gina

Hey Miguel, This sounds so Yummy! :pint: We will try it at my Assisted living ! Thanks Miguel! gina

Hi Miguel!!! :-D It so good to hear from you,I havent seen you post for some time. Anyway,I agree with ya about the Chicken Soup for the Soul reading,its a great idea! I do almost the same thing in the morning, We have Coffee Chat and then read "A daily dose of Chicken Soup". You can go online to:http://www.chickensoup.com and sign up and they will send you a daily email. I just make copies every day and pass out and read. Have Fun! gina

Heres some fun stuff for National Pizza Month: Pizza Trivia *Piz'za Defined! * piz' za, n. (It.) - A baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings, such as sausage or olives. The Origins of Pizza Considered a peasant's meal in Italy for centuries, modern pizza attributes itself to baker Raffaele Esposito of Napoli (Naples), who in 1889 created a special pizza for the visiting Italian King Umberto and Queen Margherita. The pizza, named after the queen, was patriotic in it's resemblance to the Italian flag; red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese), and green (basil). It received rave reviews, setting the standard by which today's pizza evolved. The idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks, who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. The tomato came to Italy from Mexico and Peru through Spain in the 16th century as an ornamental plant first thought to be poisonous. True mozzarella is made from the milk of the water buffalo imported from India to Campania in the 7th century. So, the Neopolitan baker, as the saying goes, put it all together. Also, in 1830 the world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port' Alba in Naples, opened and is still in business today! Pizza migrated to America with the Italians. Gennaro Lombardi opened the first U.S. pizzeria in 1895 in New York City at 53 1/3 Spring Street, but it wasn't until after World War II when returning GI's created a nationwide demand for the pizza they had eaten and loved in Italy that pizza went public. My first recollection of pizza is homemade "box" pizza (Chef Boyardee) with canned pizza sauce and parmesan cheese. In the late 1950's, Shakey's and various other mass production pizza parlors appeared and further popularized pizza. Pizza in this day and age is not limited to the flat round type. It's also deep-dish pizza, stuffed pizza, pizza pockets, pizza turnovers, rolled pizza, pizza-on-a-stick, pizza strudel, etc., all with combinations of sauce, cheese, and toppings limited only by one's inventiveness. However, the best pizza still comes from the individual pizzaiolo, a pizza baker, who prepares his yeast dough and ingredients daily and heats his oven for hours before baking the first pizza. Did You Know? 670 MILLION pounds of cheese is sold every year! 75 ACRES of cheese is eaten every day! 350 MILLION tons of frozen pizza is sold every year! 30 TIMES a year is how often the average family eats pizza at home! 96% of people buy pizza out. Only 4% never go out for pizza! 23 POUNDS of cheese is eaten every year by the average person 1.1 BILLION frozen pizzas were sold last year! 4 BILLION fresh pizzas were sold last year! What Your Pizza says about You Mercury News Wire Services Surveys conducted by vast Pizza conglomerates offers these observations: People and Pizza Men wearing muscle shirts when answering the door order pepperoni three times more often than any other topping. People who have pierced noses, lips or eyebrows ask for a vegetarian toppings 23 percent more often than a meat topping. Those who have wind chimes on the porch are four times more likely than the average to want olives. Television and Pizza A recurring element is the correlation between pizza-eating and TV- watching. Whatever day and time "Roseanne'' airs is always the biggest half-hour of the week for meat-topped pizza orders. Since you asked, the No. 1 pizza-ordering show (figured by comparing orders during its time slot with weeks when the show doesn't air) is "Melrose Place",' which is also by far the leading show for vegetable-topped pizzas. Pizza orders in the "Melrose Place'' time slot have gone up 14 percent since Heather Locklear joined the cast. Politics and Pizza There's more: As you look back on 1994, trying to make sense of Newt's rise and O.J.'s fall, you may want to consider these other statistics from Domino's: Since the Republicans won the election, meat-topped pizza orders have risen 32 percent in the Washington metropolitan area. Since Election Day, tipping of Domino's deliverers by Washington women has fallen off by 10 percent (except during "Melrose Place,' when it climbs by 30 percent). Since the election, tipping by House Republicans has been down 12 percent; tipping by House Democrats has been up 3 percent. Whenever Newt Gingrich appears on national television, pizza orders to Democratic offices go up 4 percent and go down 2 percent on the GOP side. And last, but not least: The single greatest hour for pizza delivery in national pizza history was the hour when O.J. Simpson was in the white Ford Bronco on the L.A. freeways. Published 1/11/95 in the San Jose Mercury News. Pizza Facts The first pizzeria opened in New York on 53 1/2 Spring Street in 1895. Between 1948 and 1956 oregano sales increased 5200%. This was due to the growing popularity of pizza and other Italian specialties discovered by US servicemen stationed in Europe. Pizza Hut opens its first store in Kansas City in 1958. Domino's Pizza opened its doors in Detroit in 1960. The store was bought by a 23 year old investor named Thomas Monaghan, who borrowed $500 to buy the store. In 1994, total pizza sales in the United States exceeded $20 billion.¹ The 1995 Guiness Book of World Records lists the largest baked pizza on record was 37.4 meters in diameter (12,159 sq.ft.), in Norwood, South Africa December 8th 1990. Another notable pizza by size was a 10,000 sq.ft. pizza cooked by Lorenzo Amato, owner of Cafe di Lorenzo in Tallahassee Florida in 1991.