December Dates to Celebrate

December is Bingo Month
Bingo was first manufactured in 1929. Try playing different types of bingo this month.

December 17th: Ben and Jerrys first ice cream stand opened.
Have an ice cream party with different types of ice cream.

December 21st: The Birthday of The Crossword Puzzle
The first crossword puzzle was published on this date in 1913. Why don't you have a crossword puzzle party?  Give each resident a different puzzle to do for a set amount of time (5 minutes) then say, "switch" and have residents switch with other residents; keep going until the puzzles are done.  This activity is better suited for alert residents.

December 25th: Christmas
Why don't you have a Christmas Luncheon, with entertainment?  Or have the staff sing karaoke Christmas carols with your residents. Play games and have a present exchange with your residents.

December 31st: New Years Eve
Have a party at 12:00 noon, since everyone will be sleeping at midnight. Serve sparkling apple cider and have residents talk about their New Years resolutions.


Source: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/Gina_ActivityIdeasThatWork_December.html

 

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Turkey on a Hat Activity!

With just a few simple items you can create this fun and friendly turkey on a hat for Thanksgiving.

You will need:

• Felt (Orange, red, yellow, white and brown)
• Large goggle eyes
• Tan paper twist
• Large straw hat
• Gold glitter paint
• A small piece of wire
• Pattern click here

Instructions:

Print out your pattern and cut it out. Trace the pattern onto desired colors of felt, or follow the example in the picture and cut out the felt pieces.

Glue the turkeys face onto the hat first so you know where the center is. Then glue the felt feathers on the top of the hat slightly overlaping. Glue the brown bib felt piece over the top of the feathers right around the hat ball part. And lastly, glue the two brown looking hands on each side of the bib shape.

Make a bow out of the paper twist and fluff up. Glue the yellow legs to the back of the hat.

Finishing touches: Using the Gold glitter and glue, add some swirls and dots on the bow and straight lines on the feather. I didn't put any more lines on the felt feathers. I didn't want it to look like leaves.

Last, secure a small piece of wire to the top back of the hat so you can hang it on the door.

Source: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/Gina_ActivityIdeasThatWork_November.html

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October Is National Popcorn Poppin' Month

Here are some ideas for celebrating National Popcorn Poppin' Month with your residents! 

Decorating for a Popcorn Party                

Use a color scheme of yellow and white with a bit of red. Try yellow and red balloons, white and red streamers, dangle yellow and red curling ribbons from several places around the room. Use red and white striped aprons, tablecloths, napkins, etc., if you can find them. String up popcorn and wrap it along railing, across curtains, from hanging lights, etc. Rent a popcorn popper – this will be the hit of the party. You can find them at most party supply stores.

Guess the Kernels
Guess how many popcorn are in the jar. You may use popped corn or popcorn kernels. Just count the corn as you put it in the jar so you will know the correct answer. The resident who guesses closest to the correct answer wins the jar. This is a great opening activity for your popcorn party.

Popcorn and Movie Party
Nothing is more natural with popcorn than a movie. So, watch a movie with your residents while eating popcorn. 

Popcorn Toss
Toss popcorn onto a target. Lay the target down on a table and have residents flick popcorn onto the target using their index finger and thumb. Score their points to determine who wins.

Popcorn Surprise 

Prepare several different flavors of popcorn. Blindfold the residents and feed them the popcorn and have them guess the flavor.

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October Is Almost Here

General Information About October 

October is the tenth month of the year.  The first frost usually happens in October in the North Temperate Zone. Leaves change to their brilliant colors, and begin to fall, making the ground a beautiful haven of color.  Most birds have left for the south by the first frost.  Farmers bring in the last of the fall crops and either store or ship them to other parts of the world. In some parts, apples and grapes are still on the trees and vines. Many apples are harvested at the end of October.  Football usually dominates the scene in October. Hockey also begins it's season in October. And, the World Series will steal some of the spotlight from other sports.  The opal and the tourmaline are the birthstones for October. The calendula is the flower for the month of October.

Holidays In October

Columbus Day : The second Monday in October
Thanksgiving Day (Canadian) : The second Monday in October
Halloween : The last night of October


October Is...

