February 2017 Dementia Activity Calendar

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• National Candy-Making Day (some sources say Decorating With Candy Day)
• National Girl and Women in Sports Day
• National Signing Day (College Football)

Crafts: Matchbox Valentines

On this National Candy-Making Day, supply residents with matchboxes to paint for Valentine's Day. Use pink, red, and white paint to cover the outside of the matchboxes, and once the boxes are dry, fill them with candy hearts and pass them out to your residents as favors on Valentine's Day.

One-on-One: Remember Candy Buttons?

Assist your resident with making candy buttons on this National Candy-Making Day. Just mix together meringue powder, powdered sugar, water, and gel food coloring to make the dots, using the template as a guide.

Exercise: Ladies' League

Start a ladies sports league in your facility, like a bowling league or even a shuffleboard league, on this National Girl and Women in Sports Day. Pair the ladies into teams. Each Wednesday, host a tournament with several of the bowling or shuffleboard games set up throughout your Activity Room, and award a prize to the winning team. Beforehand, encourage the teammates to dress alike (e.g., wear red shirts or wear white scarves around their necks).

Bedside: Hershey's Gifts

Encourage your resident to make valentine candy treat bags on this National Candy-Making Day for her grandchildren when they come to visit. Use Hershey's Kisses, silver tissue paper, plastic bags, and labels for the project.

Reminiscing: The Life of a Professional Athlete

Reminisce with residents about their sports-playing days as you chit chat about today's professional athletes on this National Signing Day. Ask residents to brainstorm a list of nice perks of being a professional athlete.

Sensory Stimulation: Making Truffles

Invite residents to assist you with making chocolate peanut butter truffles on this National Candy-Making Day. Simply use cream cheese, semisweet chocolate, peanut butter, and a microwave to make the sweets. Add toppings like cocoa, powdered sugar, or sprinkles for residents to roll the truffle balls into to make a variety of candy. Set out the finished candy for passersby to sample.

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• Birthday: Elaine Stritch, American Broadway actress known as the "First Lady of Broadway" (1925)
• Groundhog Day
• National Tator Tot Day

Crafts: Groundhog Poop

Invite your residents to assist you with making groundhog poop to pass out to visitors on this Groundhog Day. Simply fill cellophane bags with chocolate malt balls before attaching the label to the top.

One-on-One: No Whammies! No Whammies!

In honor of this Groundhog Day, invite your nostalgic resident to play the classic television game show Press Your Luck that features groundhog-like creatures called whammies. To play, click on the word "Play" and click on "Start Game" to begin answering the multiple choice questions to gain spins for the game. Once you have completed the question section of the game, the board will begin to light up. To stop the board, press the space bar on your computer to see how much money your resident has won. After stopping the board, you have a choice to "Go On" to try to gain more money and risk losing it all to the whammy, or to "Stop" and take the money that you have already accumulated. Play several rounds with your resident to see who can win the most money.

Exercise: Broadway Tunes

Play Broadway tunes during your Exercise Class in recognition of this birthday of Elaine Stritch, the American Broadway actress known as the "First Lady of Broadway."

Bedside: Small Town America

Chit chat with your resident about Small Town America on this Groundhog Day, where the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is bombarded with fanfare for the day. Share a list of other small towns that are famous.

Reminiscing: Who Doesn't Love Tator Tots?

For this National Tator Tot Day, coordinate with Dining Services to provide a tator tot snack that you can use as a bribe to get more residents to participate during a timeslot where few people want to do anything (i.e., mid-afternoons). During the activity, serve the tator tots and start a food trivia competition (e.g., men vs. women or first floor v. second floor) to get residents excited about competing. Ask American food trivia questions or even a few trivia questions about potatoes.

Sensory Stimulation: Groundhog Day Molasses Cookies

Ask residents to help you sift ground ginger, flour, ground cloves, cinnamon, and other ingredients to bake molasses cookies in the shape of groundhogs on this Groundhog Day. (Use groundhog cookie cutters for the baking project.)

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• Bubble Gum Day
• National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness about heart disease

Crafts: Red Bracelet Party

Set out your beading supplies for residents to make red bracelets to hand out as gifts to visitors on this National Wear Red Day, showing support to the American Heart Association.

One-on-One: Bubble Gum Ice Cream

Recruit your resident to assist you with making bubble gum ice cream on this Bubble Gum Day. To make the ice cream, simply whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, and then add in food coloring to get the desired color. Next, add in condensed milk until mixed. Then, spread one third of the mixture into a loaf pan and top off with halved gum balls. Continue altering a layer of the mixture and a layer of halved gum balls. Once all three layers have been spread, place the loaf pan in the freezer for at least five hours. Serve the finished ice cream as a dessert for later in the day.

Exercise: Getting Active Again

Teach a special exercise class featuring simple beginner's exercises to get your inactive residents used to exercising their heart muscle on this National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness about heart disease. Hold this special class at a unique time of day and in a heavily populated area of your facility to try to recruit more of your inactive residents.

Bedside: Go Red!

On this special National Wear Red Day, encourage your heart disease-survivor-resident to get gussied up in red. Give her a fun make-over featuring beautiful red lipstick and red fingernail polish. Take a picture of your resident to send to family members with the hashtag #GoRedWearRed.

