Quote to ponder under the apple tree
Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
~Martha Graham (born May 11, 1894)
Resources to bite into
1. Dance the night away *
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly uses a quiz on famous dancers born in May to combine the celebration of International Dance Week April 24 through May 3 with Tap Dancing Day on May 25. The latter is a day which particularly celebrates the life of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, whose birthday (as nearly as can be determined) was that date in 1878. Mr. Robinson did not gain the attention of white audiences until he was paired with Shirley Temple in a series of 1930s films, but in his lifetime of dancing he influenced thousands of performers and forged surprising alliances – his funeral in 1949 was arranged by Ed Sullivan and attended by 32,000 people. Few people can match his talent, but we can all dance to our own music. (The dance illustrated in this photo can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCFYpWDmfM.)
2. Thinking about your demise *
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly also combines the end of Humor Month with the beginning of the Merry Month of May and the celebration of Cartoonist Day (May 5) by featuring the delightful book Last Laughs, Cartoons about Aging, Retirement . . . and the Great Beyond, edited by cartoonist Mort Gerberg. Contemplating aging and our own funerals has never been so funny. I was especially intrigued by the answers the cartoonists gave to the seven questions Mort Gerberg posed to each of them. For example, when he asked, “How would you prefer to arrive at The End?” several cartoonists answered, “Late,” “Unexpectedly,” and “Out of breath.” To order Last Laughs, click here.
3. May 1 is Lei Day *
Hawaiians celebrate their special symbol of hospitality every May 1 with a wide variety of events, only a few of which center on lei-making. If you can’t make it to Hawaii this Friday, consider bestowing hospitality of your own by giving someone an unexpected bouquet or a pineapple or a party!
* These items are easily adapted when working with people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Tips/ideas/insights to savor
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly has a discussion page which uses unusual questions asked of Marilyn Vos Savant who writes a weekly “Ask Marilyn” column in Parade magazine. It also uses book titles from David Feldman and unusual questions found on websites like http://www.hintsandthings.com/games/imponderable.htm. The point of the discussion page is simply to amuse (or perhaps to start a conversation about something other than the weather):
Why is it that my lipstick doesn’t last on my lips for more than 10 minutes, but remains on my glass even after it has been through the dishwasher?
We sometimes say, “That’s Greek to me” when we don’t know an answer. What do the Greeks say?
However, another way to use the questions is as a matching game in which partners are found by giving each person a sign with half a question written in 4-inch letters and asking them to find their other half:
When a bank is sold . . . who gets all the money?
Where does weight go . . . when people lose it?
Do bees . . . get wax in their ears?
How does the man who drives the snow plough . . . get to work?
How does an aspirin . . . find a headache?
Why do clocks . . . run clockwise?
Why do irons . . . have a permanent press setting?
If you choke a Smurf . . . what color does it turn?
When partners are found, line everyone up for amusing reading.
Still another way to use this idea is ask your group to brainstorm unusual questions of their own.
Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
~Martha Graham (born May 11, 1894)
Resources to bite into
1. Dance the night away *
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly uses a quiz on famous dancers born in May to combine the celebration of International Dance Week April 24 through May 3 with Tap Dancing Day on May 25. The latter is a day which particularly celebrates the life of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, whose birthday (as nearly as can be determined) was that date in 1878. Mr. Robinson did not gain the attention of white audiences until he was paired with Shirley Temple in a series of 1930s films, but in his lifetime of dancing he influenced thousands of performers and forged surprising alliances – his funeral in 1949 was arranged by Ed Sullivan and attended by 32,000 people. Few people can match his talent, but we can all dance to our own music. (The dance illustrated in this photo can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCFYpWDmfM.)
2. Thinking about your demise *
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly also combines the end of Humor Month with the beginning of the Merry Month of May and the celebration of Cartoonist Day (May 5) by featuring the delightful book Last Laughs, Cartoons about Aging, Retirement . . . and the Great Beyond, edited by cartoonist Mort Gerberg. Contemplating aging and our own funerals has never been so funny. I was especially intrigued by the answers the cartoonists gave to the seven questions Mort Gerberg posed to each of them. For example, when he asked, “How would you prefer to arrive at The End?” several cartoonists answered, “Late,” “Unexpectedly,” and “Out of breath.” To order Last Laughs, click here.
3. May 1 is Lei Day *
Hawaiians celebrate their special symbol of hospitality every May 1 with a wide variety of events, only a few of which center on lei-making. If you can’t make it to Hawaii this Friday, consider bestowing hospitality of your own by giving someone an unexpected bouquet or a pineapple or a party!
* These items are easily adapted when working with people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Tips/ideas/insights to savor
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly has a discussion page which uses unusual questions asked of Marilyn Vos Savant who writes a weekly “Ask Marilyn” column in Parade magazine. It also uses book titles from David Feldman and unusual questions found on websites like http://www.hintsandthings.com/games/imponderable.htm. The point of the discussion page is simply to amuse (or perhaps to start a conversation about something other than the weather):
Why is it that my lipstick doesn’t last on my lips for more than 10 minutes, but remains on my glass even after it has been through the dishwasher?
We sometimes say, “That’s Greek to me” when we don’t know an answer. What do the Greeks say?
However, another way to use the questions is as a matching game in which partners are found by giving each person a sign with half a question written in 4-inch letters and asking them to find their other half:
When a bank is sold . . . who gets all the money?
Where does weight go . . . when people lose it?
Do bees . . . get wax in their ears?
How does the man who drives the snow plough . . . get to work?
How does an aspirin . . . find a headache?
Why do clocks . . . run clockwise?
Why do irons . . . have a permanent press setting?
If you choke a Smurf . . . what color does it turn?
When partners are found, line everyone up for amusing reading.
Still another way to use this idea is ask your group to brainstorm unusual questions of their own.
Let the ever-ripening Wiser Now website become the apple of your eye.
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