Welcome To Making Memories 101 October 2008 Activities Page May You Have A Great Day A Wonderful Week & Blessings All New Year Mary Rhodes LTC ADC
You Will Find Many Ideas Here For Celebrations In October. However Do to the fact that I do not celebrate halloween you will find instead ideas for fall Harvest Parties.
National Intergeneration Day is October 5, 2008 Intergeneration Activites Week September 29-October 5, 2008 And there are many states in the United States & Foreign Countries who are still not involved. Talk to Your State or County Activity Director Association About Getting Involved To get involved check out the site above. They have A form you can fill out & they provide brochures & banners free.
October Monthly Observances
Adopt-a-Shelter-Animal Month
Long Term Care Planning Month
1.Hold a fund raiser and donate monies to your local shelter 2. Hold a fund raiser & purchase dog food to donate To your local animal shelter 3. Call your local animal shelter about Your residents volunteering to groom and/or walk animals. 4.Let residents make some of the treats below and donate to local animal shelter
"Popcorn Picture Art" Materials: Popped Popcorn Glue Construction Paper Markers Draw a picture. Some examples are a sheep, clouds, a bear etc Glue on popcorn whole or broken in pieces. Use your imagination.
Visit A Roller Skating Rink & listen to your resdidents reminisce. Bring in or find pictures of old roller skates. Such as: skates with 4 wheels,metal skates that fit over your shoes, roller skate keys.
Print several copies of the blank stamps below. Let your residents make their own stamps. Have a stamp contest. Some ideas are: Design a facilty stamp, a hometown stamp, animla stamp, bird stamp,clown stamp great landmark stamp The list is endless.Display your residents stamps on wall & bulletin boards Then make a scrapbook of all your residents stamps.
Pizza Collage Materials Needed:
Paper Bag
Magazines and/or Construction Paper
Glue Instructions:
Cut a large circle out of the paper bag.
This will be your "pizza crust". Start out
by finding red objects in magazines (or you
can use red construction paper). Tear our
the red objects (or construction paper shapes)
and glue them on your "pizza crust" to resemble
the "pizza sauce". Don't cover the entire crust,
you want to have the crust showing around the edge!
After you get all your red pieces glued on to make your
"pizza sauce", you want to find yellowish (or white)
objects in the magazines (or use construction paper) and
follow the same procedure to make the "pizza cheese".
Once you have the cheese on, you can decide what else
you want on your pizza! For example, tear out round
shapes from reddish objects to make pepperoni, tear
out small, odd shapes from brown objects to make sausage,
tear out green shapes to make green pepers, etc.
Pizza Game (We call It Pizza Pizzaz!) Materials Needed:
4 Brown Pieces of Felt
4 Red Pieces of Felt
4 Yellow Pieces of Felt
Felt - other colors as desired
Unused Pizza Box (or a shoe box, etc)
A Die
Instructions:
Cut a large circle out of each piece of brown felt.
This will be your "pizza crust". Cut circles out
of the red felt that are about 1 inch smaller than
your brown circles. This will be your "pizza sauce".
Cut 4 even smaller circles out of the yellow felt to
be the "pizza cheese". You will need to use different
colored felt to cut out other pizza toppings. You will
need 4 sets of 3 other toppings; such as 4 sets of
green peppers, 4 sets of black olives, and 4 sets of pepperoni.
Choose whatever toppings you like.
Use an unused pizza box, or other box, to store your game and die.
On the lid of the box, or another convenient spot write down each
number on the die and a pizza part that goes with it. Like this:
1 = Pizza Crust
2= Pizza Sauce
3= Pizza Cheese
4= Pepperoni (or other topping of choice)
5= Green Peppers (or other topping of choice)
6= Black Olives (or other topping of choice)
Numbers 1 thru 3 must be the crust, sauce, and cheese in that order;
but numbers 4 thru 6 can be whatever toppings you choose.
Once all your pizza pieces are cut and your box is prepared,
you can play the game! This game is played like 'Cootie' if
you are familiar with that game. The object of the game is to
roll the die and create a pizza. Everyone starts with nothing.
All players take turns rolling the die, when someone rolls a 1
they get to take a pizza crust piece. Once a person has their
crust, they then need to roll a 2 and put the sauce on the pizza.
Then they need to roll a 3 to get the cheese for their pizza.
The rest of the numbers and pizza parts can be gotten in any order.
The first person to finish making a pizza with all the toppings wins the game!
For more than 4 players you will need to cut out 1 set each for each player.
Make several games & have several tables going at once of 4 players per table.