Reminiscing: Healthy Bake Sale

Coordinate with Dining Services to bake several healthier bake sale options, like granola cookies or whole-wheat snickerdoodle bites, to sell and raise money for the American Heart Association on this National Wear Red Day. Recruit residents to help you man the tables as you reminisce with them about the baked goods that they used to make.

Sensory Stimulation: Red Lipstick Party

Host a fun red lipstick party for the ladies of your facility on this National Wear Red Day. Purchase different shades of red lipstick and lipstick brushes to give each of the ladies beautiful red lips.

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• Birthday: Byron Nelson, champion professional golfer of the 1930s and 1940s (1912)
• Birthday: Rosa Parks, American seamstress whose act of refusing to give up her seat to a white man started the Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955 (1913)
• Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
• National Barber Day
• National Homemade Soup Day
• Thank a Mailman Day

Crafts: Lavender Sachets

In honor of this birthday of civil rights activist and seamstress Rosa Parks, assist residents with making lavender sachets using colorful fabric swatches, dried lavender, needle and embroidery floss, and seam sealant (to prevent frayed edges). Encourage residents to keep the sachets in their dresser drawers.

One-on-One: Cutting Hair

For this National Barber Day, invite your former beautician-resident to cut and style the hair of a doll. Supply your resident with a comb, brush, and scissors to style the doll's hair in one of your resident's favorite styles.

Exercise: Pendulum Swing

Invite residents into your Activity Room to learn how to make a pendulum swing when putting a golf ball on this birthday of legendary American golfer Byron Nelson.

Bedside: Soup Lunch

Surprise your resident with a bowl of her favorite soup for lunch on this National Homemade Soup Day. While your resident enjoys her soup, ask her about the soup recipes that she used to make. Consider documenting your resident's recipes and sending them out to family members.

Reminiscing: Bored With Breakfast

Reminisce with residents about their favorite breakfast foods on this Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Ask residents to name some unique items that they have tried first thing in the morning.

Sensory Stimulation: Saying Thank You

Encourage residents to assist you with making chocolate chip cookies to give as gifts to your facility's mailperson, UPS and FedEx deliverers, and other courier deliverers on this Thank a Mailman Day. Place the baked cookies in baggies and top off with thank you labels.

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• Super Bowl Sunday (Super Bowl LI) in Houston, Texas
• World Nutella Day

Crafts: Cute Referees

Encourage residents to assist with making referee wafer cookies in honor of this Super Bowl Sunday. Show residents how to pipe icing onto the wafer cookies to make the uniforms. Invite residents to eat the cookies after decorating them.

One-on-One: Super Bowl Bark

Invite your resident to assist you with making football bark as a snack for those who will watch the big game today. Use chocolate chips, candy melts, oil, almonds, and icing for the candy treat.

Exercise: End Zone Dance Contest

Play music as you invite residents to demonstrate their best end zone dance on this Super Bowl Sunday. Recruit staff members to judge the winner.

Bedside: Ever Been to Houston?

Share photos of Houston, Texas, the site of Super Bowl LI, as well as a few random facts about the "Space City" with your resident on this Super Bowl Sunday.

Reminiscing: Nutella Tasting

Introduce your residents to the wonderful world of Nutella on this World Nutella Day by providing a few easy-to-make Nutella recipes, like a Nutella mug cake or even Nutella Oreos. Reminisce with residents about their favorite spreads, like peanut butter or cream cheese.

Sensory Stimulation: Football Food Competition

Host a football food competition to recognize this Super Bowl Sunday. (On the website, scroll down to the third game for instructions.) To play, simply pass out snack foods, like pretzels and peanuts, to each of the residents and give them two minutes to create a unique football-themed scene using the snack foods.

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• Birthday: Babe Ruth, baseball legend (1895)
• Birthday: Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice artist for the Tony the Tiger cereal commercials (1914)
• International Networking Week (February 6-10)
• National Frozen Yogurt Day

Crafts: Baseball Pennants

Supply residents with stiff felt sheets, self-stick letters, and wooden dowels to make their own baseball pennants on this birthday of baseball legend Babe Ruth. Save the finished pennants to use as decoration in the spring for your Opening Day festivities.

One-on-One: New Resident Questionnaire

In recognition of this first day of International Networking Week, create a fun list of questions to ask your new resident to get to know him better.

Exercise: Frozen Yogurt Break

Treat today's Exercise Class participants with a small cup of frozen yogurt after the class on this National Frozen Yogurt Day.

Bedside: Commercial Jingles

Play classic commercial jingles for your resident on this birthday of commercial voice artist Thurl Ravenscroft. Ask your resident whether she recognizes a few of the jingles.

Reminiscing: Name the City

In honor of this birthday of baseball great Babe Ruth, encourage residents to try to remember the baseball city that is associated with the different Major League Baseball logos. Beforehand, recruit volunteers to print out the logos (American League and National League) and cut them out for you to pass around during the activity. (On the website, click on the individual logo to view larger photos of the logo that can be printed.)

Sensory Stimulation: Just Add Milk

Set up a variety of different cereals for residents to sample on this birthday of the voice of "Tony the Tiger" for Kellogg's cereal, Thurl Ravenscroft. Encourage your more adventurous residents to mix a few of the cereals together.

