February 2018 Weekly-Themed Activity Calendar

February is ...

• AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
• American Heart Month
• Bake for Family Fun Month
• Creative Romance Month
• Declutter for a Cause Month
• Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
• Great American Pie Month
• International Boost Self-Esteem Month
• Jobs in Golf Month
• Library Lovers' Month
• National Bird-Feeding Month
• National Black History Month
• National Cherry Month
• National Grapefruit Month
• National Hot Breakfast Month
• National Mend a Broken Heart Month
• National Parent Leadership Month
• National Pet Dental Health Month
• National Senior Independence Month
• National Time Management Month
• National Wedding Month
• Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month
• Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
• Spay/Neuter Awareness Month
• Spunky Old Broads Month
• Wise Health Care Consumer Month
• Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
• Youth Leadership Month

Week of January 28 | Week of February 4 | Week of February 11 | Week of February 18 | Week of February 25

Me and My Shadow Week

(Week of January 28)

Crafts: Squirrel Feeders

Use this first week of February to get your residents prepared to find out if there will be six more weeks of winter! Have fun creating Groundhog-themed activities for your residents to enjoy, like making squirrel feeders for your friendly outdoor pets. To make the feeders, use toilet paper rolls, bird food, squirrel food, peanut butter, plastic knives, and yarn. Hang the finished feeders on your facility's backyard trees for any squirrels or groundhogs that may pass by.

Reminiscing: Winter's Not So Bad

Reminisce with residents about what they enjoy most about winter – just in case Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, thereby signaling that there's six more weeks of winter. Pass around a few winter photos that showcase winter's beauty. Then go around the room and have each resident name what they like most about winter.

Physical: Early Spring or More Winter?

Have your residents decide whether we will have an early spring this year by having them play a fun tossing game. To play, set up two containers – one for spring with a picture of a spring groundhog, and one for winter with a picture of a winter groundhog. Provide residents with small ping pong balls and ask them to toss the balls into the container for the season that they want – spring or winter. Give each person three ping pong balls to toss, and at the end of the game, tally the balls to see whether you will have an early spring or more winter.

One-on-One: Winter Cookies

Recruit your resident to help you make winter cookies to set out for passersby to eat. Have fun adding on the decorations using marshmallows and icing to mimic a melting snowman.

Lower-Functioning: Sorting Groundhog Tails

Invite residents to sort "groundhog tails" by sorting all your brown, tan, black, and white pom-poms. Place a box of the pom-poms in the middle of the table and encourage residents to sort the pom-poms based on color.

Bedside: Groundhog Day Word Search Challenge

Challenge your resident to a Groundhog Day word search to see who can find their words the fastest.

Outing: Animal Spotting Ride

Take residents on a fun scenic ride through the neighbor to spot any groundhogs in the area. Provide each resident with an animal spotter sheet for them to mark whenever they see one of the animals.

Sensory Stimulation: Shadow Drawing

Fill wide-mouth Mason jars with solar path lights for residents to participate in a fun shadow drawing. Place the lights onto white paper and provide residents with pencils to trace the shadows that they see.

Men's: Shadow Story

Encourage the men to read a shadow story to your little visitors over the weekend. For the activity, use an overhead projector (or make your own using a box, box cutter, sheet protector, tape, and a phone with a flashlight app). Borrow a children's book from the local library and use shadow puppets that relate to the characters in the book. For example, borrow a book about animals and use animal shadow puppets that can be displayed as someone reads the book to the kids.

Special Event: Groundhog Eve Pancake Breakfast

Coordinate with Dining Services to serve a special Groundhog Day pancake breakfast for residents to enjoy. (Please note that Groundhog Day is Friday, February 2.)

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Winter Olympics Week

(Week of February 4)

Crafts: Olympic Team Bracelets

Encourage residents to get ready for the XXIII Winter Olympiad, which begins this Friday, by hosting fun winter-themed Olympic activities throughout the week. Start the week by inviting residents to make their own Olympic team bracelets. Provide residents with alphabet beads and pipe cleaners to make the bracelets that they can wear during the week.

Reminiscing: Olympic Cookies

Reminisce with residents about the winter Olympics sports that they have tried in the past, like ice skating or skiing. During the reminiscing activity, pass around Olympic cookies for residents to enjoy. (To make the cookies, simply add frosting to plain cookies and place M&M's candies on top to look like the Olympic rings.)

