watch "Alive Inside" video to see what an impact it has on people who are not engaged in anyway, but who come "alive" when hearing music they know and loved.

40. Audio books, you can get them at libraries, there are various sources for audio books, some free, some not so free.

41. Tell joke if you can, the elderly love it. 

Common Indicators of Macular degeneration

Early in this disease you will not witness symptoms but as time gradually passes you will witness disruptions in with your vision.  Here are just a few first early indicators for you to suspect Macular degeneration. 

• Distorted vision morphed look on people.
• Having dark spot in your central vision at certain times. For example the house seems darker in the daytime when you haven’t turned a light on and after you turn the light off at night you have a blind spot where your central vision should be for awhile.  
• Blurry and double vision.
• Light sensitivity! Like not being able to adjust to darkness when lights are turn off. 
• Wavy lines and grey spots on the Amsler grid.
• Seeing Bent and broken lines are indications that something is wrong.
• Drusen on eye exam

How to Make Life Easier and Safer for seniors with Low Vision

• Basically keep the floor free of clutter. 
• Lots of bright lights so the blind person can see things. 
• Colored toilet seat so he can see where to aim. 
• Make sure that there are no throw rugs or cords that the senior can trip on. 
• Get lots of Audio books the person can listen too. You can get them at the library.
• Get a Magna sight (sp) machine that helped the person to continue to read books even though legally blind with macular degeneration.
• If the person isn't reading and has varifol glasses change them to just distance vision. Reading isn't needed anymore.

17 Tips for communicating with visually impaired people

When people lose one sense, the other senses get heightened. There’s no universal language, special tips or tricks, but some basics are quite efficient.

1. Blinds people can't see signs, if you know the person enough some touches could have intuitive meanings, for example a gentle touch of the shoulder could tell where you are and the side where they should go, so the person could be quite safe even in a rude environment like work.

2. In a crowded room, say the person’s name when talking to a blind person, otherwise they person might not respond.

3. Use more of descriptive words. For example instead of saying "over there" you can say "over on the right side of the house". The more details the better, it's like painting a picture with words....when talking would help. Ohh and sometimes sound effects are cool....

4. Always tell the person if you are exiting the room. The blind hate talking to someone and they walk off. And they realize they’ve been talking to them self. For who knows how long.

5. Don’t assume that your visually impaired friend can see this or that because they saw such and such another time. Every circumstance is different and there are different variables that combined determine how well a person sees something.

6. When leading a visually impaired person, offer your elbow to them rather than grabbing them and pulling/pushing them everywhere. Don’t grab the cane; blind people need that to feel where they are going. Use Left Right; up down instead of it’s over there.... Ask them politely "so they know how to help, what can you see?"

7. Blind people appreciate being talked to like you would anyone else; they don’t like people to assume that they can’t do something. 

8. Always ask if they need help instead of just helping without asking first.

9. Offer assistance but don’t insist on doing everything for them. 

10. If you meet a blind person for the first time, don’t just grab or touch them, say something to let them know you are nearby and that you are addressing them specifically. If it’s someone you know and you see them somewhere, don’t automatically assume they can recognize your voice.

11. If you’re in a social situation, blind people love talking to people about things that don’t have to do with being blind. 

12. If you want to communicate by writing, make your print large or use adaptive software. Most of blind people can either read large print or use adaptive software to read things on computers or phones. 

13. When speaking to a virtually impaired person, eye Contact doesn’t work. 

14. Do not talk with a high volume and very slowly. Talk normally; Blind people can understand you just fine. 

15. Braille is quite similar to steno writing but with less keys, it could became how anyone type one day, on the opposite, signs could somehow blend with our usual culture, Moss VR game is a good example, with time people might be able to understand quite a load of things with some gestural talk.

16. Low and slow is more helpful than loud, which may be more about the person’s perception than you actually being loud. Listen to what the person says and modify the way you talk.

17. If the blind person is a parent, speak in deference to him/her...parents don’t want to be treated like children!

Above all, remember that blindness is a spectrum, most people who are legally blind will still have some degree of usable vision and it can differ greatly from person to person. The most important thing is that the blind are people and want to be treated like you would anyone else.

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