| The Activity Director's Office Presents Activity Ideas That Work by Gina Salazar, AD |
| NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES |
| Proclamation Washington, D.C. October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln |
| Giving Thanks (Author Unknown) For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped, For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped, For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb, For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home -- Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land, For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand, For the good that our artists and poets have taught, For the friendship that hope and affection have brought -- Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! For the homes that with purest affection are blest, For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest, For our country extending from sea unto sea; The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" -- Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! |
| Thanksgiving Word search: Look for the words, they are all horizontal. turkey,stuffing,cranberrysauce, blessings,pilgrims, indians,rolls,gravy,corn,pie, dinnertime. T U R K E Y F O G H S J D E R O L L S B S I M O H K H M G R A V Y O N U C O R N I T P U D S G T O J H D S W I F B L E S S I N G S L J S I T E P I E V C F R Y A S U C F T I N D I A N S I Y M D S B O Y P I L G R I M S Y F D M G E S T U F F I N G I L C B N H S C R A N B E R R Y S A U C E D I N N E R T I M E D F C U I Fall Word Game: "What am I" I am full of seeds- A candle is placed in me- My face is made to be scary sometimes- answer- A Pumpkin Fall is my season- I come in many colors- My floral name is hard to spell- answer-Chrysanthemum In the summertime I'm all dressed up- I'm lonely in the fall- The crows are afraid of me- answer-Scarecrow I have two legs- My least favorite time of year is Thanksgiving- Stuffed and dressed, I'm mouthwatering- answer- A Turkey I was green but now I'm colored- Trees look bare without me- answer- Leaves I love nuts- I'm a real chatterer- My cheeks are great for storage- answer- A Squirrel I am a type of berry- I am always paired with a Turkey Dinner- answer-Cranberry sauce My other name is Horn of plenty- I can hold harvest samples- I am a symbol of Thansgiving- answer- Cornucopia |
| What's Cookin' Grandma's Baked Apples you will need: 4 large apples,peeled and halved 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Directions: Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Dip the apple halves into the mixture. Place a dab of the butter into the middle of each apple and place in a baking dish.Cover with plastic and microwave on high for 6-9 minutes.Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8. |
| SPAM™ Pinwheels Prep Time: 1 hour CookTime Time: 30 minutes Servings: 16 Serving Size: 1 piece Ingredients - 1 (1-pound) loaf frozen bread dough thawed - 1/4 cup pizza sauce - 1 SPAM® Classic (7-ounce) can cubed - 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese - 2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini - additional pizza sauce Directions Roll bread dough out on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Brush pizza sauce over bread dough. Sprinkle SPAM®, cheese, and pepperoncini over dough. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion; pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends.) Cut roll into 16 slices. Place slices, cut side down, on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with pizza sauce. Nutrition 146 Calories 6 Grams Fat 8 Grams Protein 19 Milligrams Cholesterol 15 Grams Carbohydrates 619 Milligrams Sodium |
| SPAM™ Enchiladas Prep Time: 30 minutes CookTime Time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients - 1 SPAM® Classic (12-ounce) can finely chopped - 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided - 1 green bell pepper diced - 1/2 cup chopped onion - 1 cup CHI-CHI'S® Salsa divided - 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas - Shredded lettuce - Chopped tomato Directions Heat oven to 350°F. In bowl, combine SPAM®, 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, bell pepper, onion, and 1/4 cup salsa. Spoon cheese mixture down center of each tortilla; roll tightly. Place seam-side down in 13x9-inch baking dish. Spoon remaining salsa evenly over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomato. Nutrition 749 Calories 46 Grams Fat 41 Grams Protein 150 Milligrams Cholesterol 47 Grams Carbohydrates 1,657 Milligrams Sodium |
| Thanksgiving Games Thanksgiving Turkey Trot: Get one resident and one family or staff member per team. Then they will get the resident and go through an obstacle course. I have always done this in a patio/courtyard area with a lot of room. Basically all you do is set up an obstacle course and have your teams take turns going through the course holding onto a frozen turkey(or stuffed animal turkey),they go through the course and the one that has the best time wins! One example of a Turkey Trot Obstacle Course: Have residents start at the starting line,then say go(start the clock)then the first thing they do is go in and out of a bunch of potted plants or cones,then they have to pick up a flag,then they have to go under a stick(broom,whatever)then they have to knock over something(soda cans,milk cartons)then they go through one more set of cones and at the end they take their turkey and toss it into a pan. The team with the best time wins!Give small prizes to everyone that participates. Cornucopia Relay Race: Go to the 99 cent store or Dollar Tree store and pick up some small Cornucopia baskets,then get plastic fruits and some walnuts and other items to fill the cornucopias up with. Then you will put the items all over your facility and give the participants clues on where to find the items at in your facility. They will start by holding their cornucopia baskets and the first clue on where to find the first item,when they find the first item,it will have the clue to find the second item and so on, the first one to fill there cornucopia wins! Thanksgiving Feast Scavenger Hunt: This is fun for groups of two-four. Give each group a large piece of paper(draw a large "table" on each paper),scissors,glue sticks,and about 10 magazines each. The object of this game is to set the table for a huge Thanksgiving Feast. Each team will get a list of Thanksgiving Feast items to find,cut out and paste onto the table(the piece of paper). Example of stuff to look for in the magazines: turkey,stuffing,people eating,families,pies,cookies, drinks,silverware, plates,corn,butter,rolls,potatoes, yams,a ham,etc. Give the team a time limit, usually 15 minutes is good. At the end of the time limit,the team with the most items from the list cut out of the magazines and pasted on their "Table" wins! |
| Thankful Tree: You will need: terra cota pot soil tree branches construction paper (different colors) ribbon hole puncher Directions: Put the tree branches in a pot full of soil,arrange them to look like a tree,then have residents make leaves out of construction paper and have them write down what they are thankful for on each leaf,then attach the leaves to the"tree" with the ribbon.Set in the middle of the table. |
| Dress the Turkey: Give each participate a paper turkey( a drawing of a turkey) and other items to "dress" the turkey with. Crayons,markers,feathers,se quins,beads,stickers,etc. Have everyone "dress" their turkey then have a satff member or Dept.Head come in and pick the "Best Dressed " Turkey. |
Copyright 2004-Today The Activity Director's Office All rights reserved DISCLAIMER |
| Gina Salazar, AD |