Serve Pizza of Course ! Have Fun !!
National Dessert Month
Have staff and/or family members & volunteers bring in their best dessert Cut desserts in sample sizes and place on napkins or small saucers. Let residents sample desserts and then have a Best dessert judging contest. You can even have a diabetics only dessert sample table. Just ask for volunteers to make diabetic desserts. Or they could bring in samples of store bought diabetic desserts & diabetic residents can judge which is best.
1.Call & set up a time to take residents on a tour of your local Fire Station. 2.Invite Firemen from your area for a brunch. Have them talk about fire safety to residents & staff. 3. Invite local firemen & a day care together. Have them bring a fire truck & give residents & children tours of the firetruck. Make a day of it & have Activity Centers set up. For instance: A Fire Safety coloring booth. Ballon Popping Booth with prize numbers inside. (Check out your dollar store for these prizes. Bags of firemen toys only $1,Firetrucks & Firechief cars, Fire Hats etc.) Or you could have 1 activity each day during Fire prevention week. For the whole community. Be sure to advertise. Use Your Imagination. Have Fun !!!
Advertise in your local paper that you are having a "Teen Read Week" Contest. State that time will be kept track of during the 2nd week of October for all teens who volunteer to come to your facility & read to residents either 1 on 1 or in a group. Or you could notify your local schools to help set up volunteer teens. Award prizes to volunteers according to most time spent. Give all those who volunteer a prize such as Book Marks or Books. Make a form
to keep track of time teens spend reading that must be signed by a staff member.
Alternatives To halloween Celebrations
These sites are not here to judge those that celebrate halloween but for those who like me seek an alternative & the reasons why. If you disagree just skip this section. And Have a great day !
The cars above already have names but are fun to paint,charcoal or color pencil. Below are some vehicles that your residents can paint & color also. Buy different stickers & let residents add a personal touch to their vehicle. Don't forget to have residents give their vehicles a name.
Throw A Smile Game HOW TO PLAY:
1. Residents sit in a circle, making sure they can see everyone else.
One resident who is "It" starts the game by smiling widely,
while all the other residents must remain somber.
The Resident who is "IT" uses his hand to wipe the smile
off his face and throw it to another resident.
That resident must catch the imaginary smile
with his hand and put it on.
2. This new "IT" can then wipe off the smile
to throw to someone else--though she/ he will probably
choose to mug wildly at everyone for a few minutes
before relinquishing her/his happy role.
Meanwhile, all other residents must sit stone-faced.
One smirk and they're out.
Enlarge Morse Code chart & give one to each resident. Write a word or phrase in Morse vode on the blackboard and the first resident to decipher the code wins a prize. Penny candy works great for prizes.
Have your residents decorate and frame some of the poems
below about Teachers & present them to the teachers at your local schools. Call your school to set up a time for the presentation. Let your residence do the presentation.
Reminisce with residents about a special teacher in their life and the affect they had on them. If their are retired teachers in your facility let them share some of their favorite teaching stories. I had one retired teacher who used to love to tell funny stories and another who loved to be in charge of our daily current events. She also loved to conduct our spelling bees & "Todays Word Definition". Before asking her to take charge I could not get her out of her room. Then there she was bright and early dressed and ready to go.
5th-Ray Kroc's Birthday Founder of McDonalds. Born in 1902
It's been in the news that Mc Donald's is hiring a couple
famous designers to revamp their uniforms.
why not have your residents try their hand at designing a uniform for Mc Donald's also.
You could glue the paper dolls on cardboard & laminate them. Have a box full of scrap material, fur, vinyl,felt,sequins,feathers etc. And let your residents design away.
Post designs on bulletin board and/or walls and place a box at nurses desk, For visitors, staff & residents to vote for their favorite. After a week announce 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners. Award ribbons & prizes.
Be a kid again ! Order happy meals for your designer group ! My sister Linda and I used to run to Mc Donald's to get "Happy Meals" Just for the Barbie Doll Toys & The Beanie Babies Tell your local Mc Donald's about your design contest. Ask them to donate the "Happy Meals" with a promise of pictures of your designing venture to post in their restaurant.
Decorate Hats:
Need: straw hats that will fit the residents (or hats found at yard sales).
If you prefer, make paper hats using firm paper plates and paper bowls.
Cut out center of plate and tape and glue bowl to top.
Let the residents decorate them with "silk" flowers, tissue paper flowers,
ribbon feathers, bows, string, streamers, etc. Creative Hat Contest:
After the residents are done decorating. Hand out awards for their accomplishments.
