Hello Autumn, 2020

 

For the first time in years, autumn arrived (September 22) and it actually felt like autumn outside!  We began another stellar AoA week with cool, crisp air and low humidity...just the kind we liked.  It rained (again!) toward the end of the week, but we're pretty used to rain these days!  Here's a glimpse at our week at the AFCC...

Tuesday

We finally remembered to get a picture of our fabulous Tuesday Zoom group!  We were all smiles as we got ready for our dance warm up, followed by a lesson for National Elephant Appreciation Day.  Lilly, our Arc intern, continues to join us from the campus of CNU, and Devin joined us this week from his family's beach house in OBX.  It's great to see all these smiling faces from near and far!

Our Zoom dance song today was from Disney's Teen Beach Movie, and is called "Cruisin' for a Bruisin'."  It's one of Sam's favorites, and he really gets "down" for it!  (How does he do that?!)

When we went outside for a nice, long walk, some of us were straggling behind looking at the Grove Community Garden.  That prompted Cameron, Liz, and Alexis to stop and ask what was keeping us?

Last week we took a picture on a new blue bench, but Cameron was absent from that day.  So we did another photo shoot of them today, on a different bench!

National Talk Like a Pirate Day was recently, and we always have fun when pirates are involved.  Today, we listened to a story online about a kid who is playing in the sand at the beach one moment, and becomes a pirate (with Capt'n Braid Beard) the next!  It was all fun and games until the kid found out pirates don't brush their teeth, read anything but treasure maps, or "tuck in" with good night kisses at bedtime!

After the story, we did an activity where everyone ended up with a pirate name!  Based on a selection of random numbers matched with a code, we came up with some pretty interesting names for ourselves.  Can you guess who became Big Boot Bart, One Ear Bonnie, or Black Tooth Sue?  So much fun!

Later in the afternoon, we talked about the autumnal equinox, and learned that it meant the first day of autumn when there are equal amounts of daylight and darkness, about 12 hours each. 

 Of course, from here on out, it will be darker days taking over, until we get to the vernal (spring) equinox, when daylight will prevail once again!  Seems a long way off...

We played a game that involved listening to clues so you could reply if you had the answer, and then give the next clue.  The first person to run out of clues was the winner.  

We caught on quickly, but were much faster the second time we played!

Alexis had fun trying to pronounce "cornucopia" when reading one of her clues!  (Followed by a quick review of what a cornucopia is!) 

Wednesday

It was a pretty day outside, but we were busy during the morning learning about Nebraska and preparing our lunch, so the guys spent some time in between tasks in the gym.  Patrick hit a few baskets and Cameron walked a few laps.

Sam also walked laps.  We miss not having all of our AoA gang here so we can play organized games.  Luckily, they really enjoy walking around the gym or shooting hoops.

We got a recipe from Kate's mom for a broccoli noodle casserole.  This is the sauce mixture.  Besides broccoli, we also added onions, celery, and cheese.  This is enough for two casseroles, as we decided to make Friday's today and just reheat it for Friday's group.  It was a labor intensive recipe, but oh, so tasty, as you can guess from this photo!

This is what we jokingly called our "prize winning photo of elbow macaroni!"

Alexis and Liz prepped delicious salads for everyone.   They even took special orders, like no onions for Carol, Sam, and Lisa!  Thanks, girls!

Here's another ingredient we used today - popcorn!  In our study of the Cornhusker State, Nebraska, we checked our United Tastes of America book and found a recipe for popcorn balls.  We asked the gang if that sounded good, and the answer was a resounding "yes!"

We heated up some corn syrup and marshmallows until the marshmallows melted, stirred the mixture into the popped corn, and sprayed everyone's hands with cooking spray.  Cameron got right on it and made several little popcorn balls, which he proceeded to also eat right away!  Besides French fries, this guy also loves popcorn!

Tah-dah!  Liz seeemed surprised that hers held together!

Sam decided to make several smaller sized ones, so he could take them home and share with his parents.  How thoughtful!  They were tasty!

That broccoli sauce combined with the macaroni, and topped with a few homemade bread crumbs, turned into this yummy lunch!  Thanks, Elizabeth T., for the recipe!! 🥦🥦🥦

We learned that Lincoln is the capital city of Nebraska, but Omaha is the largest city, and home to fun things to do, including visit a park right in the middle of downtown called the Gene Leahy Mall, where we thought it would be fun to take the SLIDE down, instead of the stairs!  When we did further research on these slides with our other group, we found out this park had been torn down for revitalization, with plans to reopen next year.  BUT, the slides will still be there, so let's go!

