April 2012: Holidays, Observances and Ideas

April 2012 is:

• National Humor Month
• International Guitar Month
• Keep America Beautiful Month
• Lawn and Garden Month
• National Poetry Month
• National Pecan Month
• National Welding Month
• Records and Information Management Month
• Stress Awareness Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Weekly Celebrations:

• Week 1 Library Week
• Week 1 Read a Road Map Week.
• Week 2 Garden Week
• Week 3 Organize Your Files Week
• Week 3 Medical Labs Week
• Week 4 Administrative Assistants Week
• Week 4 National Karaoke Week

April 2012 Holidays:
(Click on the links to visit a website that has more information about the holidays including great recipe ideas, artwork and activity ideas.)


1 April Fool's Day
1 International Fun at Work Day
2 Children's Book Day
2 National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
2 Reconciliation Day
3 Tweed Day
4 Hug a Newsman Day
4 Walk Around Things Day
4 School Librarian Day
4 Tell a Lie Day
5 Go for Broke Day  
6 National Walk to Work Day - first Friday of month
6 Sorry Charlie Day
7 Caramel Popcorn Day
7 No Housework Day
7 World Health Day
8 All is Ours Day
8 Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
8 Easter Date varies
9 Name Yourself Day
9 Winston Churchill Day
10 Golfer's Day 
10 National Siblings Day
11 Eight Track Tape Day
11 Barbershop Quartet Day
11 National Submarine Day
12 Big Wind Day
13 Scrabble Day
14 Ex Spouse Day
14 International Moment of Laughter Day
14 National Pecan Day
15 Rubber Eraser Day
15 Titanic Remembrance Day
16 National Eggs Benedict Day
16 National Librarian Day
16 National Stress Awareness Day
16 Patriot's Day - third Monday of the month
17 National Cheeseball Day     
17 Pet Owners Independence Day
18 International Juggler's Day
18 Newspaper Columnists Day
19 National Garlic Day
19 National High Five Day third Thursday
20 Look Alike Day
20 Volunteer Recognition Day
21 Kindergarten Day
22 Girl Scout Leader Day
22 National Jelly Bean Day
23 Lover's Day
23 National Zucchini Bread Day
23 Take a Chance Day
23 World Laboratory Day
24 Pig in a Blanket Day
25 World Penguin Day 
26 National Pretzel Day
26 Take Your Daughter to Work 4th Thursday
27 Babe Ruth Day
27 National Prime Rib Day
27 Tell a Story Day
28 Great Poetry Reading Day
29 Greenery Day
30 National Honesty Day     

Source: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/april.htm

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Activity Director Tips: How To Stay Organized

Organization is important to being successful at almost any job but it's especially important for activity directors. Proper planning ensures that you have enough supplies for residents to participate in activities and that the locations for your activities are available on the days and times you need them to be.  Small oversights can lead to major disasters, unhappy residents and displeased administration.  Use these three simple tools to keep yourself organized and avoid chaos:

1. Daily Planner or Electronic Calendar
   In order to plan effectively beyond the current month, you need a daily planner that you can use to book your upcoming entertainers and events.  If you don't like the idea of carrying around an actual daily planner then you can use an electronic calendar like the one in Outlook (or any other email client) or you can even use an online solution like Google Calendar (http://www.google.com/calendar) which is a free service.  Put everything from meeting times to scheduled activities and contact info in your planner or electronic calendar.  By using this resource religiously you'll never double-book yourself or forget about important events.
2. Copy of Your Current Monthly Activity CalendarMake sure to keep a copy of your current activity calendar with you so when someone needs to schedule to use your Activity Room at the last minute, you can easily refer to your current calendar and make changes. Make sure that you are consistent with updating all versions of the calendar; if you display the calendar in 2 or 3 places and you make a change then it needs to be changed everywhere to avoid confusion.
3. Activity NotebookThrow away your Post-It notes. They get lost, you'll overlook them and you don't need them anymore if you use a notebook to write everything down: notes, ideas, things your administrator wants to see in your activity calendars, etc. Utilizing just one place where you keep all of your notes reduces the risk of losing important information. It also keeps your desk neater because you don't need as many little pieces of paper with information on them floating all over your office.

(Source: http://www.notjustbingo.com)

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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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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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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

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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