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• Ballet was introduced to America (1827)
• Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day

Crafts: Countdown to Valentine's Day

With just a week before Valentine's Day, recruit residents to assist you with making Valentine's decorations, like heart suncatchers that can be hung from your Activity Room windows. To make the hearts, use wax paper, the heart template, watercolors, white glue, tape, white string, thread, and paper cups.

One-on-One: Tea Bagger

Recruit your resident to assist you with replacing the tags on the tea bags in the Dining Room with paper hearts for the upcoming holiday. Simply print out small hearts onto red cardstock for the craft.

Exercise: Ballet Stretches

Teach your residents a few ballet arm moves on this day that ballet was introduced to America in 1827.

Bedside: Valentine Assistant

Encourage your resident to assist you with cutting out Valentine cards and addressing them to residents. (On the website, scroll down to the bottom of the page to print out the sheet of cards onto cardstock.)

Reminiscing: Dance Class Chauffeur

On this day that ballet was introduced to America, reminisce with residents about driving their children to dance class (ballet, jazz, tap) when their children were little. Chit chat with residents about whether parents can overschedule their children with extracurricular activities. Ask residents whether extracurricular activities should be mandatory for students.

Sensory Stimulation: Manicures & Massages

In recognition of this Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day, set up shop in your Activity Room for you and your volunteers to give manicures to residents throughout the day. Use scented lotion to give hand massages as well.

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• Birthday: James Dean, American film actor (1931)
• Festival of Broken Needles in Japan
• Love Makes the World Go 'Round, But Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week (February 8-14)

Crafts: Valentine Wreaths

Invite residents to use cereal box cardboard and pink, purple, and red tissue paper to make Valentine wreaths for their apartment doors. Simply cut out heart shape wreaths from the cereal box cardboard (or heavy cardstock) and use glue to attach crumpled pieces of tissue paper.

One-on-One: Heart Necklace

In recognition of this day of the Festival of Broken Needles in Japan, assist your resident with sewing a heart necklace that she can wear on Valentine's Day. Simply use felt, ribbon, needle and contrasting thread, and stuffing for the heart.

Exercise: Parachute Balloon Toss

Keep your residents having fun on this first day of Love Makes the World Go 'Round, But Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week by inviting seated residents to use a parachute to see how high in the air they can toss inflated balloons.

Bedside: Love Tree

Use branches from outdoors to create a love tree for your resident's room as decoration for Valentine's Day. Simply collect a few small branches that can be placed in a vase and add colorful paper hearts to the branches. Encourage your resident to help you write the names of her loved ones on the hearts that hang from the tree.

Reminiscing: Remembering James Dean

Reminisce with residents about Hollywood actor James Dean, who died at the age of 24 in a car accident. Share several interesting facts about the talented star.

Sensory Stimulation: Puffy Paint Cards

Assist residents with crafting puffy paint cards for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday. Simply use cardstock, black crayons, and colorful puffy paint for the unique cards. Encourage residents to make enough to pass out as favors to the visitors on Valentine's Day.

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• Birthday: Ernest Tubbs, American country and western singer (1914)
• National Pizza Pie Day

Crafts: Beaded Hearts

Assist residents with shaping pipe cleaners into hearts and stringing beads onto them to hang as decoration for the Valentine's Day holiday.

One-on-One: Valentine Game

Invite your resident to assist you with assembling Valentine Tic Tac Toe games using the game printable and envelopes and the label printable. First, cut out and assemble the envelopes and then place the game cards and Valentine M&M's inside the envelopes before attaching the labels.

Exercise: The Cowboy Charleston

Teach residents how to dance a country line dance called the Cowboy Charleston on this birthday of American country and western singer Ernest Tubbs.

Bedside: Heart Pillow

Encourage your resident to assemble a no-sew Valentine pillow for her bed. Use felt pieces, stuffing, and scissors for the easy project. If time permits, ask your resident to help you make multiple pillows to give to other bedridden residents.

Reminiscing: The Good Ol' Days

For this National Pizza Pie Day, reminisce with residents about going out to pizza parlors to eat pizza, as compared to ordering in with delivery. Ask residents to list their favorite pizza toppings.

Sensory Stimulation: Glossy Hearts

Use a different craft medium (corn syrup) and have residents paint glossy hearts to use as decoration for Valentine's Day. For the project, simply print out hearts onto cardstock and have residents combine corn syrup and food coloring to paint them.

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• Birthday: Bill Tilden, American tennis player (1893)
• Birthday: Jimmy Durante, American entertainer (1893)
• Lunar eclipse (February 10-11)
• Notable phrase "All the News That's Fit to Print" first appeared on the front page of the New York Times (1897)
• Snow (Full) Moon

Crafts: Love Shacks

Supply residents with chocolate graham crackers, icing, and Valentine's candy to make their own love shacks that can be used as decoration for Valentine's Day.

One-on-One: Full Moon Tea Party

Host a full moon tea party on this day of the Snow Moon for your tea-loving resident after dinner. Serve "round moon" sugar cookies and tea near a large picture window to view the full moon.

Exercise: Tennis Follow-Through

Place chairs facing a blank wall for residents to sit in as they use plastic tennis rackets to hit inflated balloons against the wall to practice their follow-through on this birthday of tennis player Bill Tilden.