After lunch, during Choice Time, Lisa said she was going outside for a "bonus" walk since the weather was so beautiful.  She was thrilled when everyone agreed to get off their devices or puzzles and join her!

It has been a while since we organized the headset box.  We appreciate Cameron untangling them for us so we can sanitize them.  Most of the guys use the laptops without headsets, but they will be ready for those may wish to wear them.

Our final activity on Wednesday was yoga with Jaime.  Lots of movement for the guys as they participated in "Mermaid and Pirate" yoga!

Ahh, the feel-good twist near the end!  

Thursday

We had been looking forward to today's Zoom session for a couple of weeks.  It was finally time to play Disney Song Bingo!

At AFCC, Lisa set up the Zoom on her laptop and the songs on a separate one.  With the help of Liz (on Tuesday), she connected a blue tooth speaker to the song computer.  To play the game, she used the song computer and hoped everyone could hear the sound of the songs.  We think it was successful...but there's probably a better way?!?!?!? 😝

On another note, Annmarie's mom, Teresa, popped on and gave us an update about her recovery from open heart surgery.  She's doing well, but is having a number of therapists visit her at home to work on regaining strength, improving her breathing, and helping to restore her speech after vocal chord damage that was caused by the ventilator she was on during a bout with pneumonia.  Teresa, we're all pulling for you!  Stay the course and follow all the orders from your doctors and therapists. You've got this!  💙💚💛💜

Even though it was a cloudy day, we went for a midmorning walk with this group and got to check out the giant map on the blacktop.  We reminisced about a number of past states we've studied, and also found this week's state, Nebraska!

Fire drill!  We were at our tables enjoying a quiet Choice Time, when the alarm sounded not long after we finished lunch!

Speaking of Choice Time, this is how to socially distance and watch a video with your friend on her phone!  Couldn't y'all see better if you used one of our laptops?!  UPDATE:  Lexi and Kate repeated this activity with a laptop on Friday! 👀💻 

After watching the story about the kid who runs off with pirates, we did the activity where everyone randomly picked numbers and matched them to a code to figure out their pirate names.  Kevin ended up becoming the Long Boot Kid!  In the background is Abraham, who became Jolly Bottom Bart!   We had fun "celebrating" Talk Like a Pirate Day.  So silly we are sometimes!

Yes, we love the gym!  Walking, shooting baskets, bouncing balls...we don't tire of it, thank goodness!

Kevin's mom gave us some big, bouncy balls earlier this summer, and they are so much fun to play with!

Xavier alternated hands as he bounced this one around the gym several times!  Good coordination, X!

Near the end of the day, we talked about the start of autumn, and how Tuesday was the autumnal equinox, which meant equal amounts of daylight and night.  Then, we played the listening game and Carol stood by to help Abraham read his cards.  He did very well!

Friday

We couldn't help but notice when we walked in on Friday that our room is looking very well-decorated, and we thank Carol for painstakingly adhering all of it to the walls!  With just a little coloring here and there, then some cutting and pasting, we create seasonal murals along our falls that definitely liven up the room!

The Thursday / Friday group was ready to learn about Nebraska, especially its ties to corn!  We watched our Homeschool POP video and learned that the University of Nebraska's football team was called the "Bugeaters" until around 1900.  At that time the name was changed to reflect the fact that Nebraska grows a lot of corn, so they became the "Cornhuskers."  The football team's new nickname appealed to others, and soon, all Nebraskans were referred to as "Cornhuskers!" 🌽🌽🌽

This group said, "Let's just get to the corn already."  What they meant was the popcorn!  From our United Tastes of America book, we decided to make the recipe included in the section about Nebraska:  popcorn balls!

Abraham's hands were sprayed with cooking spray and he got busy squeezing the popcorn together.  He was so excited to taste his creation, he didn't care if it was a ball or not!  We didn't get a picture, but Kevin is so strong, he squeezed his popcorn balls almost flat!  It didn't matter, they tasted great no matter their shape!

 

Alexis gave the broccoli noodle casserole a thumbs up!  It was a dreary, rainy day, and the hot meal for lunch hit the spot!  As you can see, we continue to eat our meals in the larger room at AFCC, to allow for social distancing of each other.  We kind of miss our cozy lunchroom space, though!