Make sure you have a ribbon or prize for everyone.
Make up categories - most creative, most beautiful, silliest, etc.
Teacup Relay:
Need-plastic teacups and saucer. Water.
Have residents divides in 2 teans and sit in a circle.
Have 1 st Resident in group fill the cup and then begin passing it around circle
till it returns to her.
Team with most water still in cup wins.
Mad Spotter:
This One Is For The Employees (Or you can Team Them Up With A Resident)
Need Colored stickers (different colors).
Assign a point value to each color then stick these all over outside or in facility. To Play: Give each employee a card or paper and let them find as many spots as possible.
At the end of the day total the scores to see who wins.
Award Prizes
It would be great if you could do this for all 3 shifts.
Party Favors :
Buy a child's china tea set and wrap one tea cup saucer
and plate in tulle (nylon net) tie with a ribbon.
You can fill the cup with jelly beans or ?
Musical Teapot
Residents sit in a circle and pass a Tea Pot Around
a prize but is out until all residents have a prize.) Pin the handle on the tea pot.
Make a poster board sized teapot and handles.
Tea party Bingo.
Make up cards with pictures of tea party items.....tea cups,
teapots, silver sets, teabags, dolls
hats, gloves, feather boas, etc.
Mad Hatter River
Draw on yellow poster board, many yellow hats with black ribbons.
Clip a metal paper clip on each hat.
Use wooden dowels.
Tie string at the end and tape to secure.
Glue a strong magnet (from craft store) at the end
of each string.
Toss the hats around on the floor and let the residents go fishing.
Sachet Hats:
Purchase smaller hats that fit dolls.
Let the residents decorate them.
Fill with potpourri & glue nylon net to bottom of hat.
Need: Material or lace,glitter,trinkets potpourri,
ribbon ect.
Let the residents keep their sachet,
give it awy or use for a fundraiser.
50's Theme Ideas - Black & Pink
- Soda Fountain
- Poodle Skirts & Pony Tails
- Bobbie Socks & Saddle Shoes
- Leather & Slicked back hair
- White t-shirts & cuffed jeans
- Drive Ins
- The Jitterbug, The Stroll, The Twist
- 45's & LP's
- Elvis/The Everly Brothers/Jerry Lee Lewis/Nat King Cole
- Chuck Berry/Little Richard/Buddy Holly/Fats Domino
- Root Beer Floats & Milkshakes
- Cheeseburgers/Fries/Coke Bottle
- Fifties Music
- Coke-A-Cola Posters
- Show American Graffiti
- Oldies Music
Games
- 50's Name that Tune Contest (Prize 50's Music CD)
- Hula Hoop Contest (Prize Dancing Dashboard Hula Girl)
- Limbo Contest (Bamboo fishing pole & Prize Bag Of Pretzels)
Invite Staff & Family To Participate
8th-J. Frank Duryea's Birthday-1869
His brother, Charles, and him built and oprated the first automobile in the US. He also won America's first automobile race
Make Your Own Race Track Materials Needed:Glue Ruler Sciccors White Paper Cut To size of your Track (I buy the roll paper) Colored Markers Roll of Clear Contact Paper Toothpicks 1 or 2 thin Dowel Rods Small Styrofoam Squares Toy cars Number Stickers & Other Decorative stickers Dice
Cut white roll paper to length desired. (usually length of table) With ruler make as many race lanes as desired on paper long way. divide each lane into boxes a size your car will fit in. color race lanes different colors with markers if desired. In some of the boxes on each track write directions such as: Pit Stop lose 1 turn Tire Blowout go back 3 spaces Turbo Charge jump ahead 5 spaces JustUse Your Imagination. When Track is complete cover in clear contact paper to make it last. With white paper cut out 2 each Start & Finish Lines the width of your track, and add 2 each words Start & Finish to papers .Color if desired & Add Clear Contact Paper Cut dowel rod into 4 pieces desired height. Glue Start Lines opposite each other onto ends of 2 dowel rods. Do same with finish lines. Stick dowel rods into styrofoam squares to stand at ends of your race game. You can also make race flags and glue on toothpicks and stick in small styrofaom squares. Let residents each have their own car to decorate with stickers and numbers. Residents roll dice to move their cars. First one to finish line wins. We used a long table for this. Residents sat all around table and they all helped move the cars along the track. Winner gets to race those in line next to play We also made a horse & boat race game similar to this.
