Week 7: My Story, The Legacy
Week 7: My Story, The Legacy
Week 7: My Story, The Legacy
At our TAPS Good Grief and Family Camp at Home you will have a chance to experience the wonderful activities we perform at our campouts, to get connected with your family through challenges, and to engage with others by sharing your challenge experience on social media, and coming together for a live Zoom chat and activity with your TAPS family!
This week, we encourage you to focus on the legacy of you and your family. We are inspired by what represents us and what we want to carry forward. Your memories, your values, your dreams are what shape your story. We have created a wonderful way to preserve and share that story and the legacy.
Welcome to Camp Video | Share with Us | Camp Activities | Activity Booklet | Family Challenge | Zoom Chat | Parents and Guardians
Welcome to My Story, The Legacy
Introduction
Introduction to our week at camp is provided by TAPS Legacy Mentor Gillian Cabrera. Gillian is the surviving daughter of LTC David Cabrera, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011. As a former Good Grief Camper, Gillian carries the legacy on through mentoring our youngest survivors. We are honored to have Gillian welcome us to “My Story, The Legacy” week.
Share your Adventure
Don’t forget, each time you participate in TAPS Good Grief and Family Camp you earn points for a TAPS prize!! You can participate in one way or many!
What counts as participation? You will earn a point when you share a photo. You can participate by sharing your family's time participating in one of the many activities within the camp to include: the family challenge, the activity booklet, performing an activity from the video, or by showcasing your family meal lastly. One photo is counted per week for points but we would love to see all the great ways you are enjoying the camp at home!
You will also earn a point when you join us in the Zoom chats on Thursdays!
Submit your photos in any platform you are most comfortable sharing, whether it be our TAPS Instagram, our Facebook, or sending us an emailed copy for us at Youthprograms@taps.org to post for you!
Activity Videos
Our group leaders have created some amazing and fun activities for you to do anytime from home!
It is important document and share our stories to create a living legacy of ourselves, our families, our lost military heroes, our community, and our culture. Recording and sharing our memories and our life through storytelling is an important part of who we are and how we develop our legacy.
Activity Presented by: Karl Hillway
Instructions:
Download these storytelling worksheets below to get you started brainstorming, writing and telling your story about how you are a living legacy.
Art journaling is a powerful form of creation. It allows us to express ourselves in a unique way by mixing paint, papers, words, thoughts and intentions. During this project I will guide you thru creating your own personal art journal canvas or page that can tell your story. This is a quick easy self reflection art project that should only take about 15 minutes to complete.
Tell Your Story Introduction
Activity Created/Presented by: Ange Marie Dwyer
Supplies Needed:
Canvas or art journal, 1-2 washable crayons, pencils or markers, piece of paper, scissors, permanent marker/pen, damp paper towel or baby wipe
Instructions:
Tell Your Story - Mixed Media Art Project (PDF)
Together we are going to create a vibrant canvas that is going to focus on who you ARE! You will be guided thru different prompts that will help you focus on who you are, what you are feeling, what is great about you and what your goals are for the future.
"I Am" Mixed Media Canvas Introduction
Activity Created/Presented by: Ange Marie Dwyer
Supplies Needed:
- A blank canvas preferably 8x10 or 12x14 (if you do not have a canvas a piece of thick piece of cardboard or old box cut to size will work use both.)
- Bubble Wrap (or something with a fun texture on it)
- Acrylic Paints (any colors are great; 2 different complementary colors are ideal)
- Scissors
- Mod Podge (or Elmer's glue, or a glue stick)
- Permanent Marker (like a Sharpie. Anything that isn't washable. If you do not have one, I will show another option)
- Blank Paper (plain white paper or notebook paper)
- Scrap Papers (this can be anything fun and colorful. Old construction paper, scrapbook paper, or even colorful notebook paper)
- Plastic Ziploc Bag that your canvas will fit in (Saran Wrap/plastic Wrap, parchment or waxed paper will also work)
- Charcoal Pencil or Regular #2 Pencil
Instructions:
"I am Mixed Media Canvas Project (PDF)
Art journaling is a powerful form of creation. It allows us to express ourselves in a unique way by mixing paint, papers, words, thoughts and intentions. During this project I will guide you thru creating your own personal art journal and then we will work on a page in our journals together.
