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Recreation
Therapists planning for March.....
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Activity programmers
live holiday to holiday... or it seems. And sometimes we
forget that to make a special effort for our family's holidays
because we become burned out with holidays. Beware. |
- Special
Events Days
- Facts
- Birthdays
- Poem
- Activities
Special Events in March
- 1st week- National Nutrition
Week
- 2nd week- Save Your Vision Week
- 3rd week- National Wildlife
Week
- National Professional Social
Work Month
- 1- Ohio Day (1803, 17th state),
Nebraska (1867, 37th state)
- 2- Texas independence from Mexico
(1836)
- 3- Florida Day (1845, 27th state)
- 4- Vermont Day (1791, 14th state)
- 15- Maine Day, (1820, 23rd state)
- 17- St. Patrick's Day
- 20/21- Spring !!!!
- 25- Maryland's celebration of
arrival of 1st colonists (1634)
- 30- Doctor's Day
March Facts
- Birthstone- Bloodstone
- Flower- Violet
- Patrick Henry said, "Give
me liberty or give me death" (1775)
- 5- Boston Massacre (1770)
- 12- 1st transatlantic radio
broadcast (1925)
- 31- Daylight savings went into
effect (1918)
March Birthdays
- 2- Dr. Seuss (1904)
- 14- Albert Einstein (1879)
- 16- James Madison (1751)
- 26- Robert Frost (1874)
March Poem
The stormy March has come at last,
With wind, and cloud, and changing skies:
I hear the rushing of the blast
That through the snowy valley flies.
William Cullen
Bryant |
Happy St. Pat-on the-Back Day
submitted by rose roscioli, CTRS of NHS of Delaware County on March 9, 2010
Size of Group: 4-25
Equipment: Small Cut out green shamrocks with double-sided tape
Objective: To improve feelings of self worth To receive positive feedback for oneself To be able to give compliments/positive feedback to others/peers To verbally receive progress/skills/attributes which are positive
Description: Gather group together in a circle or semi-circle. Inform group that this group is to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a different way.
Invite each participant to take a shamrock (have extras on hand for those who may want to acknowledge more than one person).
Next, ask group to think of someone who deserves acknowledgement, compliments, or a pat-on-the back. Ask for volunteers and have each person verbally give a compliment to the person they have chosen. They, then, put a shamrock on their back. The recipient may respond to the compliment.
Be ready to invite participants (or yourself) to make sure that everyone is included.
Process at end of the group with questions:
1. How was it to receive a compliment?
2. Was anyone surprised at what was said about
them?
3. Do people see themselves differently at
times than others see them?
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Smile Party
submitted by Carmine Gargano of Care One @ East Brunswick on March 8, 2009
Size of Group: 20 or More
Equipment: Music & Energy
Objective: Improve Residents Mood.
Description: Smile Party can run from 30 minutes to an hour.
Start by asking the residents what makes them happy, and begin making a list of 'happy lifetime moments,' you can help your residents by bringing up ideas about the birth of a child/grandchild, wedding, birthdays, first car, etc.
Then play some upbeat music, and encourage the residents to smile, after everyone has a smile on their face, start to make different faces.
It works well with all levels of residents b/c it integrates many features to stimulate residents on different level.
Hope it works out well for everyone!
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Vegas Night
Set up several stations of Blackjack, Roulette and Poker. Give your participants a set amount of "play $" to "gamble" with. A prize table will be set up away from the game area to trade their chips they receive each time they win a game. One chip denotes one prize. The prizes are usually toiletry items. Once the participant runs out of money then they can no longer play. It is a good idea to serve refreshments during the event. Have fun!!
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Treasure Hunt, St. Patrick's Day
Submitted by Kathy Maples TRT
Size: Up
to 10 per helper
Equipment: Shamrocks-
to write clues on; Treasure-Gold candy coins, necklaces
etc.; Treats- rainbow sherbet; Treasure chest (I make
mine out of cardboard); cutout rainbow
Objective: group socialization,
team work, reorientation to facility and staff, trivia
Description: Make
clues that lead to different areas of facility, put them
on back of shamrocks.
Example:
When
your head is hurting bad, and your stomach is even
worse, to get relief from all your pains, you need
to talk to our friendly______.
Of
course this would lead the group to the nurse. |
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You involve as much as the staff as
possible in order for your groups to meet and greet throughout
the facility. I hide the "treasure" behind something
that is located directly below a rainbow that has been
used since the beginning of the month as a decoration.
After the treasure is found, everyone is invited to the
dining room for rainbow sherbet. I do this as a sequential
activity. The higher functioning residents help make the
clues and hide them, the middle functioning residents
find the clues, and the entire facility shares in the
bounty and the treats.
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Spring
Fling
submitted by kristi of VAMC-Denver |
Size: 10-100
Equipment:
Large Fridge Box W/ head sized hole cut in center. Paint
the box in fun colors, paper plates and whip cream. You
will also need staff, family members or anyone you can
find willing to get a pie in their face.
Objective:
Increased socialization, stress relief (laughter is the
best medicine.)
Description:
Have pts. take aim and try to hit the person in the pie
toss booth. It's a hoot!!!! |
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St. Patrick's
Day Casino Night
submitted by Jan M. Talkish of Friendship
Center, Columbia, SC |
Size of Group: 20
- 50
Equipment:
- Several decks of cards
- Play money
- Spinning wheel
- Bingo items
- Lots of prizes, and prize
chips.
Objective: Social
interaction.
Description: Set up
several stations of Blackjack. Bingo, Roulette and Poker.
Give your participants a set amount of "play $"
to "gamble" with. A prize table will be set
up away from the game area to trade their chips they receive
each time they win a game. One chip denotes one prize.
The prizes are usually toiletry items. Once the participant
runs out of money then they can no longer play. It is
a good idea to serve refreshments during the event. Have
fun!!
Note
from the editor: Some participants/administration
may object to the nature of this activity (gambling or
the fact that such activity may reinforce gambling). You
may want to consult with administration regarding this
activity before implementing it. |
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Send your ideas to
be posted here.
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