Class Reunion Month
Frugal Fun Month
National Crime Prevention Month
Family Health Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Positive Attitude Month
National Cookie Month
National Seafood Month
National Dessert & Cookie Month
National Popcorn & Popcorn Poppin’ Month
National Pretzel Month
National Pork Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
National Chili Month

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September Is Classical Music Month

September is Classical Music Month and a great time to start a music therapy program for your residents.  Music therapy benefits residents in many ways including:

• Improved awareness and concentration
• Enhances interest levels and social interaction
• Improves memory and recall
• Happier outlook on life and higher self-esteem
• Increases mobility and coordination
• Diminishes pain and improves recovery time
• Reduces tension and promotes relaxation

There are many ways to go about creating a music therapy program (check the American Music Therapy Association website for more info) but no matter what method you choose you'll need music.  Here is a list of several popular symphonies to help you get started:

• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 9, “Choral 
• Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique” 
• Mozart’s Symphonies 35-41 
• Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” 
• Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan” 
• Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished” 
• Haydn’s Symphonies Nos. 103 and 104 
• Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 
• Brahms’ Symphony No. 2.

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Source: http://musicworkswonders.org/html/seniors.html

September: Facts, Observances & Ideas

September Facts:

• September in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to March in the Southern Hemisphere and vise versa.
• September begins on the same day of the week as December every year.
• September's flower is the aster or morning glory.
•  September's birthstone is the sapphire.

September Observances and Ideas:

• Labor Day is September 5th; this holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades.
• National Assisted Living Week is September 11th-17th.
• Autumn Begins September 23rd.
• Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year - check calendar for date.) This day marks the beginning of the Jewish year 5766 and opens the Ten Days of Penitence, which close with Yom Kippur.
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement - check calendar for date.) This day marks the end of the Ten Days of Penitence that began with Rosh Hashanah. It is described in Leviticus as a “Sabbath of rest,” and synagogue services begin the preceding sundown, resume the following morning, and continue to sundown.
• Classical Music Month: If your residents like classical music play them tapes or CDs. Invite a local school orchestra to perform a concert.
• National Piano Month: Invite a pianist to come play during lunch or dinner; schedule a recital.
• National Hispanic Heritage Month: Encourage your Hispanic residents and staff members to speak about their heritages.
  

August: Facts, Observances & Ideas

August Facts

• August begins on the same day of 
the week as February in a leap year.
• August's flower is the gladiolus or 
poppy.
• August's birthstone is the peridot, 
sardonyx, or sapphire.
• August contains no United States 
holiday.
• August in the Northern Hemisphere 
is the seasonal equivalent to 
February in the Southern 
Hemisphere and vice versa.

August Observances & Ideas

• National Eye Exam & Cataract Awareness Month: Schedule an eye professional to talk about eye care.
• International Clown Month: Invite a clown in to entertain your residents. Throw a clown party and suggest that residents dress up as clowns or paint, color and decorate paper plates with clow faces.
• Maine Lobster Month: Bring in a live lobster for residents to touch and see (make sure those close are secure!) Have a lobster dinner night.
• Lemon Month: Set-up a lemonade stand and have residents participate in a lemonade party.
• National Romance Month: Organize a dance or a candlelight dinner.

Source: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/08AUG.html

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Get Your Residents Moving!

Get out of that chair, now! Even 10 minutes of dancing, marching in place or other moderate exercise two or three times a day can add up to a big payoff for your heart and mind, according to Dr. Toni Yancey of UCLA. A former college basketball player and fashion model, Yancey has spent much of her medical career helping people who hate exercise get more, and she's learned a few things that can help us all:

1. Exercising With A Crowd Is Easier 
   Yancey describes the mini-fitness sessions as a part of a "captive audience strategy." It can be tough to get some people to break their work routine even for 10 minutes to exercise, she says, though they'll have fun if they do.
   
   
2. Group Support Is Crucial
   To make daily exercise a priority, top-down leadership is necessary for bottom-up support, Yancey says. Some companies have started pushing back from the conference table to institute "walking meetings" or even replaced the seats around the conference table with elliptical machines.
   
   
3. The People Who Need It Most Will Get The Most Out Of It
   Critics sometimes squeal that short breaks don't raise the heart rate enough to help folks who are already in good shape lose weight or increase their fitness. That may be true. But they'll be refreshed and have fun, and it's the best way to get to others who are true couch potatoes.
   
   
4. What's Good For The Worker Is Good For The Company  
   Retailer L.L. Bean instituted daily, mini-exercise breaks 15 years ago throughout its assembly plant with great results, Yancey says. The breaks were five minutes each, three times a day. At the end of the shift, the company found a 30-minute return on productivity for an investment of 15 minutes of physical activity.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101151713 

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Ice Cream Word Game

Have residents name items to make an ice cream treat. Here are a few examples:

bananas
butterscotch topping
caramel topping
chocolate jimmys
chopped nuts
whipped cream
marshmallows
chocolate ice cream
cherries
chocolate syrup
cookie crumbs
strawberries
gummy candy
vanilla ice cream
strawberry ice cream
waffle cones

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Activity Idea : Ring Toss

For this game, contestants need the tossing skills of a Frisbee player and the good aim of a seasoned horseshoe pitcher.

