OCTOBER 2010 - THE COLORS OF FALL



What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of autumn? Color, of course. The leaves of trees burst into an array of vibrant colors - from green to hues of red, orange, and yellow. And that's not all. There are red apples, orange pumpkins, purple grapes, golden wheat stalks, brown nuts and acorns, and multi-colored chrysanthemums. Celebrate the season with a few simple activities that will bring the colors of fall indoors. Your group might enjoy some of the following suggestions.

  • Ask participants to name colorful items they can find at these fall destinations: fruit orchard, pumpkin patch, corn maze, farmers' market, winery, garden center, cider mill.
  • Name some shades of red, yellow, orange, green, brown, and purple. (Examples: mustard, amber, scarlet, chocolate) Gather some fallen leaves, and ask participants to name the shades of color in the leaf - e.g., burgundy, bronze, crimson.
  • Listen to Frank Sinatra's rendition of "Autumn Leaves" or Johnny Mathis' version of "Autumn in New York."
  • Plan a fall foliage trip to the six New England states, even if it's just a trip of the imagination. Decide: towns to visit, historical sites to see, and classic recipes to taste. If possible, take a local drive to see the changing colors of fall.
  • Ask participants to use words to describe the sound, smell, look, and texture of leaves on a windy day in the fall. (Example: sound of leaves - rustle, sway, crunch; smell of leaves - earthy, dusty, moldy; look of leaves - dancing, swirling, circling; texture of leaves - crisp, dry, brittle)
  • Display a colorful fall accent: small pots of vibrant mums. Learn the symbolism of the chrysanthemum, the flower for November birthdays.
  • Invite local photographers to display pictures of fall foliage. Hold up leaves from various trees (e.g., maple, oak, birch, elm, hickory, ash), and ask participants to guess the type of tree.
  • Fill a bowl with red, green, and yellow apples. Make some simple apple treats, like apple fritters, with your group. (See the recipes in The Special Needs Cooking Experience, a featured product for October.)
  • Read the ingredients in some old-fashioned corn dishes - corn pudding, cornbread, corn fritters, corn chowder, corn mush, corn relish - and ask your group to guess the recipe.
  • Display some basic canning equipment and some jars of colorful canned fruits and vegetables. (Examples: tomato juice, pickled beets, homemade grape jelly) Reminisce about the fall home canning season. Ask the ladies if they used the old Ball Blue Book, a guide to canning and freezing.
  • For nature lovers: enjoy an afternoon of verse by New England poet Robert Frost. Suggestions: "Nothing Gold Can Stay," "Gathering Leaves," "After Apple Picking," "The Cow in Apple Time," "A Late Walk," "The Road Not Taken," "October," "My November Guest."
  • Plan a vintage fall fashion show - 1950s style. Get samples of fall fabrics from a fabric store to pass around. Many calicos, found in a quilt shop, will have leaf designs in them. Reminisce about popular fall shades of color.
  • Explore how cranberries are grown. Create a mini-cranberry wreath with a colorful fall ribbon.
  • Learn the history of a fall treat: candy corn. Hold a candy corn toss (use a plastic pumpkin). Guess the number of corn kernels in a clear canning jar.

For more fall-themed activities, check out some of the resources highlighted 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 the following:

  • The Colors of Fall Resources
  • Apple Trivia Quiz
  • Featured Products for October
  • Thought for Month





    • THE COLORS OF FALL RESOURCES

    The fall season is a time of harvest. Share recollections of a family trip to the fruit orchard and enjoy a few apple treats with your group. In The Special Needs Cooking Experience, you'll find easy recipes for Apple Fritters, Applesauce, and Apples Teresa. More than 60 tasty recipes, including appetizers, salads and soups, breads, snacks, and desserts, are featured in the book. Participants can enjoy simple tasks such as measuring, stirring, and rolling. Recipes are adapted for people with special needs, Alzheimer's, and other dementias. Sample recipes: Gazpacho, Homemade Noodles, Ice Cream in a Bag, No Bake Bars, Vegetable Pizza, Waldorf Salad.

    Local Oktoberfests are a big fall attraction. Fill the air with some lively polka music and reminisce about the fun event. Watch the DVD Frank Yankovic: America's Polka King, a documentary about the life and career of a great musician and performer who became a household name to millions of Americans in the 1940s and 1950s. Frank was inducted into the Polka Music Hall of Fame in 1969 and won a Polka Grammy Award in 1986. Enjoy hits such as the sentimental favorite "The Blue Skirt Waltz" or "Just Because," "Beer Barrel Polka," and "Clarinet Polka." Sample some Black Forest cake or apple strudel as you enjoy the film, hosted by Myron Floren.

    Make some colorful fall decorations, like a Fabric Pumpkin, Bird Plant Pick, Cinnamon Turkey, Pumpkin Necklace, or Fall Leaves with Raffia. Detailed instructions for these crafts are found in the ElderSong resource Crafts Through the Year. This craft book provides three simple craft projects for each month and includes supply lists, instructions, illustrations, patterns, and photos.

    Munch on pumpkin cookies and cider as you have some old-fashioned fun on a glorious fall day with ElderSong's newest product, Finishing Words. The word game book, a companion to ElderSong's Finishing Lines, will challenge your group to complete words instead of sentences, with 1500 words in 45 categories. (You'll find some helpful tips for using the book with your group in the introduction.) Here's a sample of the categories: BACK, CAR, FIN, GAL, LINE, MAN, PEN, TIME, WIN.

    Example: Words that begin and end with BACK. What students often carry to school - Backpack; A board game - Backgammon; One way to carry children - Piggyback; A type of whale - Humpback






    APPLE TRIVIA QUIZ

    1. Name some varieties of apples that begin with the letter 'g'. Gala, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Grimes Golden, Granny Smith (Other answers are possible.)
    2. What shades of skin are found on most apples? Red, yellow, or green
    3. If an apple tastes sour, it is called what? Tart
    4. Finish the old saying: "An apple a day..." Keeps the doctor away
    5. Which state produces the most apples? Washington
    6. Which U.S. city is called "the Big Apple"? New York City
    7. Which fiber ingredient in apples helps to lower your cholesterol? Pectin
    8. Who sister singing group sang the World War II hit "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)"? Andrews Sisters
    9. John Chapman was a pioneer who introduced apple trees to parts of the Midwest. What was his nickname? Johnny Appleseed
    10. Describe someone who is considered a "rotten apple." A bad influence





    FEATURED PRODUCTS FOR OCTOBER

    The Special Needs Cooking Experience - 60-page book with 64 recipes - Regularly $20.95.

    Frank Yankovic: America's Polka King - 55-minute DVD - Regularly $19.95.

    Crafts Through the Year - 90-page book with 36 projects - Regularly $16.95.

    Finishing Words - 47-page book with 45 sections - Regularly $9.95.


    THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

    "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." ~ Phyllis Diller





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    The ElderSong online newsletter is written by Sue Hansen.
    Copyright © 2010, ElderSong Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.