St. Louis Readers
Connections
Summer  2009  Issue 3
Happy Summer 2009!  St. Louis Readers was created to provide resource options for seniors with a focus on  
increasing brain activity through reading, communication, interaction and fun.

This innovative publication is designed to provide you with valuable information and activity ideas for you and
your residents. You can contact us anytime with feedback or specific topic requests by e-mailing
Len@StLouisReaders.com.
This Month’s Focus: Vacations
The following Activity Topic has been borrowed and condensed from the “Cognitive Expressions First Aid Kit”.

Activity Topic: Vacations
Ice Breaker Joke:  Q: What did the pig say at the beach on a hot summer's day?     A: I'm bacon!
Corresponding Web Link Material: http://www.loti.com/fifties_history/There_Goes_Summer.htm
Corresponding Reading Material:   “Courtney’s Love Lesson” pg 196 Chicken Soup for the Grandparent’s Soul
Discussion Suggestions:
Have each participant naming their favorite vacation memory.
Additional Questions for Group:    
What places have you been to?  How old were you?  Who did you go with?
Did you travel with relatives or visit relatives?  How did you get there…..car, plane, train, boat?
Did you ever go to a beach?  Did it rain?  Did it snow?  What areas of the country were your favorite and why?
Additional Optional Props:
A beach ball to toss around.
Some pictures from magazines of beaches or hot vacations spots and maybe some postcards.
Some sea shells to pass around.

How About A Game?
Play a guessing game of I-SPY or Animal, Vegetable, Mineral with your residents. It is so easy and so much fun!
It is certain to bring back memories of travel times or family times when they were children.
Reverse Edible BINGO!
We took an old favorite and revamped it for super summer fun!
Only requirement: Standard Bingo Game and Snacks.
Here’s how you play:
Pass out the cards from your regular Bingo game. Begin with each card covered with M&M’s, raisin’s or some
other tasty treat. Remember to leave the middle spot empty! As the numbers are called out the residents will have to look under each
treat to see what  number they have. If their number is called, they get to eat the treat on the square! Once there is an empty Bingo
row the resident can shout BINGO! This will definitely rewire some mental connections!!
Create A Sensory Experience For Your Residents….
Let The Cognitive Expressions First Aid Kit make your life easier! This
incredible product provides you with 52 weeks of activities to enjoy
with your residents. Specifically designed to utilize a positive and
interactive approach that engages the body, mind and spirit.  
Participants are guided through an incredible sensory experience by
calling on smells, touch, visuals and auditory stimulation to reanimate  
memories, triggering conversation and fun!
Place Your Order Today at   www.StLouisReaders.com
Recipes……Please!
Many recipes are passed from generation to generation. Just because many of your residents are no longer working in the kitchen, doesn't  
mean that they don’t still have their recipe boxes or even some recipes still in their memories. In some cases, there are lifetimes of delicious
recipes that could be shared with others. So how about creating a “Recipe Book”?  Ask your residents to share their favorite or unusual
recipes with you along with their personal story or memory about it. Publish these recipes in a simple book to share with everyone. This
would make a great handout for visitors and family members or could be a monthly addition to your own resident newsletter.

And if you want to take it up a notch…….

If the powers that be are open…….perhaps one of the recipes could be featured on your weekly menu with full credit going to the “Recipe
Creator” as well as a round of applause!
Around The World In 80 Days...

Here is an idea for a daily or weekly guessing game involving vacation and travel. It’s called “Locate Lucy” and here is how you play.
Pick a  location anywhere around the world and come up with 4 hints about that location. Maybe a favorite food or a landmark or a spoken
language unique to that particular area. You could post the clues on a print out or give the clues at breakfast then announce the winners
at dinner time. Be sure to pin up a large world map and allow your residents to track “Lucy’s” adventures with extra large thumb tacks or
stick on arrows.
Summer Fun Quote:
"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."
Russel Baker
St. Louis Readers

Call today to schedule a
Reading Activity Session
for your residents.
314-567-3616
www.StLouisReaders.com
Knock ’em over with indoor bowling! Find household items that will tumble over easily, such as empty cereal boxes,
empty soda cans or small stuffed toys and align them in a row like bowling pins. Have the residents roll a medium size
ball toward the items. They score a point for each object they knock down.Keep track of the points and reward the
winner with a small dollar store item.
Now you can increase the sound volume from any computer or i pod and connect it easily into a larger more powerful sound system.
This really assists everyone to enjoy the incredible
amount of information, sound bites and podcasts found solely on the internet. Check
with your local Radio Shack, providing them with the details of your equipment. They
will be able to select the  appropriate cable for your needs and you will be up and
“broadcasting” in no time!
Did You Know?

The Ice Cream Cone was invented for the
St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair!
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Watch Out For
Hungry Cheaters!  
Now Hear This……
Get Playful!