March Calendar 2011 - A Mosaic Flower!

2011 Calendar

March

with Printable Template

March coming up...so do print out your March calendar template, all ready to paint or colour-in!

Mosaics are such a delight and have very satisfying results - choose your colours and get going - easy for elderly hands and fun for everyone!


You Will Need
Printed copies (I used A4 White Cartridge 140gsm)

of the March Calendar -  Click here for the Template

 
Paints or any other colouring-in medium.

My Simple Version of a Beetle Drive...for All Ages and Abilities!

I have made our own version of the age-old game, so that everyone, young or whatever ability, can join in..........as to play, all they have to do, is shake the dice!

This is how it works...on each table of 4 to 5 players, place a dice in a shaker (we just use a plastic cup)

One of the players has sheet of A4 copy paper divided into 4 "boxes" by drawing a line across the middle of the page across and down. He will be the Beetle Drawer - A helper can do this if necessary. This will be for four games - so more games, will need more paper!

The dice is thrown in turn by the players (clockwise) and when a 6 is thrown the "body" is drawn. Legs (2 for each leg) and tail (1) can be added, but only when a 5 is thrown and the head added, can the eyes (3 each) and feelers (4 each) be drawn.

Click on the the link to the

 Beetle Drawing Number Codes 

with details of Beetle Parts / Numbers - put a copy on each table. 

When the beetle drawing is complete the table calls out **BEETLE** and the table is awarded a Red Ladybird.

When everyone has had enough (or it is dinner time!) the table with the most Red Ladybirds, gets stickers all round (we use Smiley Faces!)

Have fun...!

Today We Made Collages!

 

   An hour and a half of tearing, cutting and glueing and these are six of the collages, our folk at the Day Centre made - just from magazines, newspapers, craft papers and a few cut-outs and mounted on an A4 black card 

After a hesitant start, the craft session took off with a great buzz of enthusiasm and with great results!

Have a look at our collages!

Easy Craft - Make a Card Door-Hanger!

Door-hangers are such a lot of fun to make!

You will Need:

Card - coloured or white

Fibre tip Pens

Stickers or other embellishments
Glue sticks
Acrylic paint, shapes and sponge (optional)

Here is the template for the Door-Hanger and the Come In! Stay Out! and My Room! prints.



Print out the template 

Trace the door-hanger onto card, or cut out a template and draw around it, onto the card.

If you want - cut out and stick on one side "Come In!" and on the other "Stay Out!" or stick on "My Room!"

The lettering can be coloured-in, either before or after it has been stuck onto the card door-hanger.

Finish off by adding stickers or any other embellishments.

Another version we made was using reverse stencilling.

Use White Tack to temporarily hold down the shapes and then sponge acrylic paint over and around the shape. Leave to dry and then remove the shape.

Stickers can then be used to finish it off. 

If the door knob or handle will not fit into the "hole" then just cut a slit across the left side, about half way down the "hole".

All these Door-Hangers were made by our group

 at the Day Centre for the Elderly.

Restore Self-Esteem to the Elderly With Craft

Working with elderly folk, as the voluntary craft lady at a Day Centre over the last year, has made me realize, more and more, that the folk I'm with, are capable of much more than they think.

When I push my craft trolley into the Lounge, I see a range of facial expressions. Some are delighted to see me. Mostly those who have had some months of my craft sessions.

Others look apprehensive and of course you do get the "I'd rather not do craft" faces...

No pressure, I leave those who are adamant - some come around to joining in, but others never do. Not everyone, amazingly enough, enjoys painting, gluing and the rest!!

The apprehensive ones, give me the most pleasure. When they grow to realize that nothing we do is too difficult and if they do have any physical impairments, lots of help is on hand.

Being part of the group is what counts. The pride I see in their faces, as they hold up their finished work - "I made it myself" sort of look.

I think, that as you age, and you no longer work, either at a job or as a meaningful part of a family, you miss having the challenge of achieving new goals.

So even making a felt butterfly, becomes important and restores the feelings of self esteem and confidence.

Play "Give and Take" with your Group!

We have a favourite , fun game which we play at the Day Centre called Give and Take...

You Will Need (for two groups of 4 players)

An old pack of playing cards (does not matter if incomplete) As you will be writing on these cards, with your marker pen, only use cards you won't need to use again!

A black marker pen

2 dice

Plastic cup - dice shaker

Counters or some form of "money" for players

Preparation

Remove 4 x Aces and 1 Black "2" and 1 Red "2"

On these 6 cards take your marker and write in large lettering across them -DO NOTHING

On all the remaining RED cards in the pack, write GIVE in large lettering.

On all the remaining BLACK cards in the pack, write TAKE in large lettering.

Make up two packs by taking half of each of the cards above and put 3 x DO NOTHING cards into each pack.

Shuffle each pack.

Rules of Play

Make up two tables of four players per table.

Place the pack of cards you have prepared in the centre of each table, face down.

Give each player 7 counters.

The game starts with the first player shaking the dice.

That player then takes a card from the top of the pack and looks at it.

She then either GIVE's to the player or TAKE's from the player on her right the number of counters according to her dice throw.

If she draws a DO NOTHING card she does not GIVE or TAKE counters

The dice is passed to the player on her left (clockwise) after she has completed her turn and the next player shakes the dice etc

When a player has no more counters she is out and the game continues with the remaining players.

The player may not have enough counters left, to pay, when asked. If so, she just hands over what she has and is out of the game.

The Winner is the one who gains all the counters.

We reward the winners with a sticker (Super Star etc) and the player with the most stickers at the end of the session is the Champion Taker!!

(I have called the player "she" but this game appeals to the men-folk as well!)

Freddie Finds a Frog! ... Calendar Feb 2011

2011 Calendar

February

with Printable Template

Second month of the year coming up...so do print out your February calendar template!

You Will Need
Printed copies (I used A4 White Cartridge 140gsm)
of the February Calendar - here is the Template

Paints or any other colouring-in medium.

Have a Fabulous February!

Puppy Fun!

Wrigley

We all know how much fun and pleasure, a puppy can bring into our lives.

At our Day Centre we have a lady, who comes in regularly, to visit our elderly folk, bringing with her, the most sociable dog I have ever met!

Megan is a Labrador and just loves to be patted and petted and talked to...so therapeutic for those folks who can't keep a pet themselves.

This is such a wonderful service - this lady and her dog, visit, not only the older people, but also children in hospital and at special schools.

So our activity this week, is a picture to print out and colour in - it is a Labrador puppy with some cuddly toys! Enjoy...!