JUNE 2008

During the hot summer months, ice cream is a popular treat. The bar, the cone, the stick, or the sandwich - they’re all a delight to children and adults. In 1984 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July to be National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday (July 20 this year) as National Ice Cream Day. This issue of the ElderSong newsletter features some activities to celebrate the tasty dessert and elicit some nostalgic family memories associated with a generational favorite - ice cream.

  • Make a batch of homemade ice cream, using a simple recipe that requires no special equipment. (See ice cream recipe in It’s IN the Bag Cookbook, a featured product for June.) Ask: Did your family ever make homemade ice cream using a hand-crank freezer? Did you ever add fresh berries of the season? Share some of your summertime berry-picking adventures.
  • Show an old photograph of children licking ice cream cones. Ask: Why is ice cream one of America’s favorite desserts? What was your favorite ice cream treat as a child? Where do you remember buying ice cream?
  • Define "sweet tooth." Ask: Did you ever satisfy your sweet tooth cravings with ice cream? What other sweets do you enjoy?
  • Reminisce about the Baskin-Robbins ice cream stores of the 1940s. Remember the "31" flavors and pink spoons? Ask: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Least favorite? Most unusual?
  • Share recollections of working in a soda shop or ice cream parlor. Display an old soda jerk uniform. Make simple white paper hats for your group. Serve ice cream sodas or floats, using tall glasses, soda spoons, and straws.
  • Hold an ice cream taste test, using various brands of the same flavor. Talk about the differences in texture and flavor and vote for a favorite. Or, hold an ice cream flavor-guessing contest.
  • Display vintage ice cream collectibles, such as scoopers, fluted sundae dishes, ice cream molds, or sherbet glasses.
  • Plan an intergenerational ice cream social.
  • Reminisce about one of the sweet sounds of summer: the Good Humor Ice Cream truck with bells and uniformed drivers. Sample a Good Humor Ice Cream Bar.
  • Name some popular ice cream makers, e.g., Ben & Jerry’s, Carvel, Dairy Queen, Good Humor, Haagen-Dazs, Schwan’s, Baskin-Robbins. Ask: Which of these ice creams have you enjoyed? What are the differences between these ice creams? Which do you like best?
  • Sample other types of frozen desserts, such as custard, sherbet, gelato, sorbet, yogurt, granita, or spumoni. Talk about the texture/taste of the treats, compared to regular ice cream.
  • Share memories of 1940s/1950s neighborhood ice cream parlors. Ask: Did you prefer family-owned ice cream parlors to national chains such as Friendly’s? Were the ice cream shops considered social centers in the town? What do you remember about the soda fountain, jukebox, and large booths?
  • Sample soft-serve ice cream and talk about a favorite: Dairy Queen. Ask participants if they enjoyed walking up to the ice cream window and placing their order. Did they prefer the drive-through service?
  • Listen to the song "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream," by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians.
  • Set up a make-your-own sundae bar, complete with toppings, sauces, syrups, whipped cream, and cherries.

The ElderSong catalog is full of helpful resources to celebrate the ice cream season. Check out a few of them below.

Continue to look for upcoming editions of this newsletter the last week of the month. Our newsletter contains useful information to make your job of working with older adults more fulfilling. In this issue, you’ll find:








CELEBRATE NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH

Looking for some tasty summertime treats to prepare with your group? You’ll find a simple recipe for Ice Cream in a Bag as well as favorites such as Fruit Cobbler, Creamy Fruit Dip, Strawberry Muffins, and Peach Griddlecakes in It’s IN the Bag Cookbook by Marion Thomas. The book contains recipes that can be served without a lot of mess or fuss. All ingredients are mixed in a reclosable plastic bag, providing a clutter-free and sanitary environment. Recipes can be prepared with the use of portable equipment such as a toaster oven, electric frying pan, and a hot plate. Over 70 simple recipes for appetizers, muffins & quick breads, main dishes, desserts, and candies are included in this novel book.

Remember sharing an ice cream cone with your children on a warm summer night or trying the newest flavor at the local ice cream shop? Many senior adults were busy raising families in the 1950s, but they managed to find the time for some old-fashioned fun. The Reader’s Digest DVD The Fabulous 50s: The Fun and Feel of America’s Dream Decade will provide your group with an overview of American culture and history in the Fifties, when television became the new medium of the home. You’ll relive the days of suburbia, Elvis, I Love Lucy, Thunderbirds, and Ike and Mamie Eisenhower. Enjoy music from the decade by Nat "King" Cole, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Liberace. Hear from celebrities such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bogart & Bacall as well as TV personalities, sports heroes, and entertainers. The DVD includes coverage of world and national events such as President Truman and the Korean War, the elections of 1952 and 1956, McCarthyism, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, the opening of Disneyland, the launching of Sputnik, and more!

One of the delights of grandparenthood is sharing an afternoon of fun with the grandchildren. Ask participants to recall a favorite activity, such as baking cookies or buying some ice cream from the Good Humor man. Chicken Soup for the Grandparent’s Soul: Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Grandparents will stir up nostalgic memories among group members. Your find stories of love, humor, and wisdom grouped under themes such as The Joys of Grandparenting, A Grandparent’s Love, A Grandparent’s Wisdom, Passing on a Legacy, When the Kids Teach Us, Special Connections, and Too Busy for the Rocking Chair. Celebrate and honor grandparents through some storytelling. The stories are perfect for a read-aloud session with your group, followed by a 1950s classic, a hot fudge sundae!






ICE CREAM TRIVIA QUIZ

Ice cream is a sweet summer treat, for all ages. Get the scoop with this trivia quiz. (Note: Some questions are taken from the ElderSong trivia book, Mind Joggers, Volume 3, by Sandy Minor.)

  1. When was the ice cream cone invented? At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair
  2. Finish this popular ice cream slogan: "What would you do for a ________ Bar?" Klondike
  3. Which flavor of ice cream is the most popular in America? Vanilla
  4. What is the person who prepares sodas and ice cream at a soda fountain called? Soda jerk
  5. Which ice cream chain is noted for its pink tasting spoon? Baskin-Robbins
  6. What is a double dip? Two dips of ice cream per cone or dish
  7. This special dessert consists of ice cream, sponge cake, and meringue, baked in the oven for several minutes. Baked Alaska
  8. What is Neapolitan ice cream? Brick ice cream in layers of different flavors, usually vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry
  9. What is gelato? Italian-style ice cream
  10. What is the brand name of the first chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar (formerly called "I-Scream-Bar")? Eskimo Pie





    FEATURED PRODUCTS JUNE MAY - 15% off

    It’s IN the Bag Cookbook - 88-page book. Regularly $13.50. Sale price $11.45.

    The Fabulous 50s: The Fun and Feel of America’s Dream Decade - 122-minute DVD. Regularly $24.95. Sale price $21.20.

    Chicken Soup for the Grandparent’s Soul: Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Grandparents - 333-page book. Regularly $14.95. Sale price $12.70.






    THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

    "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." ~ Helen Keller




    The ElderSong online newsletter is written by Sue Hansen.
    Copyright © 2008, ElderSong Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.