¹ The first known pizza shop, Port 'Alba in Naples, opened in 1830 and is still open today.² The first pizzeria in North America was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City.³ The first pizza delivery was in 1889, by Raffaele Esposito owner of the famous pizzeria Pietro il Pizzaiolo (Naples). The recipients were visiting King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. Refusing to go to the likes of a pizzeria, the queen ordered in, being anxious to try this food she heard so much about.² The first commercial pizza-pie mix was "Roman Pizza Mix", produced in 1948 in Worcester, Massachusetts by Frank A. Fiorello.¹ The mozzarella originally used in Italy for pizza, was made from the milk of the water buffalo.² The tomato arrived in Naples, Italy around 1522 originating from seeds first arriving in Spain from Peru. Initially grown only as an ornamental plant, the 'golden apple', so called because they were small and yellow, were thought to be poisonous until around 1750, when it began to be used in cooking.³ The origins of focaccia, one of the oldest styles of pizza (without the tomato) can be traced back to about 1000 B.C.E., when the Etruscans arrived in northern and central parts of Italy from Asia Minor.³ Pizza is the number 2 entree in foodservice, outpacing the growth rate of all other food items. It represents more than 10% of all food sales and is expected to exceed the hamburger 1996.4 Tuna is one of the most popular toppings in Europe.4 North Americans eat more pizza than anyone else in the world, yet most are acquainted with little beyond the basic tomato and cheese style.³ There are three major regional styles of pizza in the US. In the East, pizza is the traditional Neapolitan type with a light, thin crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and a vegetable or meat topping. It is more commonly known as New York-style. On the West Coast, pizza takes on a sophisticated look. Individual pizzettes with light, chewy crusts and toppings ranging from sundried tomatoes to asparagus to boccocini cheese are the norm. The Midwestern states prefer the deep-dish Chicago style, a thick creation heaped with toppings requiring up to 45 minutes to bake.³ Cookbooks specializing in Italian recipes have no reference to pizza prior to the 1950's.¹ In non-Italian communities in the eastern states, pizza can be heard to be referred to as "tomato pie".¹ 1 — Mariani, John - The Dictionary of American Food & Drink. Hearst Books 1994. 2 — Bruno, Pasquale Jr. - The Ultimate Pizza. Contemporary Books. 1995. 3 — Slomon, Evelyne - The Pizza Book. Random House. 1984. 4 — Pizza Today - Monthly publication of the National Association of Pizza Operators. If they Made Pizza ovens... If IBM made pizza ovens... They would want one big pizza oven where people bring dough to be submitted for overnight cooking. IBM would claim a worldwide market for five, maybe six pizza ovens. If Microsoft made pizza ovens ... Every time you bought dough, you would have to buy a pizza oven. You wouldn't have to take the pizza oven, but you'd have to pay for it anyway. Pizza Oven '97 would weigh 15,000 pounds (hence requiring a reinforced steel countertop), draw enough electricity to power a small city, take up 95% of the space in your kitchen, would claim to be the first pizza oven that lets you customize your pizza toppings, and would secretly interrogate your other appliances to find out who made them. Everyone would hate Microsoft pizza ovens, but nonetheless would buy them since most of the good ingredients only works with their pizza ovens. Pizza Oven '97 would also work on the web, allowing you to check it's progress from Internet Explorer (but not Netscape). It will also cook pizza's made by other ingredient makers. If Apple made pizza ovens... It would do everything the Microsoft pizza oven does, but 5 years earlier. If Fisher-Price made pizza ovens ... "Baby's First Pizza Oven" would have a 100-watt light bulb and a hand- crank that you turn to cook the dough. The pizza would pop up like a Jack-in-the-box when it was done. The toppings could be bought separately and would be in a powder form. Making the toppings would require mixing the powder in water and string until it was a thick pasty substance. If The Rand Corporation made pizza ovens ... It would be a large, perfectly smooth and seamless black cube. Every morning there would be a piece of dough on top of it. Their service department would have an unlisted phone number, and the blueprints for the box would be highly classified government documents. The X- Files would have an episode about it. If the NSA made pizza ovens ... Your pizza oven would have a secret trapdoor that only the NSA could access in case they needed to get at your pizza for reasons of national security. Does Digital (formerly DEC) still make pizza ovens ... They made good pizza ovens in the '70s, didn't they? They are currently designing the world's first truly portable pizza oven. It has the smallest footprint of any pizza oven on the market and will be called the Ultra III HiPizza. If Hewlett-Packard made pizza ovens ... They would market the Reverse Polish pizza oven, which takes in pizza and gives you regular dough. No one knows where the toppings go. If Sony made pizza ovens ... Their "PizzaMan", which would be barely larger than the dough it is meant to cook, can be conveniently attached to your belt. If The Franklin Mint made pizza ovens ... Every month you would receive another lovely hand-crafted piece of your authentic Civil War pewter pizza oven. If Cray made pizza ovens ... They would cost $16 million but would be faster than any other pizza oven in the world. If Thinking Machines made pizza ovens ... You would be able to cook 64,000,000 pizza's at the same time. If Timex made pizza ovens ... They would be cheap and small quartz-crystal wrist pizza ovens that take a licking and keep on cooking. If Radio Shack made pizza ovens ... The staff would sell you a pizza oven, but not know anything about it. Or you could by all the parts to build your own pizza oven.

