Sample Men's Activity Calendar

February 2018 Men's Activity Calendar

Find fun activity ideas in the calendar below for the senior men in your nursing facility that you can easily add to your facility's activity calendar.

TIP: Click on the links in the calendar box below to see more information about each activity.

Fun Men's Activity Ideas for February
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28

TIP: Use the following monthly themes as inspiration for activity ideas.

February is ...

TIP: Click on the following days of the month to see activity ideas for that specific day.

TIP: Find activities that are classified to help you easily find the types of activity ideas that you need for your calendar.

Each day contains four types of activities:

TIP: Click on the highlighted links below to get more information (instructions, recipes, or pictures) to assist with completing the activity.

1

Tactile: D.I.Y. Action Figures

Provide the men with colorful pipe cleaners, wooden beads, pony beads, and drinking straws to make d.i.y. action figures on this day that the toy action figure G.I. Joe premiered.

One-on-One: Lady and the Tramp Flipbook

Assist your resident with cutting out images from the movie Lady and the Tramp for your resident to use for a flipbook in honor of this day that the first moving picture studio was built. Create the flipbook by simply stapling all the images together in order. After making the first flipbook, encourage your resident to make one for all his grandchildren.

Discussion: What's Covered?

In recognition of this day that the first car insurance policy was issued, chit chat with the men about the items that they used to insure. Afterwards, share a few unique insurance policies to see if the men ever considered insuring themselves with those types of policies.

Special Event: Judges for the Day

Invite the men to become judges for the day as they give their verdicts for real-life cases in honor of this anniversary of the first meeting of the U.S. Supreme Court in New York City. For the activity, read several real-life cases, involving nasty neighbors, football fans, and moviegoers.

Back to Activity Calendar

2

Tactile: Hedgehog Cookies

Pass out aprons and utensils as you recruit the men to make hedgehog cookies on this Hedgehog Day.

One-on-One: The Punxsutawney Game

For this Groundhog Day, challenge your resident to a fun word game featuring the city Punxsutawney. To play, write the city's name at the top of a piece of paper and compete with your resident to create as many words that use the letters in the city's name. Consider using "Punxsutawney Pennsylvania" to create even more words.

Discussion: What's My Line?

In recognition of this day that the game show What's My Line? premiered, chit chat with the men about their favorite television game shows before inviting them to play the What's My Line? game. To play, pick one person in the group and have everyone else ask him "yes or no" questions to guess his occupation. If most of the participants are aware of one another's occupation, consider changing the game to have people guess one another's very first job instead.

Special Event: Bubble Gum Blowing Contest

Celebrate this Bubble Gum Day with the men by providing them with bubble gum to participate in a bubble blowing contest to see who can blow the biggest bubble in under a minute. After the contest, assist the men with making bubble gum that can be given out to visiting kids.

Back to Activity Calendar

3

Tactile: Newspaper Gift Bags

On this birthday of American newspaper editor Horace Greeley, assist the men with making newspaper gift bags that can be used as favor bags for your upcoming winter events. Use newspaper, cereal box cardboard, a hole punch, glue, pencils, rulers, and string for the project.

One-on-One: Get Out the Vote!

For this day that the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting all citizens the right to vote, was ratified, recruit your resident to assist you with passing out forms for your facility's newest residents to register to vote in your state. (Go online and click on your state. Then click on the link for the "State Elections Office Website" to download the voter registration form for your residents to fill out and mail in.)

Discussion: Fiction or Non-Fiction?

In recognition of this Take Your Child to the Library Day, invite the men to talk about the types of books that they read. Then ask the men whether reading fiction is a waste of time.

Special Event: Buddy Holly Dance Contest

In honor of this Day the Music Died, commemorating the death of rock and roll singer Buddy Holly, host a dance contest with the men featuring Holly's music. For the activity, recruit enough staff members and volunteers so that each of the men have a dance partner. Then play the music and encourage the men to dance. Invite each of the men to show-off a fun dance move to the group.

Back to Activity Calendar

4

Tactile: Who Can't Draw?

In recognition of this first day of Children's Authors and Illustrators Week, invite the men to participate in a drawing game. To play, provide each participant with a pencil and paper and have one person list an object that everyone must incorporate into their picture.