8th-National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day Day (Ideas Coming Soon)
Telephone Trivia
1. What was the name of the nasal telephone operator portrayed by Lily Tomlin on TV's Laugh-In? a-Angeline, b-Alice, c-Jewel, d-Ernestine
2. What famous writer passed up the chance to invest in Alexander Graham Bell's telephone company in favor of the unsuccessful Paige typesetting machine? a-Mark Twain, b-Edgar Allan Poe, c-Sinclair Lewis, d-Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. What TV star made it big as a standup comic featuring hilarious one-sided telephone conversations with historical figures? a-Jerry Seinfeld, b-Bob Newhart, c-Bill Cosby, d-Jonathan Winters
4. What does the "M" stand for in the name of the long distance provider MCI? a-Marketing, b-McGowan, c-Munitions, d-Microwave
5. "Telephone Line" was a top 10 hit in 1977 for what rock band? a-The Go-Gos, b-Electric Light Orchestra, c-Faith No More, d-The Eagles
6. What girl's phone number was 867-5309 in a 1982 song by Tommy Tutone? a-Toni, b-Jenny, c-Ricki, d-Pam
7. What big band leader had a hit with the telephone number "Pennsylvania 6-5000"? a-Xavier Cugat, b-Jimmy Dorsey, c-Glenn Miller, d-Guy Lombardo
8. According to a recent edition of Emily Post's Etiquette, how many times should a caller allow a telephone to ring before hanging up? a-4, b-5, c-6, d-10
9. In what year did telephone companies begin using area codes? a-1931, b-1937, c-1941, d-1947
10. Which President installed the first telephone in the White House? a-Rutherford B. Hayes, b-Ulysses S. Grant, c-Grover Cleveland, d-Harry Truman
Answers to Telephone Trivia
1-d, Ernestine
2-a, Mark Twain
3-b, Bob Newhart
4-d, Microwave
5-b, Electric Light Orchestra
6-b, Jenny
7-c, Glenn Miller
8-c, 6
9-d, 1947
10-a, Rutherford B. Hayes
Bon Voyage Party Residents, Family & Staff come dressed in costumes according to the place where that person would like to go. Have each person step forward,give their name and let others take turns asking them questions and guessing where they would like to go. Award prizes for:The Most Original, The Silliest, The Person Who Wants To Travel The Farthest (get out your atlas) Or you could make a game of this also by running off copies of a world atlas and making everyone tell how far away their destination is.
Invitations:Make A ship in a bottle on paper Decorations: a lighthouse Seashells Life PreserversCruise Ship Balloons Portholes Net with fish & Seaweed Palm Trees Blue Table Clothes With Sand And Shells Scattered Like Confetti
Games: Get a list of the different nautical symbols. Spell words with the symbols, and have people figure out what the words are. Give out prizes to the person who gets the most right.
Play "Where In The World Am I Going ?" Divide guests into teams and give clues to a country and have teams take turns guessing which country you are traveling to. Keep track of how may countries each team gets right Award Prizes (All For One Dollar Stores Have some great prizes Such as:Bags of Seashells,Lighthouses,Ships In Bottle etc.)
Play "Pin The Country" Put a Large World Map On A Bulletin Board Blinfold guests Name a country and see who can place their pin closets to that country You can play again and again.
Food Ideas: Seashell Pasta's Fish Sandwiches Blue jello with gummy fish floating in it
Serve punch out of a large punch bowl - don't forget to add the floating toy sailboat on top!
Make beach boats by placing a slice of apple on each plate.
Cut a cheese slice in half at an angle and place that like
a sail on the plate. Add some peanut butter to the apple slice
and add a few raisins as the people on the boat
If cake is the dessert of choice, a simple and sweet cake is
as easy as this! Frost a double layer round cake with light
beige frosting. Sprinkle big grain brown sugar over it - a
striking resemblance to sand! You can then add some doll beach
chairs and umbrellas, or just a few plastic seagulls to keep
it simple. Use your imagination and round up those old toys to keep with the theme.
Invite A Local Day Care Or Pre-k Class To Your Facility Or Call & Make arrangements for Your Residents To Visit A Local Day Care Or Pre-k. Let residents help the children Color These Seame Street Pages. You could also have glitter & glue handy to decorate pages.
Start A Poetry Writing Group Gather Your Residents Provide them with the theme of the poem For Instance: When The Leaves Fall, Summer Is, Holding A Baby, etc. And let them work on writing the as a group Get brave and enter their a contest Or publish it in your newsletter & local paper Be sure to list all the authors.