Physical: Balloon Hockey

Divide residents into two teams to play a fun game of balloon hockey in your Activity Room. Beforehand, recruit volunteers to make hockey sticks using cardboard tubes, pieces of cardboard, and duct tape. To play, have two rows of chairs, with the opposing teams facing one another. Then set up two large baskets on both ends of the two rows. Encourage residents to use their hockey sticks to hit the balloon down the row into their goal.

One-on-One: Olympic Snowboarders

Assist your resident with making several pipe cleaner snowboarders that can be used as Olympic party favors or gifts during your Winter Olympics events during the week. Use colorful pipe cleaners, craft sticks, glue, toothpicks, markers, and paint for the party favors.

Lower-Functioning: Olympic Bobsled

Set up a bobsled run (marble run) in your Activity Room using pool noodles. Invite residents to race their marbles against one another to see who can win. (If you have lots of pool noodles and lots of room in your Activity Room, consider making the bobsled run a bit longer.)

Bedside: Snowball Toss

Get your resident involved in the Olympic fun by setting up a bucket and having him toss snowballs (marshmallows) to see how many he can toss in the bucket.

Outing: Trip to Ice Skating Rink

Organize a fun trip to your local ice skating rink so that residents can watch a hockey game or watch neighborhood kids skate on the rink.

Sensory Stimulation: Olympic Designers

Invite your residents to become your team's Olympic designers by using fabric scraps to create unique Olympic outfits. Use glue sticks, fabric, and fun embellishments like sequins or glitter to make the team outfits. Afterwards, frame and hang up the designs as decoration for the week.

Men's: Chocolate Medals

Recruit the men to assemble chocolate medals by hot-gluing ribbon to foil-wrapped chocolate coins. Use the medals as awards for your Olympic games throughout the week.

Special Event: Olympic Event

Host a fun Olympic winter event that everyone can play: tabletop curling. Beforehand, recruit volunteers to make the curling board using the site's templates and contact paper. Hand out pennies for residents to use as stones to play the tabletop Olympic sport. (Please note that the XXIII Winter Olympiad begins on Friday, February 9 in South Korea and ends on Sunday, February 25.)

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Be My Sweetie Week

(Week of February 11)

Crafts: Heart Wreaths

Love is in the air this week as you provide residents with fun valentine-themed activities. Start the week by recruiting residents to help you decorate for your valentine festivities by making heart wreaths that can be placed on your residents' room doors. For the project, use poster board or cardstock, crepe paper squares in valentine colors, glue, and pencils. Ahead of time, have volunteers cut the crepe paper into squares.

Reminiscing: Kissing Booth

Set up a kissing booth in your Activity Room and invite residents to stop by for a kiss (a Hershey's kiss). Invite residents to stay and reminisce as you encourage them to discuss their spouses and how they met. Serve valentine coffee for residents to enjoy while reminiscing.

Physical: Singing Telegrams

Lead residents through the hallways singing love songs from the 1930s. Pick one of your most vocal residents (with a great memory) to lead the others in singing the popular songs.

One-on-One: Heart Painting

Assist your resident with making a heart painting for her room for the season. Use cardstock, tissue paper, white glue, and oil pastels for the textured art.

Lower-Functioning: Valentine Bookmarks

Invite residents to assist you with making valentine bookmarks that can be given to visitors of your facility during the week. For the activity, first print out the bookmarks. Next, punch holes in the top of each bookmark and assist residents with adding ribbon.

Bedside: Valentine Minute-to-Win-It

Challenge your resident to a fun valentine-themed Minute-to-Win-It game. To play, provide your resident with tweezers to try to transfer as many conversation candy hearts as possible from one container to another in under a minute.

Outing: Romantic Scenic Ride

Take residents on a fun romantic scenic ride through the country. Pick a destination to "park" and admire the scenery as you pass out valentine cookies for residents to enjoy. Ahead of time, make the valentine cookies by dipping strawberry wafers into melted candy melts and adding on valentine sprinkles.

Sensory Stimulation: Watercolor Hearts

Encourage residents to make their own watercolor hearts using watercolors and coffee filters. Beforehand, use an iron to flatten the filters and cut the filters into rectangles for the residents to paint.

Men's: Leaning Heart Towers

Gather the men to compete in a fun conversation heart-stacking game. To play, provide the men with conversation candy hearts to stack as high as possible in under a minute. If the stack falls, then the men must start over. Award a prize to the participant with the highest stack at the end of 60 seconds.