Hey Linda! ;-) I think your surveyors are right on the money! I have seen such a dramatic change in the type of senior populations that are being admitted to SNF's and Assisted living facilities in the past 10 years and see and know that in the next decade we will see the numbers of Alzheimers residents grow greatly! WE MUST BE PREPARED!!!! I have been working with these types of residents for over 20 years now and know that some of the key things to remember when working with Alzheimer's residents are: 1. Environment- Lighting is important,keep things clutterfree,pets are great to have roaming around,no mirrors( this sometimes scares residents in the latter stages of alzheimers),and mainly just keep things simple! 2. Simple Commands- Instead of saying,eat all your lunch(they will look at the tray and feel overwelmed) try saying drink your juice,then when finished,eat your salad,eat your sandwich,ect. Alzheimers residents get very overwelmed easily. 3.Simple and Short Activities-Alzheimers/Dementia residents have a very short attention span and do forget what they are doing if the activity is over 15- 20 minutes.Once again,keep it simple. 4.Validate their feelings-In the old days everyone used to use Reality Awareness("No Mrs.Smith,your husband is not coming for dinner,he's dead,remember?") Now we use Validation Therapy("Oh really Mrs.Smith,You husband is coming for dinner? Tell me about him.") I have and still see everyday the difference that this approach will have on the Alzheimer resident.Try it. 5.Listen and Know your Alzheimer Resident- What did they do for a living,what was their family like,what was their upbringing? This can help you to help them with fun and stimulating activities geared toward the individual! 6.Just Have fun-Alzheimers residents are the most fun,sweet and gentle people you can ever work with ! :-) Gina