Bedside: Woven Newspaper Basket

In honor of this day that the phrase "All the News That's Fit to Print" first appeared on the front page of the New York Times, invite your resident to assist you with weaving a newspaper basket for her room. Simply use strips of newspaper and a stapler for the basket.

Reminiscing: The Great Schnozzle

Treat residents to music by entertainer Jimmy Durante on this birthday of the comedian and singer. Encourage residents to reminisce about his variety show.

Sensory Stimulation: Lunar Eclipse

Set up chairs near a large picture window in your facility for residents to sit and watch the lunar eclipse (7:43pm EST).

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• Birthday: Sidney Sheldon, best-selling novelist (1917)
• National Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
• National Shut-in Visitation Day
• Pro Sports Wives Day
• Tu B'shvat, Jewish Arbor Day
• White Shirt Day, anniversary of blue-collar worker strike in 1937

Crafts: Twig Art

Supply residents with twigs and colorful yarn to make their own twig art on this Jewish Arbor Day, Tu B'shvat.

One-on-One: Sending Happy Thoughts

Recruit your resident to join you in passing out balloons and cards to bedridden residents on this National Shut-in Visitation Day.

Exercise: Acting Out on Stage

On this National Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day, host a fun activity in which participants act out popular idioms for the audience members to guess. Pick two to three people to come to the front of the room to work together to get the other residents to correctly guess the idiom that they are acting out.

Bedside: Afternoon Read

Read a few chapters of one of best-selling novelist Sidney Sheldon's books to your resident on this birthday of the acclaimed author. Either check out the book from your local library or use a tablet to read one online.

Reminiscing: Celebrities in the Family

For this Pro Sports Wives Day, reminisce with residents about the famous people they have dated or befriended. Start a discussion about the pros and cons of dating a celebrity, and ask residents how having a celebrity in the family can change a person.

Sensory Stimulation: White Shirt Dinner

In honor of this White Shirt Day, host a unique white-shirt-only dinner for residents. Encourage residents to dress in their favorite white shirt for a delicious spaghetti and meatball meal. Be sure to provide residents with plenty of cloth napkins to keep spaghetti sauce off their pristine white shirts.

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• Birthday: Abraham Lincoln, American president (1809)
• Birthday: James Dwight Dana, American geologist and naturalist (1813)
• Birthday: "Tex" Beneke, big band-era musician (1914)
• The Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California

Crafts: Love Bugs

Invite the grandkids over to assist residents with making little love bugs for Valentine's Day. Use yarn, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, felt, and craft glue for the project.

One-on-One: Pet Rocks

In honor of this birthday of American geologist James Dwight Dana, invite your resident's grandkids to participate in a nature craft with him by making pet rocks. Use dark colored rocks, white chalk, and googly eyes for the easy craft.

Exercise: Dancing Lessons

Recruit residents to teach you and several staff members how to swing dance on this birthday of big band-era musician "Tex" Beneke. Play popular swing music to get everyone up and dancing.

Bedside: I Love Music

Listen to music in your resident's room on this day of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Borrow a tablet to find your resident's favorite songs on YouTube.

Reminiscing: Just 43 Facts

Share just 43 facts about President Abraham Lincoln with residents on this birthday of the nation's 16th president, as you encourage residents to reminisce about their favorite American presidents over the years.

Sensory Stimulation: Tissue Paper by Numbers

Use a heart template to create your own tissue paper by numbers page as a sensory activity for residents. Show residents how to fill in the hearts with different colored tissue paper that corresponds to the numbers. Hang the finished hearts as decoration for your Activity Room.

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• Madly in Love With Me Day
• World Radio Day

Crafts: Sharing the Love

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, pass out pipe cleaners and Cheerios to residents to make heart bird feeders to hang on your backyard trees.

One-on-One: Old-Time Radio

Listen to old-time radio shows with your resident on this World Radio Day.

Exercise: Radio Calisthenics

For today's Exercise Class, use your phone or tablet to play workout music from the internet radio on this World Radio Day.

Bedside: Valentine's Eve Tasting

Prepare white chocolate spoons using melted white chocolate and Valentine candies for your resident to sample on this Valentine's Eve.

Reminiscing: Romantic Movies

To celebrate Valentine's Day every night this week, show a different romantic movie in your Activity Room for residents to stop in and watch. Pick classic romantic comedy movies from the 1940s and the 1950s for residents to reminisce and enjoy.

Sensory Stimulation: Repeat After Me

On this Madly in Love With Me Day, invite residents to repeat after you as you say "I Love You" in different languages.

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• Ferris Wheel Day, a day to honor the inventor of the amusement park ride, George Ferris
• National Have-a-Heart Day
• Saint Valentine's Day

Crafts: Sequined Heart Cards

Assist residents with making sequined heart cards using cardstock, glue, and sequins on this National Have-a-Heart Day. Encourage residents to sign the cards and give them to family members on this Valentine's Day.

One-on-One: Heart-Shaped Cookies

Make a batch of tasty heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies with your resident to serve to your bedridden residents on this Valentine's Day.

Exercise: Carnival Game

On this Ferris Wheel Day, turn your Activity Room into a fun carnival and have residents play carnival games like ping pong toss (on the website, scroll down to the last game to view the instructions) or Solo Party Cup knockdown.

