& IDEA NUGGETS Harvest Month What a great time for fresh tomatoes, melons, corn, etc. Residents can clean and prepare them. National Eye Exam Month Schedule an eye professional to talk about eye care. Combine this with Cataract Awareness Month. National Romance Awareness Month could organize a candlelight dinner for the residents. Cataract Awareness Month Schedule an eye professional to talk about eye care. Combine this with National Eye Exam Month. Fair Month like a cake walk (or candy walk), ring toss, beanbag toss, balloons, wet sponge toss (use staff as targets). Invite children in from a local school to participate. Also, paint faces. Can be tied in with International Clown Month. International Clown Month Everybody likes clowns. Invite a clown in to entertain your people and visit room to room. Residents can paint, color, decorate paper plates with clown faces. Lemon Month How about cooking, drinking, cleaning, etc. Provide samples or let residents make some things using lemons. What a great aroma therapy source! Maine Lobster Month residents to see and touch (watch out for the claws). If your facility is loaded with cash, have a lobster dinner night (and invite all of us to join you). National Catfish Month help you out, there are several other services which provide catfish-fry services for fund raisers. Here's a chance to raise some money for your department. Don't forget the french-fries and coleslaw.
Wouldn't is be great to give foot massages? This would be an excellent one-to-one activity. National Golf Month How about taking a group to a Putt-Putt golf course? Or, maybe, you have some who could go and play a round of golf (remember hydration). Set up a putting green in your facility. Bring in your local country club pro to give a speech about golf and show some clubs, balls and accessories to the residents. Maybe you could take residents for a golf cart ride around the facility grounds or golf course. National Heritage Month Talk about family roots. Perhaps you can encourage a little genealogy or family recollections which can be recorded by volunteers and given to the family of the resident. Ask questions like "How did your family get to the United States?" "How did they get to where they are now?" "Did anyone participate in the ________war?" National Mustard Month How is mustard made? Where does it come from? Sample various mustard combos like dill, honey, spicy etc. Use recipes using mustard as a main ingredient. Some places use mustard in baked beans. How about hot dogs and a choice of mustard flavors? A wonderful item for taste and aroma therapy. National Parks Month If you are lucky enough to have a national park nearby...go for a visit. Bring in literature and pictures and souvenirs and video from national parks around the U.S. Let the residents reminisce about their visits to the parks. Peach Month residents can clean them, chop them, and make them. Peaches taste great and smell great so dive in and enjoy. Relaxation Month What's that? Watermelon Month Also you can have different kinds of watermelons. (See August is Watermelon Month in the August 2006 edition of Activity Director Monthly, page 13) Famous Weeks in August... Week 1 International Clown Week "Bring in the clowns, bring in the clown, there ought to be clowns." Manwatcher's Compliment Week Try this...get the gals together and talk about the men. Maybe you could get the men to participate in a beauty contest for the women to judge. Have fun! National Smile Week (Begins 1st Monday) Time to pass out "smile" or "smiley" stickers for each smile you see. If you do this for the week, some people will have dozens of stickers...so purchase an abundant supply. You can recruit the staff and the residents alike to pass out the stickers during the week. Beauty Queen Week Have a beauty contest for residents, staff, family and children. Week 2 National Apple Week One for each day of the week. National Psychiatric Technician Week If you know one, send a card. Week 3 Weird Contest Week Be creative! Week 4 Friendship Week Maybe you could start a pen pal club. Encourage the residents to be a friend to someone (we all need friends). |