One-on-One: Football Balloons

On this day of Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recruit your resident to assist you with decorating balloons for the big game. Use white paint markers on dark colored balloons to decorate them with football lingo. Encourage your former football player to draw a few football plays on the balloons.

Discussion: Is It Worth It?

Start a fun discussion with the men about Super Bowl commercials on this day of Super Bowl LII. Ask the men whether it's worth it for companies to spend millions of dollars for a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl. Afterwards, provide the men with rating signs for them to rate the commercials during the big game. Use printables, double-sided tape, and craft sticks for the signs.

Special Event: Snack Bowl Tasting

Celebrate this Pork Rind Appreciation Day by hosting a snack bowl tasting for the men to sample different snack foods before the big Super Bowl game. Empty bags of pork rinds, potato chips of different flavors, Cheetos, Fritos, and Doritos into bowls and pass around for the men to taste.

Back to Activity Calendar

5

Tactile: Igloo Challenge

Provide the men with plain cupcakes, mini marshmallows, and white icing (instead of the whipped topping mentioned on the site) to make their own completely edible marshmallow igloos in recognition of this National Weatherperson's Day. Give the men twenty minutes to complete their igloos before being judged for having the best-looking igloo. To make the igloo, simply invert the plain cupcake and use icing to attach mini marshmallows. Then use a few large marshmallows to create the igloo entrance.

One-on-One: Frozen Bubbles

Bundle up your resident to take him outdoors to create frozen bubbles on this National Weatherperson's Day. (If the weather is too cold for your resident, then create the frozen bubbles outdoors near a large picture window so that your resident can watch from indoors.)

Discussion: Paid Family Leave

On this anniversary that the Family-Leave Bill, providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family reasons, was signed into law, chit chat with the men about whether states should offer paid family leave. Share information about the leave laws in different states to see what your state provides.

Special Event: I've Done Something You Haven't Done!

In recognition of this first day of International Networking Week, encourage the men to get to know one another better by playing the game "I've Done Something You Haven't Done!" To play, go around the room and ask each person to introduce themselves and state something that they have done that they think no one else has done. If someone else has already done it, then the participant must state something else until he names something that no one else has done.

Back to Activity Calendar

6

Tactile: Ancient Pottery

For this birthday of British archaeology Mary Leakey, provide the men with clay to make their own ancient pinch pots.

One-on-One: Ancient American History

Share a documentary with your history-buff resident about ancient America on this birthday of British archaeologist Mary Leakey.

Discussion: Who Ya Got?

On this birthday of baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth, invite the men to discuss and rank the top 10 baseball players of all time. Beforehand, download the photos of each of the baseball players and print out a copy of all ten photos to give to each of the men for them to rank for themselves. (If necessary, write the names of the players on the back of the photos to help the men identify each of the players.)

Special Event: Coaching Game

In recognition of this African-American Coaches Day, divide the men into teams to play the game Blind Artists, in which team members coach their blindfolded teammate on what to draw. Beforehand, think of a few scenes for the men to draw, like "at the supermarket" or "at the barbershop." Then during the game, if the scene to be drawn is "at the barber shop," have team members instruct their blindfolded teammate to draw certain objects that can be found at the scene, like a barber's pole, a barber's chair, and a large mirror. After each team has drawn their objects, judge the drawings to award points, giving five points for each legible object. Tally the points at the end of all the rounds to determine the winning team.

Back to Activity Calendar

7

Tactile: Paper Ballerinas

Provide the men with white crepe paper, craft wire, white floral tape, and hot glue to make paper ballerinas on this day that ballet was introduced to the U.S. Use needle and thread to create ruffled skirts that the men can glue to their ballerinas. Pass out the ballerinas as gifts to visiting kids at your facility.

One-on-One: Word Search Challenge

On this birthday of Scottish lexicographer James Murray, challenge your resident to a word search game in which the two of you compete to see who can complete their word search sheet the fastest.

Discussion: Do Kids Read Enough?

Start a debate among the men about kids and their reading habits on this birthday of children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Ask the men whether children should be required to read more or whether children are already overburdened with homework.

Special Event: Battle of the Neighbors

For this Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day, divide the men into teams based on where they live in your facility (e.g., first floor vs second floor, etc.), and invite them to compete against one another in a fun battle of the neighbors. For the battle, host a bowling competition and set up a bowling set for each of the teams. (Beforehand, collect enough water bottles to make several colorful bowling sets for the battle.) Tally their scores after the 10-frame bowling match and award a prize to the team with the highest score.

