Bi-Folkal Kits

BiFolkal Kits are collections of stories and pictures designed to help older adults reminisce about times past, and to share their memories and experiences with others.

BiFolkal Bags are filled with slides, narrative cassette tapes, a program manual, activity sheets, skits and items to touch and feel.

BiFolkal Kits can be used by activity directors for programming in groups or by individuals in visits with family and friends. Nursing homes, retirement homes, church groups, and adult day-care centers, as well as children with aging parents, borrow BiFolkal Kits from Bloomington Public Library.

You do not need a library card to check out these kits. Bi-folkal kits may be reserved ahead of time to help you with your programming needs. If you would like a Bi-Folkal Kit list mailed to you or have any questions about this free service, call 309.828.6091 ext 250.

Bi-Folkal Bags

The Bi-Folkal bags include program manuals, slides, cassette tapes, skits & objects with shapes or textures, designed to spark memories and stories. These kits make it possible to select just one or two items to do a single program or to combine the materials and ideas into a series of programs.

  1. Trains   
  2. 1924    
  3. Fall     
  4. Summertime
  5. Automobiles
  6. Birthdays    
  7. Fashion     
  8. Homefront 
  9. Music
  10. Fun & Games
  11. County Fairs
  12. Work Life
  13. Depression
  14. Farm Days
  15. Pets
  16. School Days
  17. Home
  18. Fifties

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Slide Tape Programs

These kits come with slides and a tape to go with the slides.

  1. Album of Friends (2 kits available)
  2. Sing-A-Long
  3. Apron Strings w/2 skits
  4. Christmas (2 kits available)
  5. Jewish Memories – Includes family scenes and artifacts of family life, images of Jewish holidays, etc.
  6. Sears and Roebuck Catalog Revue
  7. Friends – Skits and handouts, VHS tape and cassette
  8. New Years (2 kits available) – 20 slides and actiphile
  9. Easter

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Slide Sets

  1. Slideas #1 – Sweet Memories, Mothers, Vacations, Advertising
  2. Slideas #2 – Joy of Food, Weddings, Polling Opinions, Great Cover-Up
  3. Slideas #3 – Spring in Bloom, Summer Porches, Fall Color, Winter Snow & Ice
  4. Slideas #4 – Shopping, Postcards, Manners, Fathers
  5. Slideas #5 – My Favorite Toy, Toy Store Window, Our Heroes, To Be a Kid Again
  6. Slideas #6 – Halloween, Arbor Day, Valentines Day, 4th of July
  7. Slideas #7 – Reading, Airplanes, School, Thanksgiving
  8. Christmas
  9. Spring Into Summer:  Beauty of Nature
  10. African-American Artists:  Our Unique Heritage

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Actiphiles

Actiphiles are folders that contain a large variety of materials (skits, poems, songs, recipes and things to make) that you can easily photocopy as needed.

  1. Arbor Day
  2. Christmas
  3. Fourth of July
  4. Halloween  (2 kits available)
  5. Valentine
  6. Thanksgiving  (2 kits available)
  7. Mothers
  8. Fathers
  9. Food

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Cassette Tapes

  1. Familiar Hymns
  2. Name That Tune
  3. Harvestime
  4. Favorite Hymns II
  5. Chair Exercises for Senior Adults

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Cassette Tapes & Book Sets

  1. I  Hear Memories
  2. Christmas with Eldersong (39 min)
  3. Power of Music (60 min) – This delightful book and audiotape set contains a unique collection of action songs, sing-a-longs, and music activities.

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Video Tapes

  1. Burma Shave (60 min)
  2. Radio Days (In Times Past) (71 min)
  3. Roadsters Rumbleseats and Country Drives (60 min)
  4. Valentine’s Day (10 min)
  5. Trains, Riverboats and Planes (70 min)
  6. Automobiles and Trolleys (69 min)
  7. Patchwork – A kaleidoscope of Quilts (15 min)
  8. Her Mother Before Her – Winnebago women’s stories of their mothers and grandmothers (22 min)
  9. Ethel Kvalheim: Rosemaler (19 min) – Rosemaler is Norwegian folk art
  10. Not available at this time
  11. County Fair Memories (30 min)
  12. Sentimental Sing-A-Long (Each video comes with a reproducible song sheet and are 30 minutes in length)
    1. Vol. 1 – Songs of Romance & Ragtime
    2. Vol. 2 – Patriotic Songs & Other American Favorites
    3. Vol. 3 – Songs of Road, River & Rail
    4. Vol. 4 – Songs of Love & Laughter  
    5. Vol. 5 – Songs Across America  
    6. Vol. 6 – Songs of Praise & Inspiration  
    7. Vol. 7 – Serenades & Sweetheart Songs
    8. Vol. 8 – Songs of Cherished Childhood *
    9. Vol. 9 – Irish Songs & Other Folk Favorites
  13. Moments Frozen in Time (14 min) – Remembering the WWII Years

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Skits

  1. Anything for a Laugh
  2. Almost Anything for a Laugh Too

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Visit Kits

These kits are great for a one on one visit. They come in two groups. Each group contains six kits and each kit contains a visit card, instruction sheet and a prop that goes with the topic.