:hammer: Hi All, National Popcorn Month is in October so here is some popcorn history and a few recipes to make with your residents: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 80,000 BCE Poppin’ By The Fire Cave men and women in prehistoric America received quite a surprise when they placed maize (early corn) kernels too close to the fire — voila — the world’s first popcorn! 1492 Welcome To Popcorn Country As Columbus set foot on American soil, popcorn was there, too! Native Americans who greeted Columbus enjoyed snacking on the fluffy white stuff and made quite a fashion statement with their popcorn necklaces. 1620 Pass The Popcorn, Please Popcorn played a starring role at the first Thanksgiving. Native Americans in Massachusetts brought bowlfuls of popcorn to the potluck feast! 1700 Pop Of The Mornin’ To You Colonial women from Boston to the Carolinas made the first tasty breakfast cereal by pouring milk and sugar over popcorn. 1800 Poppin’ On The Farm The lucky few who savored popcorn either grew it themselves or purchased it from farmers. Quality was very inconsistent, though — they had to pop a lot of corn to enjoy just a few tasty morsels! 1885 Poppin’ Around Town The first popcorn “machine” was invented. Until then, poppers were made to sit in front of stores to attract attention. But vendors wanted to be close to the crowds — especially the crowds near movie theaters. So poppers were made that could be pushed on foot, pulled by horse or mounted on trucks. Popcorn was very popular from the 1890s until the Great Depression. Street vendors used to follow crowds around, pushing steam- or gas-powered poppers through fairs, parks and expositions. 1914 Packaged Popcorn is Born ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sweet ‘N Spicy Popcorn Ingredients: 1 bag (3 ounces) JOLLY TIME Healthy Pop 94% Fat Free Microwave Popcorn, popped 4 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute or confectioners sugar, divided 2 tablespoons fat-free liquid margarine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/16 to 1/8 ground cayenne pepper Prep Time: 5 minutes Combine 3 tablespoons sugar substitute or confectioners sugar with the margarine, cinnamon, cumin, ginger and cayenne pepper; mix. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl, removing any unpopped kernels. Add spice mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining sugar substitute or sugar. Serve immediately. Yield: About 8 (1-1/3 cup) servings. 11-1/2 cups total. Nutritional Analysis per (1-1/3 cup) serving: Calories: 44 Dietary fiber: 2g Total fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 11g Protein: 1gParmesan Popcorn An Italian favorite with grated Parmesan and dry spaghetti sauce mix You’ll need: 3 quarts popped JOLLY TIME Pop Corn 1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil 2 Tbsp. dry spaghetti sauce mix 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese Here’s How: Place popped popcorn in large bowl. Heat olive oil in small pan. Drizzle over popcorn; add spaghetti sauce mix and cheese. Toss well. Serve at once. Sodium: 90mg Cholesterol: 0mg Almond Butter Crunch Popcorn Buttery, crunchy and great for gifting You’ll Need: 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. butter extract (optional) 2-1/2 quarts popped JOLLY TIME Blast O Butter or Butter-Licious Microwave Pop Corn 1-1/2 cups whole almonds, toasted* Here’s How: Preheat oven to 250°F. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring only once over lowest heat possible, to maintain a boil. Remove from heat; stir in soda, vanilla and butter extract, if desired. Gradually pour over popped corn and almonds, mixing well. Turn into large, shallow baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, mixing well after 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Break apart and store in tightly-covered container. Makes about 3 quarts. * To toast almonds, spread on large cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Caramel Corn Apples A variation on a favorite autumn treat – caramel apples You’ll Need: 6 cups popped JOLLY TIME Blast O Butter or Butter-Licious Microwave Pop Corn 2 cups crisp rice cereal 1/2 cup chopped dried apples 1 package (14 oz.) caramels, about 48, unwrapped* 2 Tbsp. water 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1 tsp. ground cinnamon Wooden sticks Here’s How: Place popped popcorn, rice cereal and apples in large bowl. In medium saucepan over low heat, heat caramels, water and butter until caramels are melted, stirring frequently. Stir in cinnamon. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and toss to coat well. Let cool about 5 minutes. With slightly dampened hands shape into 8 balls around wooden sticks. Place on lightly-buttered wax paper to set. Wrap in plastic wrap; tie with a ribbon. Makes 8 popcorn balls. * Microwave caramels, water and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, stirring every minute. Red Cinnamon Popcorn Old-fashioned cinnamon candies color and flavor this popcorn treat You’ll Need: 4 quarts popped JOLLY TIME Butter-Licious or Crispy ‘n White Microwave Pop Corn 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 3/4 cup red cinnamon candies 1/4 tsp. baking soda Here’s How: Place popped popcorn in large bowl. Melt butter in medium saucepan; stir in sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon candy. Heat to a boil; continue boiling, stirring constantly, until candy is dissolved completely. Boil without stirring for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Gradually pour over popcorn, mixing well. Allow to cool completely on foil or buttered wax paper. Break apart and store in tightly-covered container. Makes about 4 quarts. Rocky Road Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars A winning confection with popcorn, peanut butter, marshmallows and chocolate You’ll Need: 3 quarts popped JOLLY TIME Blast O Butter or Butter-licious Microwave Pop Corn 1/2 cup raisins 1 cup light corn syrup 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1/2 cup peanut butter pieces 1/3 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter 3/4 cup miniature marshmallows 1/2 cup peanuts 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces 1 tsp. vegetable shortening Here’s How: Place popped popcorn and raisins in large bowl. In saucepan, heat corn syrup and butter to a boil; boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter pieces and peanut butter until smooth. Pour mixture over popcorn, tossing gently to coat all pieces. Press into buttered 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle marshmallows and peanuts over top, pressing lightly into popcorn mixture. Melt chocolate pieces and shortening over very low heat. Drizzle over top. Cool several hours before serving. Cut into 2-1/4 by 1-inch bars. Makes 36 bars.