Bedside: Nesting Bowls

Use air-dry clay to make nesting bowls that can be used as decoration in your resident's room on this Valentine's Day. Assist your resident with using her fingers to mold the clay into small nesting bowls. Once the bowls have dried, encourage your resident to paint the bottom of the bowls in shades of red.

Reminiscing: Valentine Pictionary

Divide residents into teams and help them reminisce about the song titles of a popular crooner, like Frank Sinatra, on this Valentine's Day. Provide a resident with the title of one of Sinatra's songs for her to draw so that her team can correctly guess the title.

Sensory Stimulation: Valentine Candy Match

Invite residents to play a Valentine's match game using candy and bingo cards. Instead of playing a game of bingo, simply pass out the colorful Valentine's heart candies to residents for them to try to match the colors to the hearts on the bingo cards.

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• Birthday: Charles Lewis Tiffany, American jeweler (1812)
• Canada's national flag featuring the maple leaf was adopted (1965)
• National Gumdrop Day

Crafts: Gumdrop Dolls

Assist your residents with making gumdrop dolls for their grandchildren on this National Gumdrop Day. Use wooden balls and dowel caps, glue, paint, and gumdrops for the project.

One-on-One: Canadian Flag

See if your Canadian-born resident knows a few of these fun facts about the Canadian flag on this day that Canada's national flag featuring the maple leaf was adopted.

Exercise: Candy Pitch

In recognition of this National Gumdrop Day, set up several baskets in your Activity Room for seated residents to pitch pieces of candy into. Award different point values for each of the baskets.

Bedside: Shopping at Tiffany's

Take your resident online to "shop" at Tiffany's on this birthday of its founder, jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany.

Reminiscing: Jeweled Tea

Invite residents to wear their favorite jewelry to a fun afternoon tea party on this birthday of American jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany. Serve pretty sugar cookies and hot tea. (Consider buying plain sugar cookies and adding icing and sugar pearls to the cookies for decoration.)

Sensory Stimulation: Gumdrop Hallway

Line a hallway with hanging balloons (hanging gumdrops) to use as a colorful sensory stimulation walk for your residents on this National Gumdrop Day.

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• Miami International Boat Show in Miami, Florida (February 16-20)
• Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 12-18)
• Simplot Games, the nation's largest indoor track and field competition, in Pocatello, Idaho (February 16-18)

Crafts: Winter Cards

Assist residents with making winter starry night cards that they can send to loved ones. To make the cards, pass out squares of watercolor paper and small star labels for residents to stick on the paper. Next, have residents use watercolors to paint the cards before sprinkling salt over the wet paint. Once the paint has dried, rub off the salt from the card and remove the star labels. Assist residents with writing notes on the cards before sending them to loved ones.

One-on-One: Creative Snowflakes

Invite your resident to assist you with cutting unique snowflakes using the templates provided on the website. (On the website, scroll down to the middle of the webpage to download the templates.) Hang the finished snowflakes in your resident's room for winter.

Exercise: Track Walk

Set up a "track" in your facility for residents to walk (or roll through) to get their exercise on this first day of the Simplot Games, the nation's largest indoor track and field competition, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Bedside: Small, Kind Acts

In honor of this Random Acts of Kindness Week, reminisce with your resident about the small, kind acts that others have done for her that really meant a lot. Share a few stories about other people's small acts of kindness.

Reminiscing: First Time on a Boat

Reminisce with residents about their first time on a boat or cruise on this first day of the Miami International Boat Show in Miami, Florida. Pass around photos of today's most luxurious ships and yachts in the world. (On the website, scroll down to the bottom of the page and allow the photos to load before printing.)

Sensory Stimulation: Frozen Bubbles

If temperatures are pretty cold where you are, take your bubble wand and bubble solution outdoors to create frozen bubbles outside of a large picture window for indoor residents to see.

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• National PTA Founders' Day
• Opera Madame Butterfly premiered in Italy (1904)
• Random Acts of Kindness Day
• 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (February 17-20)

Crafts: Pretty Winter Butterflies

In honor of the opera Madame Butterfly premiering in Italy on this day, assist residents with making winter butterflies using white cupcake liners, clothespins, paint, glitter, twine, glue, and a white gem. Display the finished winter butterflies throughout your facility for the winter.

One-on-One: Backyard Bird Count

On this first day of the Great Backyard Bird Count, recruit your resident to assist you with counting birds for about 15 minutes each day for the next few days and entering the information into the Great Backyard Bird Count's database.

Exercise: Cabin Fever Toss

Get your residents up and moving around with a fun tossing game on this cold winter day. Set up a bucket on a table and pass out bingo chips. Give everyone one minute to toss as many bingo chips into the bucket. Tally everyone's score and award a prize to the winner. (If you have a large group, consider making it a relay game and divide residents into teams where members of each team compete against each other for a minute, and then the next member of each team plays for a minute, and so forth.)

Bedside: Kindness Boomerang

Show your resident a kindness boomerang video to inspire her to think of something kind that she can do for someone else on this Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Reminiscing: PTA Meetings

Reminisce with residents about attending PTA meetings on this National PTA Founders' Day. Ask residents how helpful these parent-teacher meetings were for them and their children. Ask residents who they believe is responsible for a student's academic success: the parent or the teacher.