Back to Activity Calendar

8

Tactile: Gold Rings

For this first day of the Gold Rush Days in Wickenburg, Arizona, assist the men with making fun gold rings using hot glue. Provide the men with glue guns, metallic-colored glue sticks, and rhinestones to make the rings. Place a piece of glass on the table for the men to make their rings on.

One-on-One: Some Like It Hot Matinee

On this birthday of funny actor Jack Lemmon, rent one of Lemmon's movies, the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot featuring Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, from your local library for a volunteer to enjoy watching with your resident. Serve popcorn for the two to enjoy.

Discussion: Foods at the Fair

In recognition of this first day of the Florida State Fair in Tampa, Florida, reminisce with the men about the food that they remember getting at the fair. Then share a list of tasty fair food that is popular nowadays.

Special Event: Do You Have What It Takes?

In honor of this day that the Boy Scouts of America was founded, host a scout trivia competition among the men to see who would earn their scout badge. Afterwards, show the men how to tie a few Boy Scout knots.

Back to Activity Calendar

9

Tactile: Skier Ornaments

Assist the men with making clothespin skier ornaments to use as decoration on this first day of the Games of the XXIII Winter Olympiad in South Korea. For the fun project, use wooden clothespins, paint, glue, Washi tape, craft sticks, painter's tape, and red and black pens. Hang the finished ornaments throughout your Activity Room during the Winter Olympics.

One-on-One: Salt-Dough Medals

On this first day of the Games of the XXIII Winter Olympiad in South Korea, recruit your resident to assist you with making salt-dough Olympic medals for your Winter Olympics festivities. Use flour, salt, water, and paint for the project.

Discussion: Men's Bagel Break

Invite the men to a fun afternoon of bagel and news in your Activity Room on this National Bagel Day. Pass out the bagels as you host a current events session featuring the news from your local newspaper.

Special Event: Deep Dish Night

Host a fun Friday-night pizza party for the men on this National Pizza Pie Day. Use your facility's oven to bake a deep dish pizza pie that the men can enjoy while watching a local NBA game on television.

Back to Activity Calendar

10

Tactile: Gone Fishing

In recognition of this day of the Ice Fishing Derby, an annual contest in Fort Peck, Montana, invite the grandchildren of the men to join them in an ice fishing contest. Beforehand, recruit your volunteers to assemble a magnetic fishing game for the activity.

One-on-One: Computer Chess

On this day that the first computer chess victory over a human was won, show your resident how to play chess on the computer.

Discussion: Front Page News

In honor of this day that the slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print" first appeared on the New York Times front page, play a fun game with the men using your local newspaper. Read a headline from your local paper and encourage the men to try to guess what the story is about. Then read a few paragraphs of the news article to see if they were correct.

Special Event: Valentine Candy Hunt

Invite the grandchildren of the men to participate in a fun valentine's scavenger hunt on this Saturday morning to find Valentine's Day candy. Simply use small pink, red, and white balloons and insert a piece of candy into the balloon before inflating them. Place the balloons throughout your facility and encourage the kids to find as many balloons as they can, and then stomp on the balloons to pop them and retrieve the candy. Inflate lots of balloons in each area of your facility so that other residents can come out of their rooms and witness the fun. Encourage the men to assist and cheer on the kids.

Back to Activity Calendar

11

Tactile: Homemade Peppermint Patties

Recruit the men to assist you with making peppermint patties on this National Peppermint Patty Day. Simply combine sugar, butter, peppermint extract, and heavy cream using a hand mixer to form a dough before refrigerating. Then melt chocolate and butter in the microwave to coat the peppermint patty dough. Add crushed candy canes to the top and allow the chocolate to set before eating.

One-on-One: Valentine Goodies

Assist your resident with preparing valentine treats for his grandchildren by assembling teddy bear valentines. To make the treats, simply use toothpicks to attach conversation candy hearts to teddy bear graham cookies using icing. Place the finished cookies in plastic bags for your resident to hand out to his grandchildren when they visit.

Discussion: Is There a Bias?

Host a fun discussion among the men about females in science on this International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Ask the men whether they think that there is a bias against women in science. Then ask the men for their opinions on how to get more girls interested in science. Encourage the men who enjoy science to discuss what helped them love the subject.

