cognition & focus
Sample class
The CogworxABC activity program provides all the instructional material needed to facilitate each weekly activity session. With your first eight week installment of the program we highly encourage that you first read through the content presented in the PDF’s and PPT’s to familiarize yourself with the activity descriptions, procedures, and materials. Subsequent sessions are delivered in four week installments.
Normal preparation for a weekly session takes less than thirty minutes to complete. This includes:
a) Reviewing of the session’s exercises, drills and PowerPoints (PPT’s)
b) Viewing accompanying video tutorials
c) Printing text from the PDF’s
d) Organizing PPT’s
e) Downloading of music
LET'S START
WEEKLY PREPARATION
Equipment Needed:
PowerPoint Display – Laptop, Television or an A/V system
Music – Laptop/ Smartphone and speaker
Material Needed:
Whiteboard and Markers
Music as needed for #7 and #15
Review:
Review Activity Room Set-Up
Review Cognition & Focus Session Format
Open and print the CogworxABC Cognition and Focus Week 1 Session PDF
Write in the Day and Date of the session onto your session document.
Open the Days used/Days left year PDF.
a. Write in the Days used/Days left of year onto your session document. (if appropriate) or
b. Write in the Weeks used/Weeks left onto your session document. (if appropriate) and/or
c. Write in the Days used/Days left of current month onto your session document.
A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.
He asked, “Why are they so many clocks?”
St. Peter answered, “Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move.”
“Look at Mother Teresa’s clock. The hands have never moved, showing that she never told a lie.”
“Incredible,” said the man.
St. Peter then says, “See Abraham Lincoln’s clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Honest Abe told only two lies in his entire life.”
“Why is the clock under the Congress label missing?” asked the man.
“Oh” says St. Peter, “The Congress clock is in Jesus’ office. He’s using it as a fan.”
Open the History Trivia One Year PDF.
a. Print the page(s) of the History Trivia information for the session date
b. The other dates of History Trivia information for the week can be used to begin other activities.
If needed review: Deep Breathing PDF
1. Follow the deep breathing procedure steps.
2. Guide the participants with their inhaling and exhaling by providing verbal prompts.
3. Begin with the prompt of “Let’s smell the roses”, then slowly give a four count of “One and Two and Three and Four”.
4. “Hold” (for two seconds).
5. “Now exhale slowly, One and Two and Three and Four”.
6. Repeat the breathing cycle five times.
7. Finish by making a big sigh!
1. Have the participants sit comfortably, being upright with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep shoulders, head and neck relaxed.
2. Place one hand on the upper chest and the other just below the rib cage and above the belly button. This will allow the participant to feel the diaphragm move as they breathe.
3. Use the phrase “Lets smell the roses” to give the participants a cue on initiating the inhalation through the nose. As the participant breathes in slowly through the nose, instruct them to move the stomach out against the hand. The hand on the chest should remain as still as possible.
4. Tighten the stomach muscles, bringing in the belly button toward the spine as the participant exhales slowly through pursed lips. Keep the hand on the upper chest as still as possible.
5. Repeat the breathing cycle five times.
6. When completed, tell the participants to take one more deep breath and to substitute the “exhale” with a big “sigh”. The participant will enjoy this fun form of stress relief!
Deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, is a breath that is done by contracting the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the most efficient muscle used for breathing. It is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs. Using the abdominal muscles help move the diaphragm which gives us more power to fill and empty the lungs. This action also improves core muscle stability. As we inhale, we bring fresh air in and as we exhale we get carbon dioxide and other gases out of the lungs. This helps increase how much oxygen’s in the blood. The brain is very oxygen dependent, using 20% of the body’s oxygen supply. By providing larger amounts of oxygen to the executive center of the brain (frontal cortex), this allows for an increased ability to focus, clarity in thinking and relaxation.
Repeat proper technique before allowing the participants to stand anytime.
Description: The sit to stand movement is an excellent exercise for leg strengthening and its proper form is crucial in the safe transition from sitting to standing.
- Sit tall in the chair with the feet flat on the floor.
- Move the hips forward approximately 6 inches.
- Bring toes beneath the knees.
- Have feet pointed forward and at hip width.
- Position the chin parallel to the floor.
- Depending upon the conditioning level of the participant they may utilize one of the following arm positions in order of diff A) Hands placed on arm rests. B) Hands placed on thighs. C) Arms positioned outstretched in front of body. D) Arms positioned across the chest.
- Slight forward bend at the waist bringing the chin over the balls of the feet.
- With the eyes looking forward, stand straight up to the ceiling.
If needed: Review Toe Tapping PDF
Description: Toe Tapping is a balance and leg strengthening activity where the participants tap their toes following a visual prompt to music. The selected music normally carries a 4/4 “swing beat”. For those settings where it may not be suitable for the participants to stand, encourage those seated in their chairs to enjoy the music and to have “happy feet” by lifting their knees and toe tapping to the beat of the music.
Equipment:
1) Projector or television set up to view Toe Tapping PPT’s
2) Exercise: Jive Toe Tapping PPT’s 1- 4
3) Audio/speaker capability to play music with sufficient volume.
