Rainy Day Triangles

 Pre-cut triangles made for some cute rainy day designs. I can't wait to use this technique for other art projects.

Tax Day

Our patients enjoyed tax day because it led to many great discussions. What should tax money go to? How much should we take? What are some weird tax laws and how do we think they arose? We read about the history and ended with funny tax jokes.

Afterwards, we could take out an frustration on our green taxes balloon.

Potato Stamping

One Easter craft we completed was potato stamping. Patients carved designs into potatoes cut through the middle to create an egg shape. They dipped them in paint and came up with some great art for the holiday.

Haiku to You Too

For the third year in a row, I've described Haikus to the patients, then let them come up with their own. This might be my favorite yet.

Tattoo Week Begins

To celebrate tattoo week we had a fun themed Friday.

Staff shared appropriate tattoos with the patients. They told their stories of the tattoos and the two groups got to know each other better.

We chatted about the history of tattoos and the reasons people get them. Patients came up with all sorts of origins, from un-true love, remembering special people, and even status in motorcycle gangs.

For Bingo, instead of normal prizes, I adorned players with temporary tattoos. During visitation time, patients wowed their guests by casually mentioning they had gotten tattoos that day.

Before lunch, to add to the celebration, a staff member came and sang a few songs for patients. We love when staff share their talents with the people we are caring for. During lunch, patients watched their tattoo show of choice to their amazement and shock. 

Alp Zeal

On Alp day our morning exercise was a list of motions we would need for getting to the summit of a mountain. We watched aerial views of Switzerland. We chatted about mountains we had visited. We played a PEAK word game, and painted these mountain artwork pieces. It was a rewarding day. 

On this day I also asked staff and patients to wear purple and black if they wanted to. We did this to wish one staff member fair well (those are her favorite colors). My first choice is working with seniors, but many in our industry use their experience to take them to other goals. We understand and encourage their journeys. 

April Fools

The joke was on the ball for April Fool's Day.

We also chatted about pranks and played a fact or foolery game to kick off the new month.