  1. Advertising, Courting, Cure Alls, Fabrics, Gardening, Hair
  2. Hats, Main Street, Picnics, Table Games, Vacations, Visits

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Flash Cards & Picture Sets

  1. In Years Past (IYP) – Famous People
  2. In Years Past (IYP) – Events
  3. In Years Past (IYP) – Fashion
  4. In Years Past (IYP) – Occupations
  5. In Years Past (IYP) – Transportation
  6. In Years Past (IYP) – Technology
  7. In Years Past (IYP) – Thirties
  8. In Years Past (IYP) – Sixties
  9. How Times Have Changed (HTHC) – Fashion
  10. How Times Have Changed (HTHC) – Leisure Time
  11. How Times Have Changed (HTHC) – Small Town Life
  12. How Times Have Changed (HTHC) – Home Life
  13. Circus Days
  14. Midwestern Farming
  15. Dramatic Stars
  16. Music & Comedy
  17. 10th Century Skills & Crafts
  18. Days of Lumbering
  19. Precious Moments
  20. Seems Like Yesterday
  21. Imagine That #1
  22. Imagine That #2
  23. Family Doctor:  On the Homefront
  24. Yesterday’s Headlines – Each card set contains fill in the blank headlines about new-making events.
    1. Vol. 1 – Big Events of the 20’s & 30’s
    2. Vol. 2 – World War II, Battlefront & Homefront
  25. Flashback – Famous Faces & Events
  26. American Adventure
  27. Homework – Jobs around the house
  28. Food, Glorious Food

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Miscellaneous Materials

  1. First Writes – This notebook has fill line the blank writing exercises on many different topics.
  2. Book on Alzheimer’s Patients – Activities and guidelines for different stages of Alzheimer’s.
  3. Stirring Up Memories (food programs with older adults) – This notebooks has recipes and other information of food.
  4. Heartland Journals – Five Heartland Journal magazines that have stories and poems written by older adults.
  5. Reminiscence- Offers questions & ideas to help older adults with reminiscing.
  6. Remembering the Good Old Days – This book contains questions and answers about the days between 1890 & 1945.
  7. Looking Back – This book contains 200 questions and answers from days long ago.
  8. Activity Planning at Your Fingertips – This book is full of activities including word games, crafts & exercises.
  9. Keep Minds Alert #1 – This book has word games for the blackboard.
  10. Keep Minds Alert #2 (Let’s Play the Date) – This book has word games and information for everyday of the year.
  11. Keep Minds Alert #4 (Date’N Game) – This book has a lot of ideas for mind stimulation and reality orientation.
  12. This & That (Trivia for Seniors)
  13. More This & That (Trivia for Seniors)
  14. Book of Questions – This book is full of questions to help older adults remember thoughts and feelings.
  15. Memory Sharing – This book offers ideas on many different topics for memory sharing.
  16. Learning From the Past – This book has many different ideas on interacting with young and old.
  17. Acting Up – Timeless resource for anyone doing creative drama with older adults.
  18. Reminiscing Together – This book has memory exercises that are great for group activities.
  19. New Plays for Mature Actors – This book has ten plays and sketches varying in length.
  20. Activities for the Elderly Vol. 1 – A collection of activities and programs for therapists working with older adults.
  21. Activities for the Elderly Vol. 2 – A collection of activities for the very impaired because of dementia or other severe disabilities.
  22. Strategies for Seniors with Special Needs (Sensory) – An activity guide for short term and long term memory patients.
  23. Strategies for Seniors with Special Needs (Reality) – An activity guide for short term and long term memory patients.
  24. Elder Wisdom – One hundred creative elders share their insights and experiences about getting older.
  25. 24 Food Programs – In Good Taste – This book has recipes for cooking groups or discussions.
  26. Remembering School Books (book/tape from the Bi-Folkal Bag School Days)
  27. Birthdays; 5-A-Day – Five people who share a birthday for each day of the year.
  28. Name That Memory – Activity book focuses on memorable objects and events from the recent past.
  29. Eldertrivia – Each of these books are Large Type and are packed full of interesting and challenging trivia questions on a variety of topics.
    1. Vol. 1 – Geography, History, Science, Songs, Literature, Color
    2. Vol. 2 – History, Household Items, Magic Numbers, Months, States
    3. Vol. 3 – Early TV, Headings, Initials, Holidays, Slang, Sports
    4. Vol. 4 – Advertisements, Famous Animals, Famous Buildings, Smiles
    5. Vol. 5 – Fun & Games, Home Life, Radio, 1920’s, 1930’s & 1940’s
    6. Vol. 6 – What we wore; At the beach; Notable Threes: Up, Up, & Away; Villains, Cheats & Bad Guys; Memorable Places; Favorite Pastimes
  30. Holiday Trivia – This book features questions for 20 holidays and special occasions.  Also includes a section on holiday traditions and memories.
  31. Even More This & That (Trivia for Seniors)
  32. Barbers, Cars & Cigars – Activity programming for older men.
  33. Holiday Mind Joggers – This book has trivia games, puzzles, word games and more.
  34. Reminiscing Together – This book has activities to strengthen memories, as we grow older.
  35. Keeping Family Stories Alive – This book offers many practical and useful techniques for reviving and keeping family memories alive.
  36. Mind Joggers – This book has word games, trivia and fill in the blank poetry on 50 unique topics.
  37. Practical Time (Language for Living Series) – Exercises in this book cover various skills.  Among the skills are organization, sequencing, memory,judgement, and problem solving.
  38. Arts/Fitness – Quality of Life Activities Program – This books provides themes for each month and activities associated with each theme.  Designed to encourage spontaneity and creativity in older adults.

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List of Kits

The Outreach department also has a Slide Projector available to check out with kits.