Sensory Stimulation: Warm Treats

Use a crock pot to prepare cinnamon pecans as a warm afternoon treat for your residents. Allow the cinnamon pecans to cook in the crock pot for three to four hours. Serve the finished treats with cups of cocoa for residents to enjoy.

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• Birthday: Helen Gurley Brown, longtime editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine (1922)
• Birthday: Louis Comfort Tiffany, artist known for his iridescent glass (Tiffany glass) and was the son of notable jeweler Charles L. Tiffany (1848)
• La Fiesta de los Vaqueros and Tucson Rodeo in Tucson, Arizona (February 18-26)
• National Drink Wine Day
• Planet Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh (1930)

Crafts: Stained Glass Jars

Provide residents with Mason jars and colorful Sharpie markers to create a stained glass effect on the jars in honor of this birthday of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the artist responsible for Tiffany glass.

One-on-One: Winter Mantel

Recruit your resident to assist you with creating a winter mantel in your facility by making snow-covered pine cones to place along the mantel. To make the craft, simply dip pine cones into glue and then dip them into fake craft snow. Once the pine cones have dried, you can place them on your mantel.

Exercise: Day at the Rodeo

Place a stuffed animal on the floor in the middle of the room as you teach residents how to lasso it on this first day of the La Fiesta de los Vaqueros and Tucson Rodeo in Tucson, Arizona. Beforehand, show residents how to tie a Honda knot to make the lasso.

Bedside: A Trip to Wine Country

Borrow a tablet to take your resident on a fun trip to wine country in California on this National Drink Wine Day.

Reminiscing: Cosmo Party

Host a fun party for the ladies on this birthday of longtime Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Helen Gurley Brown. Reminisce with residents about the magazines that they used to read. Afterwards, encourage the ladies to get their purses to play the purse game to see who has the most items in their purse that are on your list.

Sensory Stimulation: Coffee Filter Planets

Invite the grandkids to stop by to make planet suncatchers with residents on this day that Planet Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. Use coffee filters, markers, and a spray bottle of water to make the suncatchers. Encourage the kids to hang their suncatchers up at home in their windows.

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• National Chocolate Mint Day
• NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana

Crafts: Snowmen Pretzels

In recognition of this National Chocolate Mint Day, encourage residents to make a chocolate snack of snowman pretzels, using pretzel sticks, melted chocolate and white chocolate, candy melts, and snowflake sprinkles. Invite residents to sample their crafts once they are finished.

One-on-One: Chocolate Mint Bars

Invite your resident to assist you with baking chocolate mint bars on this National Chocolate Mint Day. Simply use the microwave, chocolate morsels, butter, wafer cookies, milk, vanilla and peppermint extracts, food coloring, and sugar for the no-bake treat.

Exercise: All Star Pre-Game Workout

On this day of the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana, use masking tape to help residents get a basketball workout in your Activity Room. Simply use the tape to create a target on the floor and have seated residents bounce-pass a ball to one another so that the ball bounces within the target before getting to the other participant.

Bedside: Three-Dimensional Snowflake

For the season, invite your resident to assist you with making a three-dimensional snowflake using paper and glue. Hang the finished snowflake in front of your resident's window for winter.

Reminiscing: The Wave

During the NBA All-Star Game on television, be sure to get your residents up and moving as you have them do the wave from their seats. During the breaks in the game, reminisce with residents about attending professional sporting events.

Sensory Stimulation: Name That Scent

In honor of this National Chocolate Mint Day, invite residents to identify the scents of different extracts. Borrow a few extracts from your facility's kitchen to pour in separate cups for residents to pass around to smell and to identify the scents.

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• Birthday: Ansel Adams, American photographer (1902)
• National Cherry Pie Day
• Presidents' Day

Crafts: Cutting Out Pictures

Provide residents with old magazines and scissors for them to cut out interesting pictures, which will be used for the upcoming Picture Story activity.

One-on-One: Sorting Coins

If you have piles of coins that have accumulated on this Presidents' Day, ask your resident to assist you with sorting the zinc and copper-plated faces of the presidents and placing them into coin wrappers.

Exercise: After-Pie Walk

Coordinate with Dining Services to treat residents to a special cherry pie dessert on this National Cherry Pie Day. After the meal, be sure to get residents up and moving through the hallways for a relaxing after-pie walk.

Bedside: Four-Minute Pie

Make a quick cherry pie mug dessert for your resident to enjoy on this National Cherry Pie Day.

Reminiscing: The Presidents Song

Help your residents remember all the presidents in order by teaching them to sing the Presidents song on this Presidents' Day.

Sensory Stimulation: Picture Story

In recognition of this birthday of American photographer Ansel Adams, invite residents to tell stories using pictures. Take the pictures that were cut out from the old magazines earlier during the Crafts activity and place them into a box. Pass the box around for each resident to take one of the pictures out and to create a story based upon the picture. Encourage residents to be imaginative as they set the scene of the picture and explain what is going on.

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• The New Yorker was published (1925)
• Travel Africa Day

Crafts: Snowball Pom-Poms

Invite residents to make snowball pom-poms for the upcoming snowball fight during the Got Snow? activity. Provide residents with white yarn and scissors to make the snowballs.

One-on-One: Armchair Travel: Africa

Take your resident on a trip to Africa to visit South Africa on this Travel Africa Day.

