Are you looking for ways to connect with children and elderly family members through
positive life stories? Share RUFF Writer Books in libraries, homes, school/after school
programs and personal care homes.
RUFF stands for Relationships Using Facts and Fantasy. It serves multigenerational
families and communities through “Memory Café” activities of reading, crafting, and
handwriting “RUFF” draft book pages — one page at a time — to create treasured
keepsakes with nature themed illustrations to color. (Open the link below for a sample.)
Listening to a child read aloud may help prompt memories that lead to treasured
family moments. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias sorrowfully impact many
families. Building relationships with an elderly person can be life enhancing for both
ends of the generation spectrum.
Crafting creates hand to brain connections and provides “something” to do while talking
meaningfully about the stories we all have in common that comfort us through “life
storms.” Finished crafts are suitable as table favors made by groups of children for
residents in a personal care home.
Music and movement are important, too, as the elderly and children engage in helping
build and maintain cognitive connections that go along with positive life lessons through
stories. In a good story, “something” happens that is a problem to solve, as in our theme
song Lemons into Lemonade.
Sponsorships provide free memory café materials for library sites that are the anchor
or intersection of this project. Smaller donations of $30 provide RUFF Writer Book KITS
(a book to make with cardstock pages) to communities in need of additional resources.
We are truly grateful to all helpers in nurturing this project. Our hope is that families
can find ways to transform some rough times into “RUFF” times. While growing up on a
farm in Ohio, I learned that one person can make a difference in another person’s life
and small efforts add up, like the blocks of a handmade quilt that endures for
generations.
As a grandmother, I hope to pass on the joy of connections and help inspire our young
ones to turn their “lemons” into lemonade with the help of positive stories. For any
questions, as well as signing up for a year of monthly emailed materials, contact us
at ruffwriterbooks@gmail.com.
RUFF-spectfully,
“Grammar” Jane Miller
Sample a RUFF Writers Memory Kit below. The kit includes “take-out” pages (1 – 5) of a craft/writing templates and signage for a book and “RUFF Spot,” the place where visitors can read and relax. Contact us at ruffwriterbooks@gmail.com to sign up for 12 PDF kits. This kit has the book’s title page with the 9 themes of relationships that bring comfort for all ages.
1A. RUFF Writer Books - Final RUFF Draft
Sponsorship Information HERE.
Find monthly school year posts of RUFF Writer Books on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Thank you to our generous sponsors:
House of Bouvs—https://www.houseofbouvs.com