Hi Crysty, I really like your idea for room visits!! I have coffee chat and snacks every morning in the front lobby but have never thought about taking in through the facility!!!! You can teach an old dog new tricks Thanks! Have Fun! GiNA :-P

Hi Lynn, I just read your post from last month,in answer to your question,I have no reason to need "written permission" to serve ice cream sundaes to my residents.I know my residents well enough to know which ones have lactose intolerance,which ones are diabetic,etc. I have a few different types of ice cream on my cart, and have never had any problems or complaints... gina :-P

Hi Laree, I have some fun ideas on my site for October,Its my FAVORITE month!! Go to: http://pages.ivillage.com/ginasalazar2004//id16.html there are also some fun craft ideas at: http://familyfun.go.com/ Have a great October!!Gina :-P

Hi Stacy, :-D I am also doing a day of Apples and found a site with ideas for children but alot of the ideas can be adapted for seniors.Have fun! gina :-P Great Apple Activity Ideas ~~ Art~~~ Apple Printing Cut an apple in half. (make a lateral cut, separating the top from the bottom) You should be able to see the "star" that the core forms in the apple. Put some red or green tempera paint in a shallow container, (a pie tin works well) and show your child how to dip the apple in the paint and press onto a piece of paper creating an apple print. Torn paper apples Draw an apple on a piece of white paper or use a white paper plate. Tear red paper into dime sized bits (enough to cover your apple drawing.) Cut out one or two leafs for the apple from green paper. (Or if possible use real apple leaves.) Have your child glue the torn pieces of paper onto your drawing of an apple. Then have your child glue on the apple leaves. Easy Apple Tree Supply each child with a tree shape, and a red, green, or yellow non-toxic bingo dabber. Have the children put "apples" on the tree with the dabber. Apple tree Cut out an apple tree from brown and green paper. Glue the pieces together. Supply your child with red tempera paint, and a pencil with an eraser. Have the child make prints on the tree with the eraser to make apples. After the picture has dried ask your child how many apples are on their tree. Apple tree Variation: Have the child dip a cork in paint to make the apple prints. Apple Pictures Cut out apple shapes from white paper, and add some red fingerpaint, and let your child paint the apple red!!! Seed Collage Save the seeds from a bunch of apples. Allow them to dry, and have your child glue them to a piece of paper. Easy Apple Art Give a child a paper plate and one of the following colors... red, yellow or green. Have them paint the paper plate. Attach a paper stem to create an apple. This one is great for younger children. A worm in my apple? Cut out one apple shape per child. Have them use a hole punch to ahh, punch about 4 holes in the apple. Have them weave a brown piece of yarn in the holes. Them have them glue on a stem. Worm Art This one is a lot of fun, and has great results. Set out a piece of yarn for each color of paint you intend to use. Have the child dip the yarn in one color of paint, and run it across the paper. Use a new peice of string for a different color. For the brave... dip real worms in paint, and let them crawl across the paper. Be sure to wash them off and return them to their environment. (They usually survive.) Pre-School Apple Tree Cut out a huge tree shape from butcher paper. (You probably want to piece it together from many different pieces. Let the children paint the trunk brown, and the tree top green. Then cut out an apple from red, green, or yellow construction paper for each student and teacher, help older students put their names on the apples, and write younger students names on the apples. Let the children choose where on the tree they want their apple, and glue them on the tree. Fingerprint Apples Supply each child with a piece of white paper and red or green non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add leaves with a black pen. Paper Plate Shaker Take two sturdy paper plates. (The stronger the better)Place some apple seeds on one of the plates and place the other plate on top of the first so that both eating surface areas are facing each other. Use masking tape to seal the plates together. Have your child decorate with markers, glitter, construction paper, or ribbons. When dry, shake. Shake to music, shake it each time you take a step. Shake, Shake Shake!!! Apple Necklaces Cut out apple shapes from different colors of paper. Older children can do the cutting for themselves. Then depending on the ages.. either punch holes in the apples or allwo the children to punch the holes. Then supply the children with yarn that is about 18 inches long with one end that is wrapped with a little piece of masking tape. Have the children lace the apples onto the yarn, then tie it to make a necklace. Math, Science and Games Apple Match Up There are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups: -Cut out apple shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one apple. Ask the children to find one person with the same color apple. -Cut out apple shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the apple in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a apple, and ask them to find the person with the other half. Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the apple pieces are distributed. -Cut the apple shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of apple with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the apples with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one apple and have them find the child with their match. -Cut the apple shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two apple. Give each child one apple and have them find the child with their match. -Cut the apple shapes from one color of paper. Cut the apple in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a apple. Give each child one apple half and have them find the child with their match. -Place matching apple stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match. -Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the apple to the file folder and laminate it's match. Count the seeds Before you cut an apple, have your child try to guess how many seeds will be inside. Cut open the apple and count them. How close was he/she. Write down your child's guess.. and how many seeds that were in the apple. The next day repeat the process. Compare your results. Were there more, less, or the same amount of seeds in the two apples. Different Apples Next time you go to the grocery store with your child. Point out all the different kinds of apples. Tell your child their names. Buy a few different kinds, and when you get