During the map skills portion of our Nebraska lessons, Alexis helped Xavier with his labeling.  She was pointing out that there are a lot of rivers in the Cornhusker State.  In fact, Nebraska has more miles of rivers than any other state at nearly 80,000! 

 

This week we added a new board game to our collection.   Disney's "Eye Found It" comes with a 3 part game board that assembles like a puzzle, to become six feet long.  We kept each part separate and modified the rules to make the game socially-distant.  

We were in a race to spot items on our game board and be the first to reach Cinderella's castle.  We didn't have enough time to finish, but when we called it a game, Abraham was the closest to the castle!  We enjoyed our new game!

After wiping down and putting away our tables for the week, we ended the day with "Mermaid and Pirate" yoga with Jaime.  Good stretching and a good story...a good way to end the week!

REMINDER:  We will be walking a Fun Mile on Monday at the Warhill Sports Complex at 11 a.m., followed by a picnic lunch.  Meet at the baseball field parking lot, wear your walking shoes, pack a lunch, and hope for good weather!  Hope to see you there!  (Let Lisa know to expect you.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang

Here's our agenda for next week:

Tuesday / Thursday:  We will Zoom with our at home friends.  Tuesday's topic is Mystery Doug:  Where Does Salt Come From? and on Thursday we will celebrate National Fire Pup Day, and learn about Dalmatians.  At the center, we will work on our October calendar, and also have a delayed lesson for Johnny Appleseed Day (Sept. 26).  We'll have apples and dips for a snack, but lunch on your own!  P.S.  We're also starting a new read-aloud, The New Kid, a graphic novel we will read together on the big screen!

Wednesday / Friday:  We'll study the 38th state this week:  Colorado.  Lunch will be hot dogs and Cowboy Charro Beans (from our cookbook)!  We will also create a Halloween garland to decorate our white board.  We may have Eaton work, too.  Also, dress to stretch, for yoga!

Last Week of Summer, 2020

 

We marked the last week of summer 2020 with mixed feelings.  Some of us are sad to see it going, but others look forward to cooler weather and the autumn season.  Most of us will remember it as the summer when our gatherings with family and friends, vacations, days at the pool, and other indoor and outdoor events were cancelled, or very much curtailed, including time at the Arc of Abilities.  It was a summer unlike any other.  It will go down in history as a one of a kind!  

Here's what we were up to this week...

Tuesday

Once again, we failed to get a picture of our delightful Tuesday Zoom group!  So here's a picture of the video screen (taken after Zoom ended) showing the "mystery animal" we learned about - the octopus!  We learned some truly amazing facts.  Did you know that octopuses have THREE hearts?!  They also have no skeleton!  And, they are very smart!  Such an interesting creature!  (Click on the picture if you'd like to find out even more amazing octopus facts! 👀)

Beautiful last week of summer weather brought temperatures on Tuesday in the low 70s with lower humidity, so we spent time outside.  During our walk, we ended up on the blacktop at the large, painted map of the United States.  This week we studied the 36th state, Nevada.  Since we aren't octopuses, we don't have enough arms (well, legs) to touch each state we've studied, but our country is big enough for us to safely spread out and put our feet into about 14 of them!  We've learned that the US was settled primarily from east to west, but with Nan and Carol in California, Nevada, and Oregon, we see that some states were "skipped" during the process!

Socially distanced as we return to the building, and waving to Heike and Severina who were on a break over near their cars.

Awww!  Drew blew us a kiss when he and his mom stopped by to drop off the Eaton labels that Meemaw cut apart for us.  THANK YOU, Meemaw, for completing that tedious task, and THANKS, Drew and Donna, for bringing them back to us! 

September 15th is National Online Learning Day!  We use our computers often for word processing, playing installed games/activities, and using the internet for research and resources.  Today, we "learned" how to find free, printable cards online!  Our regular readers know we LOVE to make cards for our many friends and family members, and for a variety of reasons.  We usually make homemade cards, and they always turn out nicely.  But this week, we did something different.

Our friend Matt, aka Carol's son, had 4 wisdom teeth removed on Monday, so we celebrated Online Learning Day by going to the card site and creating get well cards for him!  Patrick picked a cute bear card and printed it, then wrote a personal note inside.  We hear Matt was a star patient, and is doing VERY well!  Glad to hear that, and we hope he likes his cards from us!