Special Event: Traveling Show

For this National Shut-in Visitation Day, invite the men to help you deliver balloons and smiles to your facility's bedridden residents.

Back to Activity Calendar

12

Tactile: Heart Target Practice

Get the men into the Valentine's Day spirit by using masking tape to create a large heart on the floor for the men to use as a target for their paper airplanes. For the activity, provide the men with pink, red, and orange paper to make paper airplanes. Then have the men take turns trying to land their paper planes onto the heart-shaped target.

One-on-One: Valentine Tic-Tac-Toe

Invite your resident to assist you with making valentine Tic-Tac-Toe snacks using conversation candy hearts, candy melts, and graham crackers.

Discussion: The Lincoln Debate

Host a fun debate among the men about President Abraham Lincoln on this day that the 16th president was born. Ask the men whether Lincoln was the greatest president of all time.

Special Event: Hot Buns Party

Recruit the men to assist you with baking buns on this Bun Day in Iceland. Once the buns have baked, pass around the butter and enjoy.

Back to Activity Calendar

13

Tactile: Syrup Art

For this International Pancake Day, create a unique syrup-based paint for the men to use to make glossy artwork. For the paint, mix together corn syrup and a few drops of food coloring. Then have the men use crayons to draw their picture onto glossy paper before filling the picture in with the syrup paint.

One-on-One: Grant Wood Art

Teach your resident how to draw like artist Grant Wood on this day that the artist was born. Use paper, pencils, oil pastels, and watercolors for the art project.

Discussion: Is It Ever O.K. to Break the Law?

Organize a fun debate among the men about the law of the land on this Employee Legal Awareness Day. Ask the men whether it is ever acceptable to break the law.

Special Event: King of Mardi Gras

Host a Mardi Gras pageant to crown the King of Mardi Gras in your facility. Encourage the men to participate and to showcase a talent of theirs. Afterwards, ask the spectators to vote on their favorite before crowning this year's King of Mardi Gras.

Back to Activity Calendar

14

Tactile: Paper Conversation Hearts

Recruit the men to assist you with getting your Activity Room decorated for your Valentine's Day festivities by making paper conversation hearts to tape on the walls. Provide the men with markers, colored paper, and a heart template for the project.

One-on-One: Easy Granola

On this day that Oregon, which is part of the "Granola Belt" of the Pacific Northwest, became the 33rd state, invite your resident to make easy granola. Serve the warm granola to your resident with ice cream.

Discussion: Donor Laws

For this National Donor Day, share a few organ donor stats before asking the men whether they believe that donor recipients should also be organ donors.

Special Event: Box of Chocolates

Treat the men to a chocolate tasting using a few large boxes of assorted chocolates on this Valentine's Day. Play a game to see who can correctly guess the filling before biting into the chocolate.

Back to Activity Calendar

15

Tactile: Gumdrop Towers

Invite the men to compete in a gumdrop tower challenge to see who can build the tallest toothpick-gumdrop structure on this National Gumdrop Day. For the challenge, provide each participant with just 20 gumdrops and 10 toothpicks to see who can build the highest tower with their supply.

One-on-One: Milk Carton Boat

Assist your resident with assembling a milk carton boat on this first day of the Miami International Boat Show in Miami, Florida. Use an empty milk carton, fabric, a wooden skewer, a craft knife, and foam for the project.

Discussion: Factory Farms

On this birthday of reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick, start a discussion with the men about the pros and cons of factory farming and whether those farms are unnecessary. Afterwards, encourage the men to discuss their experience of visiting or growing up on farms during their childhood.

Special Event: Booby Trap

For this first day of the Montréal Outdoor Hunting, Fishing & Camping Show, invite the men to compete in a fun trapping game called booby trap. To play, set up empty Pringles potato chip cans to lean on top of drinking bottles. Then provide the men with ping pong balls so that they can bounce the ball to hit the can and make the can fall down over the bottle. Award a prize to the person who completes the task in under a minute.

Back to Activity Calendar

16

Tactile: Pom-Pom Blue Birds

Assist the men with constructing pom-pom blue birds in honor of this first day of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

One-on-One: Rock Pandas

Invite your resident to assist you with assembling and painting rock pandas in honor of this Chinese New Year. To make the pandas, first glue the rocks together (using two large rocks and two small stones for each panda) before painting them.

