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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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:
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!
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