Notes from the table
Notes from the table
Short, practical pieces for the people who run activities in care settings: what to do this month, what to ask at the table, and how to set it up.
- This month · 6 min readNovember activity ideas, week by weekEarly dark evenings, a quiet Veterans Day, a page to give away, and the Thanksgiving table.
- This month · 6 min readDecember activity ideas, week by weekLights, snow, the longest night, and the turn of the year, for every winter holiday at the table.
- This month · 6 min readJanuary activity ideas, week by weekSnow at the window, a clean calendar, and four easy weeks to fill.
- This month · 6 min readFebruary activity ideas, week by weekHearts, birds at the feeder, and four short weeks that are easy to fill.
- This month · 6 min readMarch activity ideas, week by weekThe last of the snow, the first of the green, and four weeks to fill with both.
- This month · 6 min readApril activity ideas, week by weekTulips, rain, a little jazz, and Easter in most years.
- This month · 6 min readMay activity ideas, week by weekFlowers, strawberries, Mother's Day, and a quiet end to the month.
- This month · 6 min readJune activity ideas, week by weekLong light evenings, a day at the water, and Father's Day.
- This month · 6 min readJuly activity ideas, week by weekThe Fourth, ice cream, the moon, and old friends: four easy weeks, each idea with a seated version.
- This month · 6 min readAugust activity ideas, week by weekColoring Book Day, watermelon, the shore, the market, and a head start on Grandparents Day.
- This month · 6 min readSeptember activity ideas, week by weekLabor Day, Grandparents Day, honey, music, apples, and the first day of fall, one week at a time.
- This month · 6 min readOctober activity ideas, week by weekCoffee, fall leaves, a pot of soup, and Halloween without the fright, one week at a time.
- At the table · 4 min readIdeas for Activity Professionals WeekWays for administrators and the rest of the team to say thank you, most of them free.
- At the table · 4 min readSetting up the coloring tablePencils, markers and crayons compared, and a five-minute setup that makes the rest easy.
- Conversation · 4 min readConversation starters that open a story: 50 questions with no wrong answerFifty questions by topic, each easy to answer on any day, and sixteen of them printed on a drawing.
- At the table · 4 min readWhat makes a coloring page easy to finishFive things that make a page easy to finish, and one drawing shown two ways.
- At the table · 4 min readWhat to do with the finished pagesSign them, hang them, send them home, keep them: ideas that stay within the license.
- At the table · 4 min readFree coloring pages or a licensed library: what to know before you print at workAn honest look at both: the terms, the time, the pictures, and what you're allowed to copy.
- Conversation · 4 min readHow to ask about the past without putting anyone on the spotThe difference between a question that opens a story and one that feels like a test, and six habits that keep the table easy for everyone.
- At the table · 5 min readLow-cost activities that don't feel cheapFifteen ideas that cost little or nothing, and what coloring really costs per person.
- At the table · 4 min readColoring one to one: in someone's room, on a long afternoonTwo ways to bring a page to the person who doesn't come to the table.
- Conversation · 4 min readWhat to talk about on a visitFor families and volunteers: easy questions with no wrong answer, and a drawing to share so the visit has something in the middle.
- Conversation · 5 min readQuestions about the past, by topicEight questions for each of nine topics, none with a wrong answer, and a pack of drawings to go with each one.
- Conversation · 4 min readQuestions for the Thanksgiving tableTwenty questions about the food, the table, and the season, and an easy coloring hour for the week of the feast.
- At the table · 4 min readWhen someone says coloring is for kidsFour ways to answer without arguing, and a grown-up drawing to start with.
- Conversation · 4 min readWinter holiday memories: questions for DecemberQuestions about lights, food, music, snow, and the new year that work for every table, whatever people celebrate.
Free to start
Start with 6 free coloring pages
The First Pack: six hand-drawn pages, one in Bold too, with your organization’s name on the cover and a Story Starter on each.
No card, no calls. Downloads right away.