Homemade Art Journal "What My Hands Hold" Introduction
What is an Art Journal?
Examples of material types to use to make your Art Journal
Making the homemade Art Journal
Activity Created/Presented by: Ange Marie Dwyer
Supplies Needed:
- Pick ONE material: an old children's picture book, 4-5 sheets of heavy thick paper (cardstock, watercolor paper ect...) and a long 20" piece of string, regular old book, spiral notebook or sketchbook
- Acrylic Paint in white and at least one other color (cheap craft paint works great, regular artist acrylic paint and white gesso works too)
- Large binder clip or clamp; Mod Podge (or Elmer's glue)
- Sharpie or other permanent markers; Scrap Papers (Old construction paper, scrapbook paper, magazines or even colorful notebook paper)
- Paint Brush, or Sponge (or if using washable paint or glue, your fingers are fine too!)
- Charcoal Pencil or Stick (a #2 pencil will work if you do not have charcoal or a shading pencil)
Instructions:
What My Hands Hold (PDF)
Activity Booklet
We know this summer can get very busy with computer assignments or dance classes, or connecting with relatives who live far away. So we created this booklet filled with fun activities that anyone can do and from anywhere. Maybe outside under the shade of a tree, or in your room during a raining day. We know you will have fun with this activity booklet, from the crossword puzzle to the additional recipes and challenges, it is something the whole family can enjoy!
Family Challenge
Living Legacy: Family Acts of Kindness
This week’s challenge is to have a positive impact on others, whether in your family, at school or at work, there are endless ways to spread kindness throughout your community. Acts of kindness can either be planned or completely random, sometimes opportunities for kindness are presented without requiring a lot of preparation.
Kindness Rocks: If you have any rocks left over from your rock art and any remaining paint from the flower handprint project, paint happy thoughts or scenes on them. Once your kindness rocks are dry, place them in open visible areas around your home or neighborhood where people will see them.
Here is a list of ideas on acts of kindness:
- Write a an encouraging note to your loved one or friend and hide it in their work jacket or lunch box for them to find later.
- Complete someone else’s chore list (help wash someone's car or make a siblings bed).
- Take your neighbors trash out or bring in their empty trash cans.
- Prepare someone’s favorite snack and bring it to them.
- Return a shopping cart for someone at the store.
- Create inspiring chalk art in your neighborhood or drive way.
- Make a sign encouraging first responders and display it in your window or yard.
- Pick up litter in your neighborhood or park.
- Write cards of appreciation and encouragement to people you see often at the grocery store, gas station, then deliver them during your normal routine.
- Smile at everyone - it is contagious!
You may also use the Acts of Kindness Bingo card from this week's activity booklet for additional inspirational ideas. These acts of kindness are sure to bring a smile to others while creating fond memories for you and your family’s legacy.
Parents and Guardians
Create a family or personal recipe book!
This week we will be doing something a little different. We want you to share recipes among your family and create your family’s legacy through food!
Using the TAPS activity booklet recipe card, or a card of your choosing, write down family recipes handed down through the generations, write down on a card your favorite recipe or your family’s favorite recipe, and/or write down a new recipe that you want to try together. As a fun extra, whenever you make the dish write down on the back of the recipe card a memory from the dish; share what it meant to you to make it, to eat it, or what it was like to share it with your family.
Think about what recipes you want to share with others too. By sharing recipes, you are sharing your legacy!
Table Topics:
- Is there a person you think about whenever you eat a certain food or meal?
- Was there anything new you learned from your family tree or family interview?
- What legacy would you like to leave behind? (use the activity booklet to ask more specifically: what do you want to leave on the rock, what act of kindness is more your legacy, what did you put into the capsule)
Zoom Chat
This week we want you to lean in to the activities and each other, therefore we will not be hosting a Zoom session. We encourage you to connect with your family through the challenges, and activity booklet, and to explore your story through our activities!
We will connect via Zoom next week!