home, let your child try them. Ask your child how each one tastes. Ask your child how each one is different. Apple Sequencing Gather three to five different sized apple. Set them on a table and ask your child to arrange the apple according to size. For younger children, you can just start with two apples and ask which is the smallest. Apple Lacing Cards Cut colored posterboard into an apple shape and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards. Apple Chart Prepare sliced apples for lunch, red and yellow. Ask each child which color apple that they ate. Allow them to mark the column on a graph that corresponds to their answer. Apple Toss Obtain a laundry basket, or a bushel basket, and red bean bags, or small red balls. Use masking tape to tape a line on the floor. Place the basket a couple of feet away from the line. Have the child stand behind the line, and try to toss the balls or bags (apples) into the basket. Match the Apples Cut out two apple shapes from 4 or 5 different colors of construction paper. You may laminate them to make them last longer. Have the children pick an apple and then find it's mate. Variation: Use the same color for the apples, and draw on different designs. Apples in the Basket You need apples and a small laundry or buschel basket. Ask your child to place 5 apples in the basket. Count with your child as they place the apples in the basket. How many apples will fit in the basket? Have your child guess how many will fit, and then see how many it takes to fill the basket. You can also tape numbers onto the bottom of the baskets, and have your child place the appropriate number of apples into each basket. Apple Hide and Seek Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" an apple in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the Apple, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the Apple. Apple Hide and Seek Play the game the same as above, except hide the Apple. Then tell the chidlren individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the Apple. Allow the other children to have a chance to hide the Apple, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game. Apple Fishing Game Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and sized Apples from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each Apple. Spread the Apple shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the Apples. Have them try to catch the red Apple.. or the biggest Apple. For a twist, label the Apples with letters or numbers. Ask the children to catch a specific Apple, or ask them which Apple they caught. Apple Shaped Games The following games require you to cut out many different Apple shapes from construction paper. You may choose to laminate these Apples so they last longer. Apple Sizing Cut out many different sized Apples. Ask the children to line up the Apples from largest to smallest. Apple Numbers Cut out ten Apple shapes. Number them one to ten. Ask the children to line up the Apples from one to ten. Apple Colors Ask the children to sort the Apples by color. Apple Sort Ask the children to sort the Apples by size. Pass the Apple Played like hot potatoe... have the children sit in a circle and pass an apple around the circle when mucis is playing, when the music stops the child holding the apple sits in the middle or the "apple pie pot" until the music stops again and the next child replaces the first. You may also chant "hot apple, hot apple 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10" and the child who has the apple on 10 is in the "apple pie pot." Pass the Apple II For older children. Have one child hold an apple under his/her chin and try to pass the apple to a friend. You could do this in a circle or you can do a relay race where the children have to run with the apple under their chin. Group Time Apple Hop Cut out large apple shapes from colored paper. Laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one apple to another. These may also be used at seat markers for group time. Little Apple's by Chicky-ma-ma (sung to Ten little Indians) One little, two little, three little apples, Four little, five little, six little apples, Seven little, eight little, nine little apples, Ten red apples in the tree. Variation: Change "little" to "red" "yellow" or "green" The Apple Man by Chicky-ma-ma Yes I am the apple man, The apple man, The apple man, Yes I am the apple man, Who has an apple tree. Apples and Bananas Sing this song: I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas, I like to ate ate ate apples and bananas, ( all a's pronounced with a long a as in ate) I like to eat eat eat epples and banenes, I like to ite ite ite ipples and baninis, I like to ote ote ote opples and banonos, I like to ute ute ute upples and banunus, I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas. This is my Apple by chicky sung to "You are My Sunshine" This is my apple, My shiny apple It makes me happy Every day When I eat one It make me healthy Please don't take my apples away! Apple Foods Apples Pancakes Use your favorite pancake recipe. Mix the batter, and then add chopped apples and cinnamon to the batter. Cook as usual. Then melt butter, and mix in brown sugar and cinnamon to the melted butter, and pour on top of the finished pancakes. Applesauce Simple, serve your child applesauce. Fruit Salad For larger groups: You need: 1 apple, cored and diced 1 orange, peeled and diced 1 cup grapes, sliced in quarters 1 banana, sliced 1 cup sliced strawberries 1 cup blueberries 1 cup diced peaches 1 cup diced pears Let your child help in the washing and peeling process, and allow older children to cut soft fruits with a table knife. Place each fruit in a seperate bowl, and ask your children to name the colors of the fruits. Place individual spoons into each of the fruit bowls, and let your children select the fruits they would like into their own bowl to make their own fruit salad. After the children are all settled in theri chairs, ask the children, "Who has apples in their bowl?" "Who has strawberries?" and so on. Baked Apples wash and core one apple per child. Fill the core with raisins and brown sugar. Place the aple upright on a baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Optional: serve with ice cream. Apple Pizza You need pizza dough, canned apple pie filling, vanilia icing and brown sugar. Kneed out the ready made dough and spread about a 1/2 inch layer of the pie filling on the dough and sprinkle brown sugar on top.. warm the vanilia icing and place it in a clean squeeze bottle. Apply the icing to the top of the apple pizza in lines acroos the pizza. Follow the directions for baking that are on the pizza dough container. Field Trips Visit an Apple Orchard Visit a local apple orchard, or cider mill. Let your child help you pick the apples from the tree.

