Easter Ladder - Work in Progress

After lots of cutting, sticking and painting (the lolly sticks!) we are ready to assemble the Easter Ladder! 

Tomorrow (Friday) it will be put together and displayed at our Day Centre...

Have no idea what it will look like, but we will soon find out!

Starting the Easter Ladder!

This week at the Day Centre we are going to make

an Easter Ladder...   

To make the ladder I nicked one of my husband's runner bean canes and he cut it in half for me - each piece is about 1m long. Using a hot glue gun we stuck on the rungs, using large-size, flat, wooden spatulas or lolly sticks as they are known!

So this week during our craft sessions we will be making up some Easter Eggs - cut from card or foam and decorated - which will go on the ladder. 

Also have 24 little fluffy yellow chicks to add to the ladder as well! So do pop back later in the week and see how we get on - have no definite idea of what it will look like - will just develop as we go along...!

Look at our Day Centre Greeting Cards!

        

           

We had a lovely morning making up greetings cards at our Day Centre. 

We were fortunate enough to have had donations of blank cards, envelopes and embellishments, which gave us lots of choice... 

We also cut bits off  "used" cards and with a bit of glue or a sticky pad a new card was made! 

Most of the members of our group are over 80 (and over 90) but all joined in with great enthusiasm and produced some lovely cards! 

So please enjoy sharing them with us all... 

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.