Set Up A donation box for food items in your facilty In advance of world food day Call a Local shelter and set up a time to bring in your dontated food items take some residents with you
Make Food Placemats Have Residents cut food items out of magazines Take construction paper and have residents arrange their cut out items on paper and glue Laminate both sides with clear contact paper
Discuss Residents Favorite Foods-Foods They Dislike Find out more about which foods originated in different parts of the world
18th-Alaska Day
The anniversary of the transfer of the territory and the
raising of the US. flag at Sitka on this day in 1867.
Little Orphan Annie's Birthday
Panning for gold:
spray paint some rocks gold.
Fill several small pans with with water and add sand
cover tables with cut apart plastic bags
set pans on top of plastic
and the "gold nuggets". Give the residents miniature aluminum pie plates
and let them "pan" for gold
Let them cash in their gold for prizes
Praise the work or attitude of someone you work with &Residents
Bring a cup of coffee or tea to a colleague & Residents
Put an anonymous supportive note on a colleague's desk & Residents Night Table
Bring In Cup Cakse To Share With Staff & Residents
Let Residents Make Tissue Paper Flowers & Pass Out To Staff & Other Residents (Patterns Below)
Let Residents Make Some Of The Survival Kits Below And Pass Out To Family, Other Residents & Staff
Give a compliment
Put copies of inspirational poems or stories on Staff Desks & Residents Night Tables
Hug someone who really needs some affection
Leave A Kind Note On The Water Cooler Or Soda & Snack Machine
Have Residents & Staff Share Talents at Local Community Events
Have A Fund Raiser And Donate The Monies
To A Special Community Project, To Help Buy Kids
School Supplies or To Children In Need
Have Residents Take Cookies to Local Senior Center,
Or Police Station,Or Government Office, Etc.
Make A List Of Suggestions for Sweetest Day & Pass Out
To Staff And Residents A few Days Before Event
20th-Monster Mash Day
On this day in 1962 the Monster mash, by Bobby “Boris” Picket
and the Crypt Kickers, reached number 1 in the music charts
and stayed there for 2 weeks
The Test Below Is Provided On Osteoporosis Day at Facilities I Have Worked For.
See about providing this test at your facility.
Quantitative Ultrasonography.
This test uses sound waves instead of radiation to measure bone density.
During this test, you place your bare foot on the machine and sound waves
are transmitted through your heel. Although this test may help predict
the risk of fracture in your spine or hip, it often is not as accurate
as other tests. This is because bone mass is not the same in all areas of the body.
21st-Guggenheim Museum Opens
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of modern and contemporary art
opened in New York City on October 21, 1959
Peanut Toss Game
Make and play this unique and fun game.
Materials Needed:
Coffee Cans or cans the same size
Duct or Masking Tape
Paper
Crayons or Marker
Peanuts
Instructions:
Make sure the metal rim of the cans do not have
jagged edges or cover the edges with tape.
Cover the cans with paper and draw the numerals
1 through 5 (or however many cans you have) on
the front of each can and you can mark the corresponding
number of peanut shapes on each can. Have the participants
try to toss the correct amount of peanuts in each can.
NUT TRIANGLES (THE DELTA GAME)
Make A triangle like one below and cover with clear contact paper,tape down on table
with its point furthest away. It is divided with horizontal lines into 10 sections,
each getting smaller towards the point of the triangle. Each player has 5 nuts.
Determine distance away players must be. Player take turns throwing his nuts
into the triangle. Each section has a value from I up to X. The X is the furthest
away. It is the smallest and hardest to hit, so it scores the highest.
Nut Tiddly Winks
Place a bowel in center of table. Using Hazel Nuts
Give each player 5 nuts
When you say go players try to flick their nuts in the bowel
First one to get all 5 nuts in wins
Or set a timer and whoever has most nuts in when it goes off wins.
23rd-Edison Pele's Birthday
Brazilian soccer player, born in 1940.
Why Not Let Your Residents who have sons or daughters-in-law
Write them a letter telling them how much
they love and appreciate them
Or Let The Pick A Survivial Kit Above To Make & Give To Them
under Sweetest Day The 16th
With A Thank You For Making Me A Mother-In-Law
"That's Bologna" Game
Make a list of true & false questions.
Residents must answer by responding with.
False: "That's Bologna"
True:"That's Not Bologna"
Blue Jean Cards Or Trinket Holders
Cut out a back pocket of a pair of old jeans, put glue on the back and
glue it down on a piece of construction paper.
Address To & From On Construction Paper Side Make a card to place inside pocket Or add trinkets to pockets and give as gift.
There's A Moon Out Tonight
