Instead, the interspersed white or gray, brown or blond heads were bent intently over the a large white paper, on which they were all coloring busily.
Call it intergenerational storytelling, bringing together 5- or 6-year-olds from Coastside Children’s Programs with seniors from the Coastside Adult Day Health Center. Held on Monday and Wednesday mornings last week at the center, it was meant to bring those generations together and see what they could create.
 Jaiden Lefler, left, of the Coastside Children's Program and Mary Bourdon make art together at the Coastside Adult Day Health Center. |
Shintani said she drew from archetypes of storytellers from early cultures, including those of India or Japan. “It’s very multicultural,” she said.
For the young people, Shintani said, “I envisioned an hour of experiencing people of different ages and enjoying each other, having respect for and fun with elders they haven’t experienced before.” And, she added, “the elders having a delightful experience being in the presence of the children.”
She came to the two sessions with templates beginning with “Once upon a time,” with blanks participants could fill to create their stories. She also came armed with colored pencils, felt markers, and pastels for creating the art.
On Monday, six 5-year-olds from the CCP center at Hatch Elementary School and five seniors gatherer around the table and came up with a story of a little snake and her friend, who took an elephant up to a flower-covered hillside, then to Grandma’s house, then to church and then home to bed.
At first, the children were shy, but as the story progressed, they joined the elders in drawing colorful flowers, the snake, Grandma’s house and the elephant.
“It was cold, so I had a fireplace going,” explained senior Nancy Neilson to Christian Ortiz, 5, who peered inquisitively over her shoulder. “But he (Christian) has a house, and I have a house.”
“At first they were so shy, and now they are interacting with each other,” said Shintani as she moved about encouraging the group.
“It was fun,” said senior Marjorie Garfield of Pescadero, who comes to the center twice a week. “I think (the children) have very good ideas and know how to carry them out.”
Last week’s story, created by different participants, concerned a horse named Charlie and a pony named Michael, a big green ball, a visit to the adult center, pancakes, a butterfly and a game of soccer.
The children on Aug. 13 were mostly 6, “older, so a little more able to jump in,” said Shintani.
“I enjoyed it thoroughly, watching them do more drawing and enjoying it,” said senior Dolly LePine of El Granada, who has come to the center for about a year.
Elizabeth Franklin, 90, shared her original poetry about birds and their nests, and saw that go into the mural. “Children are loving and loveable, and they all need something,” she said. “We all need a lot of love, and it’s hard to come by. The children are just great.”
Shintani said that intergenerational programs bring multiple benefits, noting an Internet source that indicated that it promotes personal relationships, social behavior and understanding of disabilities in children, while making for good use of retirement time, offering stimulation and improving esteem for adults.
Adult center staff seemed to agree.
“This is great because (the seniors) are challenged to do more functional tasks, there are meaningful exchanges, they’re able to see bundles of energy and have stimulation,” said occupational therapist Elizabeth Kallinsky. “I see lots of smiles.”
One smile that stood out for her belonged to Dolly, who came to lunch on Monday a changed person after interacting with the children. “She was glowing,” said Kallinsky. “She was uplifted. She looked like summer.”
As for the children, “they really enjoyed interacting with the seniors,” said adult center teacher Emma Moctezuma.
The benefits the intergenerational activity offered included, “learning how to connect with other people,” she added. “It doesn’t have to be about only their own age.”
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