Columbus trivia

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Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator, who completed four voyages across the Atlantic ocean.  He was the first European to discover a viable sailing route to the Americas, a continent that was unknown at that time.

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Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. His real name was Cristoforo Colombo. He died in 1506 aged 54.

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Columbus had a hard time finding crew for his first epic voyage. Many people still believed that the Earth was flat and that the ship would sail to the edge of the Earth and fall into the abyss.

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Columbus wanted to find an easy way to reach the East Indies (South-east Asia). He decided that the best route would be to travel west from Europe, around the globe. Other navigators had also thought about this option, but they didn’t try it because they thought the distance would be too great.

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During his first voyage in 1492, he reached the New World instead of Japan as he had intended, landing on an island in the Bahamas archipelago that he named “San Salvador”.

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Over the course of three more voyages, he visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America. He never landed in North America.

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Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas, having been preceded by the Viking expedition led by Leif Erikson in the 11th century, but his voyages led to the first lasting European contact with the Americas, inaugurating a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted several centuries.

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Columbus never believed that he had discovered a ‘new’ continent. He thought that he’d established a new route to the East Indies. For this reason he called the inhabitants of the lands that he visited indios (Spanish for “Indians”). It remains so.

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Columbus introduced horses to the New World. Their use spread and became essential to the natives.

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The Taino population that inhabited the Caribean islands were completely extinct within 50 years of Spanish settlement. 

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In 1502, Columbus was stranded in Jamaica due to a shipwreck. After more than six months, tensions mounted. With famine now threatening, Columbus formulated a desperate plan. He knew there would be a lunar eclipse  in a few days and warned the natives that his God was very upset and would show a clear sign of displeasure. Three nights later the eclipse darkened the moon and turned it red. The terrified natives gave him food and begged for mercy.

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Both Seville (Spain) and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) claim to have the remains of Columbus.

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No one knows exactly what Christopher Columbus looked like because all of the portraits of him that have survived were painted after he had died.

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America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who realized that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to were part of a separate cont

Fun Facts About Apples

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Fun Facts About Apples

Talking about apples is fun, informative and a way to keep the brains of those with dementia and others in long term care, active



The world's largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, NY. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long. (She was 16 years old at the time and grew up to be a sales manager for an apple tree nursery.)

It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

An apple tree will start bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-6 years.

Apples are a member of the rose family of plants along with pears, peaches, plums and cherries.

Apples come in all shades of reds, greens and yellows.

Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.

2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.

7500 varieties of apples are grown around the world.

100 varieties of apples are commercially grown in the United States.

Apples are grown commercially in 36 states.

Apples are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. And they taste great too!

A medium apple has about 80 calories.

Apples are a great source of pectin, a soluble fiber. One apple has 5 grams of fiber.

The pilgrims planted the first US apples trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The science of apple growing is called pomology.

Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.

Americans eat 19.6 pounds of apples every year.

25 percent of an apple’s volume is air, that’s why they float.

Most apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually fade to white.

Most apple trees can be grown farther north than most other fruits because they blossom late in spring, minimizing frost damage.

It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

Apples are the second most valuable fruit in the United States. Oranges are first.

The largest U.S. apple crop was 277.3 million bushels in 1998.

Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since 6500 BC.

Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.

In 1730 the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.

One of George Washington’s hobbies was pruning his apple trees.

A peck of apples weight 10.5 pounds.

A bushel of apples weight 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.

Apples ripen or soften ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.

Apple Jokes

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Laughter is the best medicine for all kinds of diseases including dementia

October is Apple Month
Make sure you have a subscription to Activity Director Today to get helpful hints planning your activities

Share these Apple jokes

What did the apple say to the apple pie?
"You've got some crust."

What is worse than finding a worm in your apple
Half of a worm

why did the apple lose its memory?
It had a bad case of worms

Did Adam and Eve ever have a date?
No, they had an apple.

What kind of apple has a short temper?
A crab apple

A guy walks by an apple tree and the apple says "how yha doing" and the man screams "oh my God a talking apple!!"

How are an apple and a lawyer alike?
They both look good hanging from a tree.

It goes through an apple,
It points out the way,
It fits in a bow,
Then a target, to stay.
Do you know what it is?
An arrow

What did the apple tree say to the farmer?
Why don't you quit picking on me!

Why did the jelly roll?
Because it saw the apple turnover

An awesome apple activity

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information you will find valuable

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Remember October is Apple Month

For lower functioning residents, talk about the color of apples. Maybe you could have some real apples for them to see touch and feel.

You could have other large items that are red, green or yellow(the color of apples) for the residents to talk about. You could also have some red material of different textures for the residents to feel. Many lower functioning residents like the feel of certain materials and like to rub big pieces of material.