Discussion: Learning About the Chinese New Year

Chit chat with the men about the Chinese New Year as you share a few fun facts. Afterwards, help the men discover their Chinese zodiac, which is based on their birth year. (On the zodiac website, click on the zodiac to find out more about that sign.)

Special Event: Chopstick Challenge

Teach the men how to use chopsticks on this Chinese New Year. Then see how well they were paying attention when you put them to the test during a chopstick competition. For the activity, provide each participant with an empty bowl and a bowl of cotton balls to see who can be the quickest to use their chopsticks to transfer the cotton balls from one bowl to the other.

Back to Activity Calendar

17

Tactile: Class Is in Session

In recognition of this National PTA Founders' Day, teach the men how to make large paper snowflakes that can be hung in your Activity Room for the season. (On the website, scroll down to view the instructional images.)

One-on-One: Papier-Mâché Puppet

On this first day of the Nice Carnival in France, which features papier-mâché puppets, invite your resident to assist you with making a papier-mâché head puppet. Use a Styrofoam ball, modeling clay, newspaper, liquid starch, aluminum foil, masking tape, paint, and felt (for the body) for the project.

Discussion: Academic Responsibility

For this National PTA Founders' Day, start a debate among the men about parents and teachers and whose responsibility it is for a child's academic success. Ask the men what parents should do if they see their child struggling academically.

Special Event: Cards for Sick Kids

Organize a card-writing activity on this Random Acts of Kindness Day for the men to write well wishes in cards to send to a children's ward in a local children's hospital. To make the cards, simply fold cardstock in half. Have the men add stickers to their cards after they have written their message.

Back to Activity Calendar

18

Tactile: Highlighter Stained Glass

Assist the men with using highlighters to create stained glass art onto transparencies on this birthday of stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. For the project, use black markers to draw designs onto the transparencies before filling them in with colorful highlighter pens. After the ink has dried, use black construction paper to create a border around the transparency and hang in front of a window.

One-on-One: Wine Cupcakes

On this National Drink Wine Day, recruit your wine-aficionado-resident to assist you with baking Zinfandel wine cupcakes that can be served at the upcoming Dessert Wine Tasting.

Discussion: Dessert Wine Tasting

Chit chat with the men about their favorite wines during a fun dessert wine tasting in honor of this National Drink Wine Day. Coordinate with Dining Services to provide a few sweet desserts for the men to enjoy while sampling the wine.

Special Event: Magazine Scavenger Hunt Bingo

Create bingo cards for the men featuring descriptions of pictures for the men to find in magazines on this birthday of magazine editor Helen Gurley Brown. For the activity, provide each participant with a bingo card and have them mark off the described items that are found in the magazines. (Consider contacting your local library and asking them to start saving their old magazines for your facility.)

Back to Activity Calendar

19

Tactile: Shining Pennies

Encourage the men to set up a "shine shop" in your Activity Room to shine coins on this Presidents' Day, using vinegar, salt, and water. Beforehand, ask staff and family members to stop by the shop to drop off any loose change for the men to clean for them. Use a laundry claim ticket so that the men can keep track of which coins belong to their customers.

One-on-One: After-Dinner Mints

Invite your resident to help you place chocolate mints at the table settings in your Dining Room on this National Chocolate Mint Day. Simply grab a bag of chocolate mints or sugar-free chocolate mints from your local supermarket.

Discussion: Clean Eating

Start a discussion with the men about their eating habits on this Clean Monday and whether they think that they eat well. Then ask the men whether they believe that there should be more advice about how to eat well. Afterwards, share a few tips on how to eat healthier. (On the pdf, go to page 4 to find healthy-eating tips.)

Special Event: Scrapbooking Party

Set up scrapbooking materials and albums in your Activity Room and encourage visiting family members to make scrapbooks with the men on this Family Day in Canada.

Back to Activity Calendar

20

Tactile: Winter Windows

Assist the men with making sparkling winter stained glass using dollar store picture frames, translucent beads, and silicone sealant that dries clear. For the project, simply apply the silicone sealant onto the glass and arrange the translucent beads on the sealant. After the sealant dries, place the glass back into the frame and place in front of a window.