After making Matt's cards, the gang explored the website rangerrick.org, which we introduced them to a couple of weeks ago during a Zoom lesson.  Sam enjoyed checking out the videos, especially the one about the elk and the noises it makes!

We got this picture from Kate, who is in our Thursday / Friday group.  She spent time on Tuesday with her cousin Katy, who says she misses having yoga sessions with us.  It's been a while since we've been able to travel to Studio South, but maybe we can set up a Zoom yoga session one day!

For afternoon fitness, we did a 15 minute workout that included boxing moves!  The guys enjoyed something a little bit different.  Cameron and Liz were practicing jabs, uppercuts, and hooks!

Here's a short video of them in action.  They asked if we could do this workout again!  Yay!! 🥊🥊

When Carol got home she gave Matt the cards, and he said he appreciated our thoughts very much!  Doesn't he look great for someone who just a day before had 4 wisdom teeth removed?

Wednesday

We had fun learning about Nevada this week.  Of course, all our guys wanted to talk about was "Las Vegas" (what?!), but they settled down and learned some pretty cool things.  For example, Nevada is the "Silver State" and produces more silver each year than any other state except....Alaska!  We were really wowed to find out there is silver in Alaska!

We took a morning break to walk around the JRES campus, and we came across a new bench.  Unfortunately, Cameron was absent today, but here is a great shot of the others in the Tuesday / Wednesday group.

After our walk, they filled the bird feeders.  They spilled a little to make it easier for the squirrels, too! 😜

Sam and Patrick didn't spill any of our onion rings!  They lined them up on the pan perfectly!  We learned that Nevada is the driest state in the country, and its climate is good for growing onions.  They don't have a partiular state food, but they grow a lot of onions, so that's what we had with our lunch!

Alexis and Liz prepped our grilled cheese, blueberry, and apple sandwiches!  Yum!  It's been a while since we've made these.  It's fun to revisit old favorites.

Don't knock it til you try it!

Today's lunch!  It was good!

We tried yoga with a different online instructor today.  It was "Rainbow Yoga with Adrienne" and her dog, Benji.  We liked it and will put some of her routines into our rotation with Jaime's videos!

We are making progress on our fall wall!  Alexis is seen here gluing eyes to an owl craft we made.  Keep reading to see how much we got done by Friday!

Thursday

We were excited today to welcome this happy dancer back to our group!  Abraham is in the house, y'all!  Welcome back, buddy!

During our Zoom session we learned that Liz lost her beloved Annabelle to cancer this week.  Liz shared a beautiful tribute she had written about Annabelle, and we expressed our sympathy for her loss.  Just remember, all dogs go to heaven!  We'll miss seeing pics of Annabelle in our blog, too. 💛🐕💜

The Thursday / Friday group got into the dance portion of our Zoom.  We think they were motivated by Abraham's return.  He's really a dancing machine!

Our computer lab was busy today as we celebrated National Online Learning Day with this group.  They searched for and printed more cards for Matt, and also found cards for Kacie's birthday!  Kacie is visiting her grandmother in California, so we are going to send them to her there!

Devin said he was struggling so Lisa went over to help him...turns out he was "struggling" to pick a just right card for Kacie!  There were lots of good choices and he ended up selecting a very cute one!

Kevin said he enjoyed our boxing workout on Thursday afternoon.  He often joined boxing sessions on Zoom with Scott from APEX PT, who invited us to his classes during the quarantine when we were staying safe at home. 

Tuesday's group really liked this workout, and so did today's group!  It was 15 minutes of fairly high intensity jogging, jumping jacks, and squats, with the boxing moves in-between.  The boxing is what kept it fun!

Did you know that September 17 is National Professional House Cleaners Day?!   When we discovered that, we had to make and send Moose Patti a special card!  She loves it, and so does Cam!  Thanks again, Patti, for all you do to support us!  We are grateful!

Carol gave Matt his feel better cards from the Thursday / Friday group and again, he said "Thanks for thinking of me!"  He returned to work on Thursday.  He makes wisdom teeth surgery look easy!!  We're happy for him!

Friday

After our dance warm up, we got into our study of Nevada.  While the earlier group this week was all about Las Vegas, this group was more interested in "11 animals that can kill you in Nevada, but probably won't!"  We learned that rattlesnakes, scorpions, mountain lions, and black bears, among other "deadly" animals, are prevalent in Nevada, but not likely to kill you if left alone, or in the case of the rattlesnakes and scorpions, if you get to the hospital in time!

