February 2022 Weekly-Themed Activity Calendar

February is ...

• African-American Cultural Heritage Month
• 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
• Library Lovers' Month
• National Bird-Feeding Month
• National Black History Month
• National Cherry Month
• National Goat Yoga 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 30 | Week of February 6 | Week of February 13 | Week of February 20 |
Week of February 27

Punxsutawney Phil Week

(Week of January 30)

Crafts: Top Hats and Wide-Brim Hats

Help residents anticipate the arrival of spring by hosting a week's worth of activities related to Groundhog's Day. Start the week by having residents make hats to wear for the upcoming Groundhog Day Breakfast – paper top hats for the gentlemen and tissue paper hats for the ladies.

Reminiscing: Critter Damage

Reminisce with residents about the past damage to their lawns due to critters like groundhogs. Share a list of the top critters that can destroy lawns to see if residents agree.

Physical: Making Shadow Puppets

Get your residents working out their arm and hand muscles as you teach team how to create a few shadow puppets.

One-on-One: Groundhog Predictions

Recruit your resident to help you go around your facility to tally whether residents predict Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow on Groundhog Day, resulting in six more weeks of winter. (When printing out the sheet, make the image larger by altering the printing scale to 200%.)

Lower-Functioning: Shadow Matching

Invite residents to play a fun game of shadow matching in which they try to match the shadows of animals. (More shadow matches)

Bedside: Guess the Shadow

Borrow a tablet to see whether your resident can guess the shadow. Before the activity, use your phone to take a few pictures of shadows to see if he can identify them as well.

Outing: Groundhog Tracker

Take residents on a scenic ride to take note of the types of woodland animals seen along the scenic ride. (When printing out the sheet, make the image larger by altering the printing scale to 200%.)

Sensory Stimulation: Groundhog Cupcakes

Assist residents with making groundhog cupcakes. To assemble the cupcakes, use chocolate cupcakes, chocolate frosting, Oreo cookies, candy eyes, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate M&Ms, and shredded coconut.

Men's: Groundhog Trivia

Test the men's knowledge of groundhogs as you quiz them with groundhog trivia.

Special Event: Groundhog Day Breakfast

Coordinate with Dining Services to provide a tasty breakfast for residents as you highlight whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (six more weeks of winter) or not (an early spring). Encourage residents to dress up for the breakfast and wear the top hats and wide-brim hats made during the Crafts activity. (Please note that Groundhog Day is Wednesday, February 2.)

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Countdown to Super Bowl Sunday Week

(Week of February 6)

Crafts: Pennant Party

Spend the week with residents counting down to Super Bowl Sunday on February 13. Begin the week by inviting residents to make felt pennants featuring the colors of their favorite football team.

Reminiscing: Children's Sports

Reminisce with residents about the types of sports their children played before sharing a list of the best sports for kids to play. Encourage residents to discuss whether they ever had any concerns about their kids getting hurt while playing.

Physical: Football Kicks

Inflate a black balloon that is decorated like a football, and encourage seated residents to kick the "football" to see how high they can kick it. Award a prize to the person who can kick the balloon the highest.

One-on-One: Football City Pictionary

Challenge your resident to a fun Pictionary game in which you take turns drawing an NFL city for the other to guess.

Lower-Functioning: Finger-Kicking Game

Use paper, straws, a stapler, and an empty juice box to create a finger-kicking game for residents to try to flick paper footballs through. Beforehand, recruit a volunteer to make a few jersey shakers for residents to shake as they root on the others when they make their finger kicks.

Bedside: Super Bowl Commercial Bingo

On Super Bowl Sunday, invite your resident to play Super Bowl commercial bingo by marking a bingo card whenever there is a Super Bowl commercial that corresponds to one of the blocks on the bingo card.

Outing: Playground Fun

Take residents on a trip to a local playground where residents can stay on the bus and watch the kids play outdoors. Encourage residents to reminisce about the sports and fun games that they enjoyed playing as kids.

Sensory Stimulation: Football Cookies

Recruit residents to help you bake a batch of football cookies to serve at the upcoming Halftime Show activity.

Men's: Football Competition

Set out a basket and invite the men to compete in a football contest to see who can toss a foam football so that it lands in the target (i.e., a laundry basket).

Special Event: Halftime Show

Instead of having your residents sit through another halftime show featuring musical groups that they might not enjoy, turn up the their favorite music for them to dance. (Please note that Super Bowl LVI is on Sunday, February 13 in Los Angeles, California.)

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St. Valentine's Week

(Week of February 13)

Crafts: Love Shacks

Recognize Valentine's Day with residents by providing fun love-themed activities throughout the week. Start the week by inviting residents to make their own valentine "gingerbread houses," called love shacks, using graham crackers, icing, and valentine candies and marshmallows.

Reminiscing: Flower Delivery

Reminisce with residents about the types of flowers that they used to receive on Valentine's Day. Afterwards, pass around photos of flowers, and ask residents to try to identify each flower.

Physical: Perfect Match

Encourage residents to get their exercise as they walk around to find their perfect match during a valentine game. To play, pin names of people from popular duos on the backs of the residents. Then have residents walk around asking one another "yes or no" questions to figure out whose name they have on their back. Once they have identified themselves, have them look around to find their match. Award a prize to the first duo to find each other.