One-on-One: Snowman Frame

Assist your resident with turning a wooden photo frame into a winter photo frame for the season. Use paint markers, felt, glue, buttons, ribbon, and twine for the project. Encourage your resident to pick out a photo to place inside the frame.

Discussion: Is Our System Just?

For this World Day for Social Justice, start a debate among the men about our government system. Ask the men whether they think that justice exists and whether they see the legal system as fair.

Special Event: Ski Party

On this cold, winter day, host a fun ski party in your Activity Room for the men. To create a ski atmosphere, show a skiing video on the screen, and encourage the men to wear their warmest sweaters as you serve them hot cocoa. Set up several board games to cater to your different participants, like Yahtzee, checkers, and Monopoly. For those who like more individual activities, set up a few jigsaw puzzles for them to work on.

Back to Activity Calendar

21

Tactile: Paper Models

In recognition of this day that the Washington Monument was dedicated, have the men work in groups to assemble paper models of famous landmarks, like Big Ben, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

One-on-One: College Jeopardy

Invite your resident to take a college jeopardy test with you on this birthday of former Wellesley College president Alice Freeman Palmer.

Discussion: College Fun Facts

Reminisce with the men about their time in college in recognition of this birthday of Alice Freeman Palmer, an American educator and former president of Wellesley College. Share a few fun facts about college before starting a discussion about whether college should be free.

Special Event: How Well Do You Know NYC?

In honor of this day that the first issue of The New Yorker magazine was published, divide the men into teams to play a New York City guessing game. Give each team a photo of a New York City landmark to see which team can identify it first. (Download the images to your computer to print them out if you find that the images are not loading properly when printing from the Internet.)

Back to Activity Calendar

22

Tactile: Skis & Poles

On this first day of the American Birkenbeiner Race, a cross-country ski marathon in Hayward, Wisconsin, assist the men with making skis with poles ornaments. Use craft sticks, paint, toothpicks, snap fasteners, twine, brown felt, and hot glue for the project. (If snap fasteners are not an option, encourage the men to be creative by making the end of the poles using pieces of shiny aluminum foil.)

One-on-One: Revolutionary Toy Soldiers

For this birthday of President George Washington, assist your resident with making Revolutionary soldiers that can be given to a grandchild as a gift. Use wooden doll pins, doll pin stands, paint, wooden dowels, glue, black wool felt, black pom-poms, and a black marker for the toy dolls.

Discussion: Remember Ted?

Chit chat with the men about the politicians of their day on this birthday of famous politician Ted Kennedy. Pass around photos of notable statesmen, and ask the men to discuss what they liked and did not like about each one.

Special Event: Domino Park

Pay tribute to Domino Park, a place where senior men gather to play dominoes in Miami's Little Havana on this day that the U.S. acquired Florida. Set up several domino games on the tables in your Activity Room and play fun Cuban music in the background.

Back to Activity Calendar

23

Tactile: Balloon Cars

Assist the men with assembling balloon cars to race during the upcoming Let's Race activity. Use balloons, flexible straws, rubber bands, sponges, bottle caps, and toilet paper tubes for the cars.

One-on-One: Car Sketches

Show your resident how to draw different types of cars in recognition of this day that the diesel engine was patented.

Discussion: Keeping a Diary

Chit chat with the men on this birthday of British diarist Samuel Pepys about whether they ever kept a diary. Ask the men what they would write in their journal at the end of today if they decided to start journaling.

Special Event: Let's Race

On this day that the diesel engine was patented, invite the grandchildren to stop by on this Friday evening to help the men race the balloon cars that they made earlier in the Tactile activity.

Back to Activity Calendar

24

Tactile: Mexican Fiesta

Host a Mexican fiesta for the men and their grandkids on this Flag Day in Mexico. Encourage the men to show the kids how to paint and decorate colorful sombreros and ponchos. For the artwork, use colorful paper, black oil pastel, white glue, paint, tissue paper, and embellishments for the hat. After the artwork, serve Mexican cookie rings and milk.

One-on-One: Enjoying a Beer

For this Open That Bottle Night, enjoy a (root) beer with your resident as the two of you play a game of backgammon.

Discussion: Reviewing the Pros and Cons

Chit chat with the men about technology on this birthday of tech wiz Steve Jobs. Ask the men whether they find technology to be addictive before sharing a few pros and cons of technology.