Hi Pennie, Great Info.!! Is this just for Texas or state wide? gina :-)

Hi All, I think this is a great discussion starter!! I like Dawn,started in long term care when in high school,I was 17 when I took the Social Service Director course and got my certificate for that,worked part time till I graduated from High school,then got the opportunity to become certified to be an Activity Director(My facility paid for it!) and have been an Activit Director since! I LOVE being an Activity Director!! I am now working in an Assisted Living Home with 97 residents. Have fun!! gina :-D

Hi Dawn! Well,I have been an Activity Director for 20 years now and I can tell ya from experience that I have been "Burned- Out" many times,and what I like to do is either take a class or seminar on various topics,Alzheimers or Activity class,crafts course at my local college at night, a class at Micheals Crafts store or something like that.Or I network with the local Activities Directors at my local Associations.I feel refreshed at full of new ideas after doing these things. Maybe this will help ya! :-) Have fun! gina

Hi Ladies, Are you going to the home page then clicking on the who's chatting box and click on enter then click on the lounge,I think its called that,and you should be able to come in.I will try to hold a chat on Tuesday night this week-8/10/04.If you ladies email me on this site when you see me online,I'll try to help ya get into the chat room. I have never had any problems with it. Hope to talk to ya soon. Have fun! gina :-P

Hi Lynn, :-D Let me start by saying the pay you ask for really depends on what type of facility and your area. I know that alot of people believe that Ca. pays well, but it depends on were you live in Ca.,I just moved from San bernardino,Ca. and was offered $ 9.00 an hour to a job that I applied to about three months ago,and I have 20 years experience( i didnt take the job!) Im now in Arizona and have been offered $15.00 which is pretty common for an Activity Director(Ive made anything from $7.00 to $18.00.) I hope this helps! Have fun! Gina 8-)

Hi All, :-D I am off tonight to Arizona (from Calif.) to look at my new home and to interview tomarrow for Activity Director of a brand new Alzheimers facility.Wish me luck!! I will let ya know what happens on Monday when I return. Keep on posting and have a great weekend!!! Have fun! gina 8-)

Hi Stacy, Too loud huh?LOL!!! Its a good thing that surveyor never visited my place of work! We laugh,sing,and yell at the top of our voices to get our residents involved and they LOVE it!!! What an ol'fuddy duddy! :-P Keep on having fun!!!!! gina ;-)