Exercise: Got Snow?

Host a fun snowball fight with residents using the snowball pom-poms that were made earlier during the Crafts activity.

Bedside: Winter Constellations

Once the sun goes down, introduce your resident to the winter constellations that are located just outside his window.

Reminiscing: Reading the Morning Paper

In recognition of this day that the magazine The New Yorker was published, reminisce with residents about their reading habits. Specifically, ask residents to recall their morning routines of reading the morning newspaper or watching the morning news on television.

Sensory Stimulation: Cold Hands, Warm Heart

Warm up residents on this cold, wintry day by setting up a s'mores bar in your Activity Room as an afternoon treat for residents. Serve tasty s'mores bites using graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey's Kisses.

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• Birthday: Edward Kennedy, American senator (1932)
• Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain (1819)
• Inconvenience Yourself Day

Crafts: Intergenerational Finger Painting

On this Inconvenience Yourself Day, encourage residents to meet with a local preschool class in your facility to make crafts with them, like a winter tree finger painting. Encourage the residents to help the preschoolers with the artwork.

One-on-One: Ice Cream Maker

During this hot cocoa season, recruit your resident to assist you with making hot cocoa ice cream using just hot cocoa packets, mini marshmallows, heavy cream, and condensed milk. Allow the ice cream to freeze for at least five hours before serving.

Exercise: Beach Volleyball

Play a round of beach volleyball with residents using an inflated beach ball on this day that Florida was acquired by the United States from Spain.

Bedside: Being the Baby of the Family

Have fun chit chatting with your resident, who is the baby of her family, on this birthday of the youngest member of the Kennedy Clan, Edward Kennedy. Share a few fun facts about being the youngest, to see if your resident can relate.

Reminiscing: Political Dynasties

Reminisce with residents about former political family dynasties on this birthday of American senator and member of the Kennedy family, Edward Kennedy. Ask residents to try to list the most powerful political family dynasties in the U.S.

Sensory Stimulation: Catching Snowflakes on the Tongue

Wrap up your mobile residents to take outdoors for just a couple of minutes during a light snowfall to catch a few snowflakes on their tongue. While outside, look around for natural items, like pine cones or twigs, to use as supplies for an upcoming winter crafts activity.

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• Birthday: George Frideric Handel, German Baroque composer (1685)
• Curling Is Cool Day
• Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
• Iwo Jima Day

Crafts: Homemade Dog Treats

Encourage residents to make dog treats for your facility's house dog (or to donate to a local animal shelter) on this Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. For the treats, use pumpkin, peanut butter, eggs, oil, whole wheat flour, baking soda, and bacon grease (for the glaze).

One-on-One: Curling Competition

For this Curling Is Cool Day, introduce your resident to the sport of curling by watching a curling competition between the U.S. and Japan.

Exercise: Shuffleboard Tournament

Invite residents to play a game of shuffleboard, which resembles curling, on this Curling Is Cool Day.

Bedside: Relaxing Compositions

On this birthday of German composer George Frideric Handel, play music by the composer for your resident to enjoy.

Reminiscing: Iwo Jima Battle

Reminisce with residents about World War II on this Iwo Jima Day. Share a few facts about the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Sensory Stimulation: Edible Snowflakes

Assist residents with making edible snowflakes this winter by piping melted white chocolate onto wax paper in the form of snowflakes. After making the snowflakes, sprinkle white sanding sugar onto the flakes and allow them to dry. Once the snowflakes have dried, pass them out for residents to enjoy.

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• Festival of Jerez, a celebration of flamenco and Spanish dance, in Spain (February 24 - March 11)
• Gregorian Calendar Day
• National Tortilla Chip Day
• Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, Texas (February 24-25)

Crafts: Winter Window Clings

Encourage residents to use plastic bags and puffy paint to make winter window clings for their windows.

One-on-One: Melted Snowman Bark

Invite your resident to assist you with making melted snowman bark. Use white chocolate chips, pretzel sticks, a microwave, M&M's candies, chocolate chips, orange Starburst candies, and mini Reese's peanut butter cups to make the bark.

Exercise: Spanish Flamenco

Teach residents a few flamenco dance steps on this first day of the Festival of Jerez in Spain.

Bedside: A Few Poems

On this first day of the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, Texas, read a few poems to your resident. Afterwards, ask your resident about the topics that she would write about if she were a poet.

Reminiscing: Resolution Reflection

For this Gregorian Calendar Day, reminisce with residents about their New Year's resolutions that they set for this new year. Ask residents what needs to happen for them to get excited again about their goals for the year.

Sensory Stimulation: Crunch Time

Provide crunchy tortilla chips as a snack for your residents to enjoy on this National Tortilla Chip Day.

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• Birthday: Charles Lang Freer, American art collector and endower of the Freer Gallery (1856; some sources say 1854)
• Birthday: Millicent Fenwick, American fashion model, author, congresswomen, and inspiration for a comic strip character in "Doonesbury" (1910)
• Birthday: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French Impressionist painter (1841)
• Birthday: "Texas Rose" Bascom, world's greatest female trick roper (1922; some sources say January 22)
• Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) became the heavyweight champion in the world (1964)

Crafts: Winter Art

On this birthday of Charles Lang Freer, the American art collector and endower of the Freer Gallery, invite residents to create their own winter art on canvases. Pass out canvases and paint for residents to create artwork that can be displayed in one of your facility's hallways for winter.

