Creating a Bond Between Generations

I love seeing the older and younger generations connect. It doesn’t seem to happen often enough in our country, but young people can learn a lot from seniors, and seniors can benefit from a youth’s energy and enthusiasm.

A fun way to bring the old and the young together is with the “Bi-Folkal Kits” found at the Santa Clara County Library. (You can request a kit and have it sent to the , or any other branch in the system.)

The kits could also be called “memory kits.” The idea is to trigger older people’s memories, and then to share their stories with family members, friends and social or other groups.

Each kit is focused on a particular topic and may contain a DVD and/or CD, a program manual, songbooks and other material. There are 17 kits in all, and topics include “remembering” things:

• automobiles
• fashion
• the 1950s
• pets
• school
• train rides
• music.

The “Remembering County Fairs” kit, for instance, contains:

• one sound cassette with a sing-along
• another with merry-go-round music
• a poem
• scratch and sniff cards
• a poster
• ribbons
• brochures.

It also includes 80 slides in a carousel, 25 copies of a booklet and a video cassette entitled “Step Right Up!” Some of the kits also have skits.

Imagine using the kits during a family reunion or simply a visit between the grandkids and grandparents. Young children would love to hear what happened at the old county fairs, what games were played in “the old days” or what it was like living and working on a farm—the animals, the chores, the big dinners. Teens would get a kick out of hearing about the cars, fashion and music of the oldsters—yes, believe it or not, they used to be teenagers!

Create a party around one of the Bi-Folkal Kits. Or next time you’re getting the family together, pick one up. Young and old will not only have a fun time, but it will be a great learning and bonding experience for everyone.