Special Event: Matchmaker Party

Host a fun matchmaker party for residents by adding a nametag to their back featuring a single object of a popular pair. Encourage residents to walk around asking "yes or no" questions to try to figure out what they are and then to try to find their match. Award a valentine prize to the first duo to find each other. During the matchmaker party, serve valentine cookie bars and pass out valentine cards. (Please note that Valentine's Day is Wednesday, February 14.)

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Hail to the Chief Week

(Week of February 18)

Crafts: Mount Rushmore Clay Model

Celebrate the former presidents this week as you provide a week's worth of fun patriotic activities for residents. Start the week by getting your residents' hands dirty as they use clay to make Mount Rushmore statues. Assign each person to a president so that you can make multiple Mount Rushmore statues to place throughout your facility for the week. Provide each resident with a picture to help with molding their assigned president's face. In addition, pass out plastic clay sculpting tools to assist residents with shaping their masterpieces.

Reminiscing: So How Would You Rank Them?

Invite residents to reminisce about the former presidents as you encourage them to help you rank them. To begin, go around the room and ask residents to name their favorite presidents and explain why they liked them so much.

Physical: Patriotic Hot Potato

Play a fun patriotic hot potato game with a circle of residents. Encourage them to hit red, white, and blue balloons in the air while not allowing them to touch the floor. Start the game with just one balloon, and then gradually add in a second and a third.

One-on-One: George Washington Chalk Art

Provide your resident with blue construction paper and colored chalk as you assist her with making a George Washington portrait to hang for the week. Before you begin, show her a variety of portraits for inspiration.

Lower-Functioning: Painting Pennies

Assist residents with painting pennies using brown watercolor. Before the activity, recruit volunteers to flatten coffee filters with an iron and to trace the penny onto the filter for residents to paint.

Bedside: Visiting the Lincoln Memorial

Borrow a tablet to take your resident on a trip to see the Lincoln Memorial.

Outing: Trip to County Seat

Organize a trip to take residents to your county's seat to meet your county's government representatives. Try to arrange for a tour so that residents can see what their local elected officials do.

Sensory Stimulation: Eagle Cookies

Recruit residents to assist you with making patriotic eagle cookies to give out to passersby. Use oval or circular-shaped cookies, vanilla frosting, shredded coconut, cashews, sliced almonds, and mini chocolate chips for the dessert.

Men's: Fake News

Help the men get rid of any fake news as you share a few myths about the presidents. Afterwards, give a few presidential fun facts to see if the men can correctly guess the president.

Special Event: Presidential Bingo

Host a fun game of Presidents' Day bingo for residents. To play, first create bingo cards using the presidents' names. Then during the bingo game, say a fun fact and see if residents can identify the president and find their name on their bingo card. (Please note that President's Day is Monday, February 19.)

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Cabin Fever Week

(Week of February 25)

Crafts: Make Cat Sweaters

Help relieve your residents of their cabin fever with a week of unique activities that will keep them entertained. First, start the week by showing residents how to make cat sweaters for their cardboard kittens. Beforehand, recruit volunteers to cut kitten bodies out of cardboard for your residents to wrap with colorful yarn to make cat sweaters.

Reminiscing: Cure Cabin Fever

Invite residents to reminisce about their past bad cases of cabin fever and how they were able to cure it. Go around the room and ask residents to share their favorite hobbies to find out if others are interested. Then consider creating a few new hobby clubs for the winter.

Physical: Play Marbles

Create a target on the floor in your Activity Room using masking tape for residents to practice rolling marbles or balls.

One-on-One: Draw on Windows

Provide your resident with liquid chalk markers to create fun winter decorations on the glass and windows in your facility. Use winter coloring pages for your resident to trace onto the glass.

Lower-Functioning: Make Snow Cones

Assist residents with making snow cones using your blender. However, if you have fresh snow outdoors, then make snow cones using the real thing.

Bedside: Play With Tape

Encourage your resident to get creative by playing with Washi tape to make craft projects.

Outing: Go to the Bahamas

If it's too cold for an outing, then take your residents to a warm destination with a fun armchair travel to the Bahamas.

Sensory Stimulation: Throw Snowballs

Inflate lots of small, white balloons for residents to hit back and forth during a fun indoor balloon fight.

Men's: Just Invent Stuff

Set out a box of stuff on the table to see what creative items the men create. Give the men 20 minutes to create a unique item, like a toy for kids.

Special Event: Eat Pizza

Dial up delivery as you host a fun pizza party for residents featuring pizza from their favorite pizza delivery.

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