Special Event: Bartender Tricks

On this World Bartender Day, share a few magic tricks with the men that could help them get a few more tips if they ever decided to play "bartender" for a day.

Back to Activity Calendar

25

Tactile: Cork Art

Provide the men with mini cork boards and markers for them to create their own abstract cork art in honor of this birthday of American art collector Charles Lang Freer. Once the men have finished, spray a protective sealer on top of the art to prevent staining.

One-on-One: Cassius Clay v Sonny Liston

In remembrance of this day that boxer Cassius Clay became the world's heavyweight boxing champion, show your resident a video of the boxing match. Ask your resident whether he remembers the fight.

Discussion: Would You Have Telecommuted?

Start a discussion with the men about telecommuting and whether it is beneficial for business on this first day of Telecommuter Appreciation Week. Ask the men whether they would have telecommuted in their past jobs if they were offered the opportunity. Then encourage the men to discuss their occupations and how they would have been able to do their jobs from home and still be productive.

Special Event: Let's Play!

On this day that the First Bank of the U.S. was chartered by Congress, teach the men how to play a game featuring coins, like coinhole. Beforehand, recruit your Maintenance Coordinator to make several coinhole boards out of wood, or recruit volunteers to do so using balsa wood that is easy to cut with a craft knife.

Back to Activity Calendar

26

Tactile: Sculpting Game

Invite the men to play a sculpting game on this birthday of French painter and sculptor Honoré Daumier. To play, divide the men into teams and have a member from each team sculpt a piece of clay in hopes that their teammates can correctly guess what they are sculpting. Pass out pictures of the object to the sculptor to help him visualize what the object should look like.

One-on-One: Adding Color to Nature

Encourage your resident to add a bit of color to the wintry outdoors by making twig stars to hang on the trees in the backyard on this birthday of American frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody. Use hot glue and twigs to make the stars, and add colorful ribbon and berries for color.

Discussion: Are National Parks Important?

Start a discussion among the men about national parks on this day that the Grand Teton National Park was established. Ask the men whether they feel that national parks are important.

Special Event: Jeans Fashion Show

Host a fashion show for the men to show-off their jeans on this birthday of the first jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss. Ahead of time, coordinate with your facility's Administrator to allow staff members to wear jeans today too. Encourage staff members to participate in the jeans fashion show as well.

Back to Activity Calendar

27

Tactile: Cupcake Decorating Contest

Provide the men with plain cupcakes, pastry bags (or plastic bags with the corner cut), and a variety of edible embellishments for the men to compete in a fun cupcake decorating contest on this National Cupcake Day in Canada. Save the cupcakes for the upcoming Cupcake Party.

One-on-One: Studying Shakespeare's Sonnets

In honor of this birthday of Ellen Terry, an English actress known for her portrayals of Shakespeare's heroines, invite your well-read resident to join you in studying a few of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Discussion: The Term Debate

In recognition of this day that the Twenty-Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting presidential tenure to two terms, was ratified, invite the men to debate whether they agree with having a two-term limit on the nation's presidency. Ask the men whether they are in favor of placing term limits on Congress.

Special Event: Cupcake Party

Celebrate this National Cupcake Day in Canada with the men by enjoying delicious and beautifully decorated cupcakes, which were decorated earlier during the Tactile activity. Beforehand, coordinate with Dining Services to bake a few tasty cupcakes for the men to sample.

Back to Activity Calendar

28

Tactile: Miniature Flowerpots

Assist the men with making miniature flower pots using pipe cleaners on this Floral Design Day. Save the finished flowerpots for your upcoming spring festivities.

One-on-One: Tooth Fairy Pockets

Encourage your resident to make tooth fairy pockets for his youngest grandchildren on this National Tooth Fairy Day. Simply use felt and fabric glue for the no-sew option. (On the website, scroll down to the bottom to view the no-sew instructions.)

Discussion: Best Inconveniences in Life

On this Inconvenience Yourself Day, chit chat with the men about the inconveniences or annoyances in their lives that they have learned to live with. Ask the men how they have embraced the inconveniences in life.

Special Event: Name That Flower

Pass out paper and pens to the men and have them try to recall and write down the name of a flower when you show them a picture of the flower on this Floral Design Day. Give extra points if they spell the flower's name correctly.

Back to Activity Calendar