SUMMERTIME - HOT TODAY AND HOT TAMALE!
Other than Christmas, summertime seems to conjure up favorite memories. It is a mixture of work and play. Let’s plan a summer month of activities that will create memories that will last for a long, long time. You might as well have fun because it’s hot today, and it’s going to be hot tamale (tomorrow).
HOT TAMALE DAYS
Designate a day each week this month as "Hot Tamale Day." Get staff involved by creating Hot Tamale T-Shirts. The first craft class of the month should be spent decorating these shirts. They can be tie-dyed in hot colors such as red, orange, and Yellow or decorated with red chili peppers. Wear your shirts on Hot Tamale Day.
Ask your active seniors to name their favorite spicy foods. Work with the Dining Services Director to plan and serve some spicy hot meals on these days to reinforce the theme.
COLLECTING MEMORIES
Just as we collected fireflies in a jar, we need to collect our senior’s memories before they are gone forever. Since so many memories come from summer, let’s write them down. Start a writing project this month that will take you through the entire summer. Title your project Porch Swing Memories. Decide how many weeks you want the project to last and choose a topic for each class. Some topics can be the front porch swing, the swimming hole, the ice man, June bugs and Daisy chains, picnics, berry picking, etc. The best ideas will come from the residents as they tell you their favorite memories. Once the topics are chosen, post them well in advance so that participants will be more prepared for the class. The idea is to create a successful event. After all, this kind of writing is a win-win program because the seniors are the experts, and no one can dispute their memories!
Always hold your class in the mornings because that is when their thoughts are the clearest. The class should last for about an hour with a break at the end. Serve summer treats for refreshments (fresh-squeezed lemonade or limeade, fresh fruit, vegetables, or homemade ice cream) while listening to each other’s stories. Ask someone to help you enter the stories into the computer. Once they are finished with the project, you can put their stories in a folder for them to share with their families. Make a copy of all of the stories and keep them in a large 3-ring binder. (This binder will make a great marketing tool when placed in a sitting area for visitors to read.) Feature the stories in the newsletter. Active seniors love to see their names and works in print!
MOM’S APRON
Just like white gloves, hats, and fans in church on Sunday, mom’s apron has gone by the wayside. Oh, but what wonderful memories many of us have! Look in pattern books for apron designs or ask your residents how their aprons were made. The type of apron we are most familiar with is the functional apron. Some tie around the waist, and others go over the head. Organza aprons worn when entertaining were also popular.
Instead of wearing smocks for cooking and craft classes, get your ladies together to make aprons like they used to wear 30 years ago. Put up a wooden peg shelf in your activity room for them to hang them on when they are not in use. Cook’s aprons for men can be used in a woodworking shop. We make all kinds of welcome gifts for new residents moving into the community. A unique idea is to give them their own aprons to welcome them into the group, whether it’s for craft, cooking, woodworking, or pottery class.
JAMS, JELLIES, AND PRESERVES
Your active seniors were a part of a generation that didn’t allow summer’s bounty to slip through their fingers without capturing the precious fruit in sparkling jars to enjoy during the cold, winter months. Ask your residents if they would enjoy making jams, jellies, and preserves. Many hands make the work fun and fast. Fresh fruit can be purchased from local produce stands or a Farmer’s Market. Jelly jars can be found inexpensively at hardware, grocery, and department stores (garage sales, too). If you choose to serve the finished product in your dining room, the Dining Services Director might be more willing to let you use sugar and other ingredients from the kitchen. As each new fruit comes into season, gather your cooks together and spend a day making jelly.
You may want to sell the preserves in your "country store" with the profits going to the resident council fund. Another way to handle the project is to let the residents purchase their own supplies such as the fruit, jars, etc. Encourage everyone to work together and take the fruits of their labors home with them.
Served on a patio or porch, warm bread, fresh butter, and homemade jellies will be the hit of a morning activity. They might not remember what you discussed, but they won’t stop talking about the food!
NIGHTTIME FUN
Oh, those summer nights! We have large, white rockers across the front of our community’s porch. After dinner, the residents make a beeline from the dining room to the porch. Most evenings, they are there until the sun sets. (We usually have to bring out extra chairs.) The residents enjoy talking to each other and listening to the birds sing the last songs of the day.
