The third meeting saw the return of the Grandbuddies to Greentown Elementary's classrooms. Some of them proudly brought along visitors to meet their Little Buddies! The children were ready to learn about some positive aspects of aging with their Meeting 3 Interview Sheets. We kept track of the events with the Meeting 3 Checklist.

By the time the third meeting took place the partners were much more comfortable with each other and relationships had begun to form. It was no longer necessary for the teachers to "direct traffic." The students quickly grasped their Grandbuddies hands and set to work on interviewing them about the positive side of aging and practicing their reading skills for delighted listeners.

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A special treat was in store for the students as their Grandbuddies produced photographs of themselves as children. The students were enthralled by the stories of traveling photographers who came to the door with a pony in tow and would take photographs of a child astride the animal for a fee. The Little Buddies also shared their family photos.

One of the planned activities was the tracing of hands for inclusion in the Memory Book students were preparing.

Students discovered that the Grandbuddies lead pretty interesting lives! Most of them like to travel and have more time for their hobbies now than they did when they were younger. One of the Grandbuddies brought along a loom and showed us how to weave. They told us that they liked to learn about new things such as how to use computers and the Internet.

We discovered that people of all ages, shapes and sizes love music when everyone filed into the cafeteria to sing and dance along with a song in honor of Groundhogs Day called There Was an Old Groundhog.
Prior to the project, some of the students thought that older people shouldn't exercise because they might hurt themselves. Although most of the Grandbuddies weren't quite able to "touch their furry toes" as the song instructed, they surprised the students with their vigorous dance moves! It was such fun that we played the song twice!

After all that exercise we were very happy to go back to the classroom for punch, cookies, and a little quiet visiting. Additional photos of our third meeting can be viewed by clicking here.

Meeting 1 | Simulation Centers | Meeting 2 | Meeting 3 | Final Meeting
Images © Patricia Knox and The Franklin Institute. All rights are reserved.