When your project reaches a conclusion, the students will have completed an illustrated story about their Grandbuddies based upon the various interview sessions. These stories, combined with photos, illustrations, diagrams, etc. will make a delightful "Memory Book" to be presented to the older adult participants as a gift from the students. It is also suggested that a copy be prepared for each student as a memento of their experiences.

Some suggested items for inclusion in your Memory Books are:

  • Photographs of the Grandbuddy/Little Buddy pairs.
  • Group Photograph of all participants.
  • Directory of postal or e-mail addresses for the participants.
  • A thank-you letter from teachers to participants.
  • Photocopies of any newspaper articles or other forms of publicity the project received.
  • Illustrated stories about their Grandbuddies produced by students.
  • Handprint poems, venn diagrams, portrait pages, and any other documents created during the course of the project. Several of these are provided in printable Adobe .pdf format below along with a cover page for the book:
Pages for "Grandbuddies Book"
"Grandbuddies Book" Cover Page Cover page for project Memory Book.
Grandbuddy Portrait Page Student will draw a picture of his/her Grandbuddy on this page.
Little Buddy Portrait Page Adult partner will draw a picture of his/her Little Buddy on this page.
Grandbuddy's Hand Poem with space for tracing Grandbuddy's hand
Little Buddy's Hand Poem with space for tracing Little Buddy's hand
Venn Diagram - "My Grandbuddy and I" Preprinted Venn diagram to be used by the student and his/her "Grandbuddy" in a joint activity to demonstrate how they are alike and how they are different.
"What I Learned" Page This page is to be used for the student to write a short synopsis. Story Starter: "Because of the Grandbuddy Project, I have learned that older people:"

The materials above are presented in Adobe® .PDF format and require the user to have the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® Version 5 installed. Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® is free software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Click on the icon below to obtain the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® if needed.

There are a variety of methods that can be utilized to bind the Memory Books.

  • Comb, coil, wire
    Plastic comb binding is a piece of plastic with "teeth" that fit into rectangular holes in the paper. Kits can be purchased at office supply stores. Many schools have this equipment available for teachers' use.

  • Thermal Binding
    In tape binding a heavy cloth strip is fused to the edge of the document. It provides a very sturdy binding with a neat appearance and allows documents to open flat. Use with or without covers. Velo binding uses two plastic strips, heat sealed, to bind the documents. Your school district may have the necessary equipment available.

  • Ring Binding
    Three ring binders come in many sizes -- both page size and thickness. Use a 3-hole punch to prepare your pages.

  • Staple or stitch the edges of the book together between two sheets of heavy cardstock.