For the scoring poles, you'll need nine dowels. Set them in the ground in three rows, each composed of three dowels and spaced 2 feet apart. Decorate the planted poles by wrapping them with red, white and blue crepe-paper streamers. For the rings (you'll need three per team), use a dozen sturdy paper plates. You can either purchase colored plates or spray paint plain ones. Cut out a large circle from the center of each plate. Then, place two of the plates face-to-face and tape together all the way around the rims. Repeat for the remaining five rings.

During the game, members from both teams have three attempts each to toss a ring around one of the poles. (It's fun to alternate turns between the two teams.) A ring that lands around a pole in the nearest row is worth 10 points; a ringer in the middle row earns 20 points; and a ringer in the far row earns 30 points. The team that accumulates the most points wins.

Source: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/Gina_ActivityIdeasThatWork_July.html


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Think About It - Brain Exercise: What Would You Do?

"What Would You Do?" - a situation requiring judgment is presented for discussion. This exercise is designed to provide a mental workout to compliment the physical movement presented elsewhere.

Here’s a moral dilemma to read and discuss. Read or listen to the scenario and this time imagine you are the brother with the stored grain and water. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. It’s all a matter of personal opinion.

You and your brother are cattle farmers and have been all your lives. Everything the two of you know and love has to do with cattle farming, a trait you inherited from your father and his father before him. You each have around 600 head of cattle on your respective farms.

For the past three years, there has been a serious drought. Cattle feed is hard to come by, water is becoming very expensive and many area cattle farmers have already had to sell up and move on.

You, however, have been stockpiling grain and water for some time in case of a drought and you have enough to water and feed your cattle for the next four years. You haven’t really told anyone about your stockpile, but your brother knows about it. You know that realistically the drought would have to break in the next year or so, because the longest drought on record has been three years and you are confident that this one will soon end.

One day, your brother comes over and tells you that he simply can’t afford to feed and water his cattle any longer. He tells you he will need to sell out unless the two of you can work out a deal that will allow him to share your stockpile. You tell him that he needn’t worry because you have plenty of food and water to last you each at least another two years. You tell him that he is more than welcome to use your food and water. Your brother is grateful and happy that he will no longer have to sell his farm because like you, he has been a cattle farmer all his life.

After a month of the sharing arrangement, you do a stock check of your supplies and somehow the water has leaked into the grains, causing much of it to be damaged. You realize that if you continue to share your food and water with your brother, you will be lucky if it lasts six months. There is no
gaurantee that the drought will end in that time and if it doesn’t, you will both be forced to sell.

You think about it and realize that if you tell your brother about the damaged grain, he will insist on no longer taking any more from you, but it will crush him greatly to do so because his farm is his life. If you tell him, it means you will be able to keep all the stock and supply for yourself and you will probably be able to last another year, which should take you into the next predicted wet season. If you don’t tell him and continue to share, there’s a chance neither of you will make it and both farms will have to be sold.

What Would You Do?
• Would you tell your brother about the damaged grain? Why? Why not?
• If the second farmer wasn’t your brother, but instead was just a neighbor, would that make a difference? Why? Why not?

Source: http://www.activitydirectorscompanion.com/walkthrough-samplepages.aspx

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35 Activities for Anytime!

Play board games

Press flowers

Write a letter to a relative, friend or pen pal

Make a craft
Draw
Color
Paint
Watch a movie
Write stories
Bird watching
Write a play

Play card games

Do a jigsaw puzzle

Do brain teasers (ie: crosswords, word searches, etc.)

Learn magic tricks

Plant a container garden

Make picture frames from twigs glued onto sturdy cardboard

Make sock puppets

Sew buttons in designs onto old shirts

Make bookmarks

Fold laundry

Work with clay

Arrange photo albums

String dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace for the birds

Make up a song

Play charades

Draw a cartoon strip

Make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines

Have a Spelling Bee

Bake a batch of cookies

Make paper airplanes

Make friendship bracelets

Make a terrarium

Read the newspaper

Toss bean bags into a Bucket

Source: http://activityideas-ivil.tripod.com/aactivities/id35.html

Crayon Stained Glass

Equipment: wax paper, crayons, pencil sharpener, iron, black construction paper

Objective: fine motor skills

Description: Sharpen different colored crayons, making sure to seperate the different colored shavings. Put the shavings in between 2 peices of wax paper (putting like colors together, so they dont just all blend in with one another) Iron the top wax paper. It should melt the crayon shavings. Cut out a design in the middle of a black peice of construction paper. Do the same design on another peice of construction paper. Put the wax paper with the melted crazyon shavings in between the 2 peices of construction paper. Looks great in a window!

(Source: http://www.recreationtherapy.com)