One-on-One: Learning About Impressionism

Give your art-loving-resident a brief overview of Impressionism on this birthday of French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Afterwards, watch a short documentary about the famed artist.

Exercise: Beer Bottle Ring Toss

Grab a few beer bottles to use as a western-themed ring toss game on this birthday of "Texas Rose" Bascom, the world's greatest female trick roper.

Bedside: Create Your Own Cartoon Character

Borrow a tablet to create a fun cartoon character of your resident on this birthday of American model and congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, who was the inspiration for a comic strip character in "Doonesbury."

Reminiscing: Remembering the Greatest

Reminisce about Muhammad Ali on this day that he was born Cassius Clay. Share a list of notable athletes who can be considered the greatest in their sport.

Sensory Stimulation: Comic Strip Party

Host a milk and cookies intergenerational party for residents and their grandkids to read the comic strips on this birthday of American model and congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, who was the inspiration for a comic strip character in "Doonesbury." Save the comic strips from past newspapers and place them on your Activity Room tables with the milk and cookies.

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• Birthday: Johnny Cash, American country singer (1932)
• Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida
• 89th annual Academy Awards Presentation in Los Angeles, California

Crafts: Rhinestone-Studded Hair Pins

Assist residents with making rhinestone-studded hair pins for the upcoming Getting Glammed Up activity. For the craft, use bobby pins, jewelry adhesive, rhinestone jewels, and craft sticks to apply the adhesive to the pins.

One-on-One: Pearls and Tuxes

Invite your resident to help you dress up a few Oreo cookies in honor of tonight's Academy Awards show. Use melted white chocolate, sugary glitter, and sugar pearls for the treats that can be passed out during your Oscar Watch party.

Exercise: Ring of Fire Dance

Play a few of Johnny Cash's songs to get your residents up and dancing on this birthday of the singer.

Bedside: Live in Concert

Treat your resident to an online concert of a Johnny Cash performance on this birthday of the American country singer.

Reminiscing: Getting Glammed Up

Reminisce with residents about getting dressed up for special events as you treat them to an afternoon of Oscar-style updos on this day of the 89th annual Academy Awards Presentation. Use the rhinestone-studded hair pins that were made earlier during the Crafts activity.

Sensory Stimulation: Road Trip

In honor of this day of the Daytona 500, invite residents on a bus ride through your neighborhood. To make the trip more fun, play a fun game of colored cars, in which residents keep a tally of the different colored cars that they see.

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• Birthday: Elizabeth Taylor, American actress (1932)
• Birthday: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (1807)
• Bun Day in Iceland
• Carnival in Brazil (February 27-28)

Crafts: Carnival Masks

Encourage residents to make carnival masks on this first day of Carnival in Brazil. Supply residents with plain masks, colorful pipe cleaners, and feathers for the project.

One-on-One: It Smells So Good

Invite your resident to assist you with making caramel sticky buns on this Bun Day in Iceland. Consider making this a weekly treat to add a nice aroma to your Activity Room.

Exercise: Learning the Samba

Teach residents how to dance the Samba dance on this first day of Carnival in Brazil.

Bedside: What a Beauty

On this birthday of American actress and beauty Elizabeth Taylor, share old photos of actresses with your resident as you encourage her to identify her favorites. (On the website, to download all the Old Hollywood actress photos on the right of the webpage, simply print out the page and cut out the photos to share with your resident.)

Reminiscing: Tips for Middle Names

Reminisce with residents about how they picked the middle names of their children on this birthday of the American poet who used three names, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Ask residents to share tips about how to pick the best middle name.

Sensory Stimulation: Mask Fashion Show

For this first day of Carnival in Brazil, recruit staff members to help guide masked residents down the runway to show off the carnival masks that were made earlier during the Crafts activity. Take lots of pictures to send to loved ones.

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• Fat Tuesday
• Mardi Gras
• National Tooth Fairy Day

Crafts: Mardi Gras Beads

Invite residents to make their own Mardi Gras beads by stringing green, purple, and gold beads onto jewelry cording. Encourage residents to wear their beads throughout the day.

One-on-One: Tooth Fairy Pocket

Assist your resident with making a tooth fairy pocket for a grandchild on this National Tooth Fairy Day. Use felt, fusible webbing, a tooth pattern, an iron, and a sewing machine for the project.

Exercise: Mardi Gras Line Dance

Celebrate this Mardi Gras by playing Mardi Gras music and teaching residents how to do the Mardi Gras line dance.

Bedside: Trip to the French Quarter

Take your resident on a trip to the French Quarter of New Orleans by showing her a travel documentary about New Orleans.

Reminiscing: Fat Tuesday Nightcap

Host a fun dessert-filled nightcap for residents on this evening of Fat Tuesday. Coordinate with Dining Services to serve New Orleans-style treats like praline cookies and bananas foster pudding pie. Reminisce with residents about their trips to the Big Easy.

Sensory Stimulation: Beignet Baking School

Schedule a special baking class to teach residents how to make baked beignets on this Mardi Gras. Split the class into two sessions (e.g., before lunch and after lunch) to allow time for the dough to rise.

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