Lighting Up With Bugs

Since the other firefly crafts went so well, we bought black canvases and made more lightening bug jars. The patients were pleased with their work, and so was I.

Watermelon Day

For watermelon day the patients painted half spheres green on the round side, and red on the flat one. They dabbed black seeds and drank sparkling water flavored with watermelon chunks. It was a refreshing day.

Circle Painting

Circle painting involved putting out a variety of paint colors and using cups of various sizes to dip in the paint and dip to the canvas. Colored backgrounds added to the effects.

Cactus Rocks

Our cactus rocks may have turned out more like cucumbers, but we still enjoyed painting them then leaving them outside for guests and staff to find.

Mini Bird Houses

The patients enjoys painting mini wooden bird houses. They were donated to us and allowed the patients a manageable canvas and lots of good discussions. We watched birds on you tube as we worked.

Lobby Love

In our lobby I used a patient's painting to create a sign explaining the shelf with our patients' most recent art projects.

Also, I think it's important to keep track of some of our memories, so I take pictures of dress up days and completed art projects and caption them in a scrapbook for visitors. Hopefully it gives family and friends something to look at while preparing for their visits and helps assure them that each activity day is full of purposeful groups to aid in their treatment.

Ants Invited To The Picnic

For a craft this summer, patients chose a background paper, glued a swath of red gingham to it, and decorated it with three black dots as ants. Some added googly eyes and legs to their insects, leaving us reminiscing about meals taken outside on a blanket.