Instructions
- Have the participants take a deep breath before the exercise with a reminder to breathe throughout the activity.
- Begin by having the participants stand behind their chair utilizing the “piano touch” technique (where the fingers are lightly touching the top of the chair).
- The participants are reminded to begin the activity by placing their weight on their left leg and to keep the leg slightly flexed as to not “lock” the knee as in keeping the knees “soft”.
- Emphasize the point that left leg (weight bearing leg) remains still while the right leg moves in the direction of the arrows.
- Demonstrate the toe tapping action by moving of the foot upward and downward (flexion and extension). Encourage the participants to tap with their toes and not with their whole foot.
- A series of diagrams consisting of Arrows and X’s are shown for a duration of 30 seconds to allow for equal attention to the leg strengthening component of the activity for each leg.
- Facilitator: Keep time and advance the PPT slide every 30 seconds, in addition to verbally prompting the participants to change to the other foot.
- The diagrams are used as prompts for the participants to toe tap to the X’s and to move the leg in direction of the arrows to the beat of the music.
- Remind the participants not to look at their feet, but to keep looking at the diagrams.
- Between each diagram another slide is presented that tells the participant to switch legs by shifting their weight to the opposite leg and to toe tap with the other foot.
- When switching feet, also provide a verbal cue to allow the brain and body to reset.
- Time approximately 30 seconds per slide.
“American Patrol”, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1942
Standing Exercise – Jive Toe Tapping 1
Repeat the proper technique before allowing the participants to sit anytime.
Description: The Stand-to-Sit movement is the reversal of the Sit-to-Stand exercise. It reinforces the mindset of using ones legs as much as possible in a safe and controlled manner. Utilizing its proper form is crucial in helping the participants keep their legs strong by not “plopping” back into their chair.
- Have the participants stand in front of their chair facing forward.
- Position both legs so that the edge of the seat is slightly touching the back of both legs.
- Have feet pointed forward and at hip width.
- Position the chin parallel to the floor.
- Depending upon the conditioning level of the participant they may utilize one of the following arm positions A) Arms positioned outstretched in front of body. B) Arms positioned across the chest.
- Remind the participants that the chair is directly beneath them and that it is safe.
- With the eyes looking forward, engage the core of the body.
- Release the knees and “slowly” bring the body to the seat of the chair.
- The participants are now in the exact position they would be in to initiate a “Sit-to-Stand”!
If needed: Review History Trivia PDF
For the History Trivia Recall activity ask questions that are prefaced with “Who”, “What”, “When” or “Where” or “How”. Whereas some of the trivia items may only lend themselves to one or two questions, you may be able to utilize three or four questions for others. For example: On June 6th, 1944, known as D-Day, 160,000 Allied troops landed on Normandy in Operation Overlord during WWII. You may ask; What happened on June 6th 1944? “When was Operation Overlord? How many troops were involved? Where did the Allies land on D-day?
Repeat proper technique before allowing the participants to stand anytime.
Description: The sit to stand movement is an excellent exercise for leg strengthening and its proper form is crucial in the safe transition from sitting to standing.
- Sit tall in the chair with the feet flat on the floor.
- Move the hips forward approximately 6 inches.
- Bring toes beneath the knees.
- Have feet pointed forward and at hip width.
- Position the chin parallel to the floor.
- Depending upon the conditioning level of the participant they may utilize one of the following arm positions in order of diff A) Hands placed on arm rests. B) Hands placed on thighs. C) Arms positioned outstretched in front of body. D) Arms positioned across the chest.
- Slight forward bend at the waist bringing the chin over the balls of the feet.
- With the eyes looking forward, stand straight up to the ceiling.
If needed: Review Music Memory Activity
Description: A balance and concentration activity where the participants listen for a specific word or phrase, perform a single leg stance when it occurs then recall the number times they heard the word or phrase at the songs completion.
Equipment: Audio set up for the playing of the song recording.
1. Have the participants stand to the right of their chair.
2. Place left hand on the top of the chair and use the “piano touch” by keeping a “light” grip on the chair.
3. Tell the participants the title of the song, name of the group and date released.
4. Tell the participants the word or phrase that they will need to listen for (usually the title).
5. Have the participants perform a single leg stance whenever they hear the selected word or phrase and to hold the leg stance.
6. When the word or phrase occurs again have the participants change legs.
7. Let the participants know that if they can’t hold their leg up for the duration, that it’s ok to move the leg to do toe taps.
8. At the completion of the song have the participants verbalize how many times they heard the selected word or phrase.
Music Attention
The title of the song, which is usually the phrase or word to be remembered will be in quotation marks. There will be a number in parenthesis to indicate how many times the word or phrase occurs in the song. When there are times that an additional word or phrase is to be remembered and it will also be in quotation marks. Although a lot of attention went into getting the correct frequency of the words or phrases for each song, please be aware that the version you download may be slightly different. Be flexible. Encourage everyone whether they get the exact number or not. This activity demonstrates how being mindful in paying attention will allow one to “hear” more of the song than just listening to the melody.
“Puttin On The Ritz” (8) Fred Astaire, 1930