Ways to Celebrate Rosh Hashanah With All Long Term Care Residents

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The first activity idea incorporates apples, honey and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. Rosh Hashana(the Jewish New Year) is most often in September, but it depends on the Jewish calendar which goes by the moon. Simply put, Rosh Hashana is a solemn holiday. It is a time for reflection, a time when you examine your life and make amends for all the wrongs that you may have been part of during the past year. Yom Kippur is the "day of atonement" when you ask forgiveness for all your sins of the past year. There are some traditions of these holidays that everyone can enjoy

All Jewish holidays start and end in the evening.

A tradition on Rosh Hashana is to dip apples into honey. If you do this, it is said that you will have a sweet new year. This activity is relatively easy to do. You can have a discussion about the Jewish holidays. If you have any Jewish residents, make sure to involve him/her in the planning process. They may even reveal some more easy to do traditions to you.

Also call on them often during the discussion even if they are lower functioning. You might say something like, "Bella told me she used to(a tradition she told you about or you read about) on Rosh Hashana" Bella is the low functioning resident. It will make Bella feel good.

Wreath of leaves- an easy to do fall craft for those with dementia

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Wreath of leaves- an easy to do fall craft for those with dementia

Supplies needed:

A plain white paper plate
Construction paper (orange, red, yellow, brown, and other earth tones)
Crayons or markers
Scissors
Glue or a glue stick

Cut a half circle out of the center of a plain paper plate. This will hold the leaves.

Cut out a lot of leaves from construction paper. Draw the leaf veins if you wish. If you'd like, use leaves gathered from outdoors.

Leaf templates and other fall ideas

Glue the leaves all around the rim of the paper plate.

For more, come back soon

Four easy ways to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with those who have dementia

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information
Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be





5780 marks the beginning of another year. 5.9 million Americans have dementia. A good number of them are Jewish. What can you do to make someone with dementia feel good this Rosh Hashanah?

How celebrating this holy day helps uplift their spirit and yours

Here are some suggestions

Pray with them.

Most folks with dementia have strong ties to their religion. Even those with advanced dementia may spontaneously recite portions of a prayer service that was part of their past.
The problem may be to find a service that is appropriate. The traditional service is long and crowded.
Here are a few suggestions
*Go at the beginning or end of the service. That is when the least amount of congregants is in attendance.
*Contact some assisted living or nursing homes in the area. Many of them have short simple services highlighting the important prayers. This is a win, win situation. You can see what a place is like, and most often, activity directors love having visitors attend group activities. It makes all involved feel good. If this is not possible, have a short service at home. If you explain the situation to the Rabbi, he or she will let you borrow or buy a prayer book. He may even drop by for a visit. Alternatively, you can find some prayers online. Make sure to include some songs in your service or just sing the songs throughout the holiday. A good song might be: Shalom Aleichem

Carry on a family tradition

All families have something special they do during the high holidays. Of course, most families go to a synagogue. What about after that? Maybe you went to Aunt Betty’s. Aunt Betty may no longer be around, but you can recreate the atmosphere that was there. Invite one or two understanding friends to help you with this. The memories of visiting Aunt Betty will be there

Related to this is talking about past experiences on Rosh Hashanah or other holidays.

Discuss what happened at Aunt Betty’s. Regale a story about a funny experience that took place at Aunt Betty’s.
Do not ask: Do you remember?, but rather, just tell the story and let your loved one with dementia add comments. Talk about family members both past and present. You might say: "When Uncle Harry shook the table, he made us all laugh". Tell some jokes and laugh some more. Laughter is the best medicine

Eat a traditional meal or foods together

This activity can wake up the taste buds of a dementia person. Before the holiday, discuss the recipes. Talk about different ingredients you need. Prepare a simple recipe together. Plan the meal. Ask: What should we eat first?etc.
Have him or her help set the table or fold the napkins.
You can talk about favorite family foods. Then make sure you have some of these favorites during the actual meal.

No matter what you do the goal is to make your loved one with dementia, feel good. Do not be a stickler for the rules. Reward good tries. If you feel a need to go to a traditional service, hire someone or have a friend go with you. If the service is too much for the dementia person, the friend can take him for a walk or take him home. Often congregants feel a need to take a break from the service whether they have dementia or not.

With some planning, this Rosh Hashanah, 5779, can be a good one for you and your loved one with dementia

More activity ideas for fall

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Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

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The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

Before Fall is over
Exercise Programs: November Stretch, Fall Fanbourines, Pumpkin Pass, Autumn Moves, Fall Fitness, Up And At ‘Em, Rhythm Band, Pilgrim’s Parachute, Thanksgiving Stretch, Work Off The Turkey, Swaying Scarves, Let’s Get Moving: Put on some soothing music and lead your residents in very slow, gentle movements such as stretching out arms, hands, moving their heads slowly side to side etc. Demonstrate the movements for them and or help them by lifting their arms etc. You can add props to your exercise programs to make it more stimulating and promote additional movement. Try scarves, batons, streamers etc. courtesy of activitytherapy.com