We were delighted to learn that the gym was going to be accessible to us again!  The testing was moved to the cafeteria, because the Rec Center is opening the gym to the public again next week (evenings).  Kate and Kevin grabbed our large bouncy balls and dribbled all over the gym for a while, before joining some others in walking laps. 

Abraham was excited to be back on the court!  He made lots of baskets during his gym time!

Alexis set her timer for a 15 minute walk, and Xavier decided to follow her...at a safe distance, of course!

Devin walked a lot of laps too, and Kate can be see rounding the corner at the front of the gym.

We always look forward to lunch time, and most of the guys were happy to learn that since Nevada has a great climate for growing onions, we were having onion rings for lunch!  Kevin helped us load up the Nina.

Speaking of "The Nina," we digress here, but for a great reason.  The Nina is the namesake of Sam's grandmother, whom we lovingly call "Nina," and today is her birthday!!!  She gave us the Nina a few years ago and we've been happily baking ever since!  Nina lives in Arizona, and we haven't seen her in a long time.  Happy Birthday to you, Nina!!  We miss you and hope your birthday was wonderful!🎂🎈🥳

And now, back to Friday's lunch.  Xavier did a great job emptying a few orange slices into each bowl!

Then, he helped Devin and Kevin divvy up the blueberries we had left after making our sandwiches.  Great teamwork, guys!

Abraham was given a choice to help with lunch chores, or work on creating some colorful fall masterpieces for our walls.  (He loves to color.)  He chose coloring, and made us a few lovely pictures!

Our Friday gals, Alexis and Kate, put together our sandwiches.  Carol was standing by to man the griddle as flipping the sandwiches without losing the blueberries can be a bit tricky!

  

It's a simple, but oh-so-tasty recipe:  any kind of cheese you like (we used medium cheddar this time), about 8-10 blueberries, a few thin slices of Fuji apple, and honey!  On the plate is the gluten and dairy-free sandwich we made for Xavier:  peanut butter with blueberries and apples on a gluten-free sub roll!  Try either...you will love them!

Tracy (from Parks & Rec) loved the grilled cheese!  She stopped by to see how things are going with our reopening, so we included her for lunch.  We told her things are great and we're happy to be back!  Thanks again, JCC Parks & Recreation, for partnering with The Arc of GW on the use of the space at AFCC!

After lunch we worked on Nevada map skills, practiced yoga, and made cute owl decorations out of toilet paper rolls!  Here's the Thursday / Friday group shot for this week.  They only removed their masks for a few seconds, so we could see their smiles!

It's still a work in progress, but doesn't our wall look great so far?!

We had a great week!  Fall officially arrives on Tuesday, and that's when we'll be back for another fun week at the AoA.  Our agenda is below.

Everyone have a great weekend, 

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang

Tuesday / Thursday:  We'll Zoom with our friends at home this week.  Tuesday's topic is "Elephant Appreciation Day" and Thursday's is Disney Song Bingo.  (Make sure you have your cards ready, and some items to use for markers, if you're playing from home.)  We'll also have fun celebrating "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (feel free to wear pirate gear) and welcome autumn with a lesson on the autumnal equinox.  Lunch on your own. 

Wednesday / Friday:  National Punctuation Day is on the 24th, so we will work on writing/editing skills during our continuing education time.  (It will be fun!)  We'll also study the 37th state, Nebraska, known as the Cornhusker State.  We'll try our hand at making popcorn balls to honor Nebraska!  For lunch, we will make a broccoli noodle casserole with a side salad (thanks to Kate's mom for the casserole recipe!) .  We'll enjoy yoga, too, so dress to stretch!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  The Arc of Abilities would like to invite those who who have registered for the Virtual 5k to join us on Monday, September 28 at 11:00 a.m. for a Fun Mile walk at the WISC Complex, followed by lunch at the picnic area!  Lace up your sneakers and bring a bag lunch and your masks!  We will walk and sit at the tables socially distanced so as not to have to wear the masks constantly, but we should always have them with us.  Meet at the baseball field parking lot, which is the first parking lot in the WISC Complex (entering from Longhill Rd).  Let Lisa know if you plan to join us!  Come on AoA!  Let's do this!

If you still need to register, here's the link!

Register for the Virtual Arc 5k