One-on-One: Candy Flowers

Invite your resident to help you make lollipop flowers to pass out as valentine favors to residents. For the craft, use colorful tissue paper, a hole punch, a stapler, lollipops, and floral tape.

Lower-Functioning: Pink Bubbles

Prepare pink bubbles and heart wands for your residents to have fun blowing pink bubbles in the air.

Bedside: Food Matches

Provide your resident with a food matching game to see how fast she can make the matches.

Outing: Romantic Drive

Take residents on a fun romantic drive, where you drive by a few of the most romantic areas and landmarks in your city.

Sensory Stimulation: Chocolate Tasting

Host a fun chocolate tasting for residents, in which they get to sample a variety of chocolates. For the activity, provide each resident with samples of different chocolate bars and a chocolate tasting sheet for residents to rate each bar.

Men's: Valentine Relay

Recruit the men to play a fun valentine relay game. To play, first divide the men into two teams and give the first person on each team a pair of mittens and a bowl of individually wrapped valentine candy. Next, have that person put on their mittens before taking a piece of candy from the bowl and unwrapping it. Once they have unwrapped the candy, they can then pass the mittens and the bowl to the next player on their team. Award a prize to the team who is first to have all of their participants successfully unwrap their piece of valentine candy using mittens.

Special Event: Candy Store

Turn your Activity Room into a fun candy store for residents to stop by and sample a variety of candies. (Please note that Valentine's Day is Monday, February 14.)

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Notable Presidents Week

(Week of February 20)

Crafts: Teddy

Honor this week of Presidents' Day by providing fun activities that relate to a few of the notable American presidents. Begin by helping residents pay tribute to President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president for whom the teddy bear was named, by making no-sew sock animals.

Reminiscing: FDR

Schedule a fun fireside chat with residents, similar to those of the 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, by reminiscing with residents about their favorite presidents. Share a few fun facts about each of the presidents.

Physical: Lincoln

Pass out a bunch of little Lincolns (pennies) for residents to play a fun penny toss game in tribute to the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. To play, lay out your Twister game mat. Next, have residents spin the Twister wheel and then toss the pennies to land onto the color that was spun.

One-on-One: JFK

In recognition of President John F. Kennedy, share a few fun facts about the 35th president with your resident.

Lower-Functioning: Washington

Invite residents to paint a coloring page of the famous 1851 George Washington painting Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze. Show residents the original art of our nation's first president to try to replicate.

Bedside: Jefferson

Since our third president, Thomas Jefferson, was known for his grand estate, the Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia, borrow a tablet to view other presidential homes with your resident.

Outing: Eisenhower

Because our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was known for signing the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, take residents on a fun scenic ride to observe the highways and roads in your area.

Sensory Stimulation: Monroe

Recognize the focus of our 5th president, James Monroe, on the westward expansion of the United States by assisting residents with making rock cactus plants that can be used as decoration in your facility's planters.

Men's: Grant

Have you ever been asked the riddle about who's buried in Grant's tomb? In tribute to our 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, ask the men several fun riddles.

Special Event: Madison

Host a fun constitutional trivia game for residents in honor of our fourth president, James Madison, who was instrumental in contributing to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. (Please note that Presidents' Day is Monday, February 21.)

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Celebrating Mardi Gras Week

(Week of February 27)

Crafts: Mardi Gras Masks

Get your residents ready for Mardi Gras on March 1st by providing fun activities that get them in the spirit of Fat Tuesday. Start off by setting up a mask bar, in which residents create their own Mardi Gras masks using mask templates, felt, glue, sequins, jewels, and beads. Encourage residents to save their masks for the upcoming Masquerade Dinner Party activity.

Reminiscing: Visiting New Orleans

Reminisce with residents about their past visits to New Orleans and whether they ever celebrated Mardi Gras in the Louisiana city. Afterwards, pass around photos of New Orleans landmarks for residents to discuss.

Physical: Bead Tossing

Set out your ring toss game peg, and have residents toss Mardi Gras beads to try to land them around the peg. Award a prize to the person who can toss the most beads around the ring toss peg.

One-on-One: Jambalaya Box

Use an old valentine candy box to decorate with gems, ribbon, and beads to create a Jambalaya box that your resident can use as a jewelry box. Simply cover the box with colorful beads and gems.

Lower-Functioning: Mardi Gras Art

Supply residents with Mardi Gras coloring pages to fill in with crayons and markers. (To print out the image, hover your mouse over the image and right-click the mouse. Then click "Open image in new tab" to print from your browser.)

Bedside: New Orleans Documentary

Borrow a tablet to share a documentary about New Orleans with your resident.

Outing: People Watch Trip

Take residents on a fun trip to people-watch from the bus in your city's downtown area on Fat Tuesday.

Sensory Stimulation: Mask Cookies

Use colorful sanding sugar as you assist residents with making masquerade sugar cookies that can be used as dessert for the upcoming Masquerade Dinner Party activity.

Men's: Bead Coasters

Invite the men to assemble Mardi Gras bead coasters. Provide the men with colorful Mardi Gras beads, felt, and glue to make the coasters. Use the finished coasters for your upcoming Masquerade Dinner Party activity.

Special Event: Masquerade Dinner Party

Coordinate with Dining Services to serve a tasty New Orleans-inspired dinner for your residents. Beforehand, encourage residents to dress in their finest and to wear the Mardi Gras masks that were made earlier during the Crafts activity. (Please note that Mardi Gras is Tuesday, March 1.)

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