Men will benefit from this club to reminisce and bond with discussion and mental stimulation by utilizing hands on interaction in each of the sessions. Women can take part as well, but will appeal to men’s groups. These are discussions I had with my dad that I found enjoyable to both of us. This can be beneficial for a once a month class as there are 12 topics.
Vintage Toys – Participants will discuss toys of their childhood, reminisce on favorite toys, and discuss/demonstrate toys that will be available in the session. This may include pictures of toys and compare toys of yesteryear to the toys of today. 1 hour session including discussion, hands on and brain stimulating memories.
The Old Neighborhood – Participants will reminisce about their old neighborhood, where they grew up, the street or community, their home, is it still there, what was their fondest memory, changes, have they been back. Pictures of old neighborhoods from the Cleveland area and other large cities will be provided to stimulate discussion. 1 hour session that includes the discussion and $1 for a vintage postcard to take back with them.
Basketball then and now – Participants will discuss their basketball history or at least observation of basketball from school, neighborhood, etc. Will also include discussion of the evolution of basketball players and some of the highlights of high school, college and professional players. Participants will then take part in a table basketball competition. 1 hour session including discussion and game.
Baseball through the years – Participants will talk and reminisce about their baseball memories whether as a player or spectator. Discussion will include little league, high school, college and minor/major league ball. This will include players that stood out to them, debate the greatest players ever and predictions of the current major league season. Participants will then take part in a table top baseball game to stimulate their competitive spirit. Props will include ball, glove, bat, facemask, as well as the game. 1 hour session including discussion and game.
Gardening and farming – Participants will share their experiences in gardening or farming, what they grew, best crops/harvests, tools they used, and how big their gardens/farms were. Some props of tractors (mini sized) will be provided. Participants will then be provided pots, dirt and seeds to plant a small seedling to tend to after class have ended. 1 hour session and $2 fee for pots, dirt, seeds.
Tool Time – Participants will share their experiences with tools and how they used them. This many include hand tools, power tools, tractors, trucks, etc. props will include some vintage tools and tools of today to stimulate discussion and provide some hands on usage of the tools. This may also include pictures of vintage tools compared to tools of today. 1 hour session including discussion and hands on usage of tools.
Travel memories – Participants will recall and reminisce of travel locations through their lives. This may include family trips as children, as parents, as an armed services person, and discuss locations that were memorable. Props will include National Park book, Rt. 66 book, and maps. Activity will include passing out a USA map and have the participant mark off each state they visited. 1 hour session and $1 fee for maps.
Good Old Golden School Days – Participants will travel down memory lane about their schools whether it be elementary/grammar or high school. They will have opportunity to talk about books, classes, teachers, classmates, activities, and extra-curricular events (i.e. social, sports). Props will include old year books from varied schools, vintage school books and photos from old high school socials. Participants will then have their picture taken as their “senior picture”, printed immediately and put in a small frame. 1 hour class and $3 for the picture/frame.
Football season – Participants will talk and reminisce about their football memories whether as a player or spectator. Discussion will include high school, college and the NFL. This will include players that stood out to them, super bowls of the past, and current favored teams/players. Browns will be in discussion of course. Participants will then take part in a table top football game to stimulate their competitive spirit. Props will include footballs, as well as the game. 1 hour session including discussion and game.
Ancestry-odd or notable relatives – Participants will share memories of relatives of their childhood that were notable (good or bad) and stories of what made them notable (i.e. moonshiners, veterans, etc.) Where were their ancestors originally from and how did they get to America? A blank family tree will be provided to each participant to fill out as part of their discussion and take with them to share with their families. 1 hour session with discussion and tracing family tree. $1 for family tree activity.
Thank you for your service – Participants will provide their experiences or observations of the military service, wartime, and travels in the service. Flags of the various branches of service will be provided as well as a small USA flag. Discussion will include discussion of movies/TV shows that depicted military and the participants view on the movie/show as to being realistic. Trivia questions will also be provided on military branches to have a little fun as well. Session will conclude with a CD playing the national anthem. 1 hour session and $1 fee for flag.
Holiday traditions – P articipants will stroll down their memory lane to discuss their family traditions from growing up to becoming parents, grandparents of their own. What did the holidays mean to their family? What were their strict traditions? What did they eat? Where did they go to spend the holiday? Was it stressful, fun? Did you carry on the tradition from childhood to adulthood? Do you still carry out the traditions? Props will include pictures of various holiday traditions to stimulate discussion and memory. 1 hour session with discussion.