2) Grandma's Writing--this was an activity I developed with my Grandmother
after my Granddaddy died three years ago.  I taught it last summer in a
class I took called "The Charleston Area Writing Project." 

Summary:  have students get pen pals from the local nursing homes in the
area who are willing to participate.  Make sure the nursing home selects
healthy, active senior citizens to be pen pals (I know it's a tad morbid,
but imagine a student getting so involved in this project and then his/her
penpal dies or something.  Oh boy!)  Students begin writing their
autobiographies in letter format to their pen pal.  Pen pals respond. 
Students can have your generated ideas in their letters (i.e. Ask them what
they did during the holidays when they were your age) to just freewriting. 
At the end of the first semester, students travel to the nursing home to
meet their pen pal and swap a small gift for the holidays.  Pictures are
taken for bulletin boards in your school.  Writings continue through the
spring and students bond better with the person who now has a face to go
with the letters.

I have students who still want to write to Grandma even though it's been 2
or more years.  She tells it like it is and many of them have no elderly
support in their homelives.  This is an awesome idea for elderly who have
lost a spouse and/or just need something to do with their time.