Hi All, In regards to what Dawn wrote in her post,I dont think its very fair for you to say that Pat was not professional because she quit her job. We all know what team work is,but some of us know where to draw the line on certain things that are asked of us and when the line between your job ,my job crosses in such a dramatic way,its better to be safe than sorry.I would have hated to have Pat do something that she was not trained for(feeding,bathing,etc)and something horrible happen as an effect of her doing that. Just my opinion. Have a great week all, gina :-)

Hi Pennie! :-D Is your facility participating in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk? I am hoping that when I move to Arizona,where-ever I end up working that I can get my group to walk for the cause. If anyone needs info. on this walk go to: http://www.alz.org/memorywalk2004/overview.htm Have fun! gina

Hi Cathybee! Finally someone from Arizona! :-) Yeah! I live in Calif. now and in a few weeks my husband and 5 kids are moving to Phoenix,Arizona. I am a little aprehensive :-? about the move because we dont really know anyone up there besides my husbands sisters.Anyway,how is the job market up in Arizona for Activity Directors? From what I can tell from going online is that there are a lot of retirement homes and Senior Communities. Please let me know. Welcome to the site! gina

Hi Carrie, I too am from California 8-) ,been here all my life and will be moving to Arizona next month.Welcome to the site...By the way where is McKinleyville?I am in the San Bernardino area now.If you need anything that I can help you with let me know. Have fun! gina :-D

Hey Stacey :-) , Sorry to hear about your day :-( ! I know that we all take it personally when something we think is going to fly bombs! Believe me in my 20 years in the buss. I've had plenty of bombs too! Just put it in the past and move on to better and happier times !! Have fun! gina :-D

Hi all, I use printmaster for my calendar and newsletter! Very easy to use and tons of features! gina

Hi Timmberridge, I use Printmaster 8.0 and have for about 8 years now,I love it! Lots of graphics and very easy to use! Have fun! gina :-)

Hi All, With Summer here I wanted to share some fun beach crafts with you. These are very inexpensive to make and are alot of fun! :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sea Shell Butterfly Magnet Create a unique butterfly using sea shells. Materials Needed: • Clam-style sea shells (stuck together if possible!) • Paint • Chenille stem (preferably black) • Wiggle Eyes • Glue • Magnet strip (as long as the shells where they meet) Instructions: Paint the insides of the shells so they look like colorful butterfly wings. Put a generous amount of glue on the back of the magnet; stick the part of the shells where they are joind together onto the magnet. Fold the chenille stem in half and twist the half closest to the bend together. Seperate the ends (about 1-inch) to be the antenna. Put a generous amount of glue on the twisted part of the chenille stem and glue it along the edges of the shells where they join together to make the butterfly's body. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beach Treasure Wreath Make a special wreath with all the treasures you find on vacation at the beach! Materials Needed: • Heavy Cardboard • Glue • Beach Treasures Instructions: Cut a wreath shape out of heavy cardboard (you can also use a piece of wood). Spread glue all over the wreath shape (use an old paint brush to make sure it is all covered) and sprinkle on sand to cover the entire wreath. Set it aside to dry. Now you can glue on your beach treasures such as sea shells, pebbles, seaweed, twigs, etc. Let dry and then hang! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Colored Sand Instructions to make your own colored sand. Materials Needed: • Sand • Food Coloring • Glass or Metal Bowl (you can also use paper cups, paper bowls, or baggie) Instructions: Use one bowl for each color you want to make. Place the desired amount of sand in the bowl. Pour on enough water to barely cover the sand, then add a generous amount of food coloring to each container. Stir and set the bowl aside and let it sit until it is the desired color (this can take a while). Once the sand has reached the desired color, empty out the extra water, and pour the sand onto paper towels to dry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sand Candle Holder Instructions to make simple candle holders out of jars and sand. Materials Needed: • Jars • Sand • Food Coloring • Ribbon • Glue Instructions: Place the sand in a glass or metal bowl and use the food coloring to tint it the desired color (you can also use rice). Fill the jar about two thirds full with the colored sand or rice. (It is easier to store these candle holders if you save the jar lids!) Glue and/or tie a ribbon around the top of the jar. Push a candle into the middle of the jar, pushing it into the sand. Have Fun! gina

Hi Linda, Could you send me a flyer as an attachment? Send it to crazee_g2004@yahoo.com. Also,What is the name of your show?I would like to put it on my website links,I know others would be interested too. Thanks. gina