March is full of exciting dates to celebrate; some of them, besides being entertaining are also educational (I learned a few things myself researching for World Meteorological Day!).

For those who enjoy poems, March is a great month with a special Limerick writing activity for Saint Patrick's Day and also World Poetry Day.

If you have Greek residents, you may have a Greek party for Greece Independence Day on March 25.

Please find below some activity ideas for March:

	1st Autumn (Southern Hemisphere) Activities Autumn Tree Contact paper mobiles Recycled Crayon Sun Catchers
	8th International Women's Day Activities International Women's Day Quiz International Women's Day Quiz #2 Famous Quotes made by women New
	17th St Patrick's Day Activities St Patrick's Day Irish Quiz St. Patrick's Day Crossword St Patrick's Day Irish Quiz 2 St. Patrick's Leprechaun and beer poster St. Patrick's Pot of Gold Poster Four Leaf Clovers and Shamrocks Leprechaun #2 for St Patricks Day St Patrick's Day Word Search Fun with Limericks - how to make your own New Funny Limericks New
	18th Mothering Sunday (UK) Activities Lovely Hanging Paper Flowers New Beauty Therapy Mother's Day Quiz Mother's Day Word Finder Flower pot colouring-in Daisy Photo Frame Scent Guessing Mother's Day Flowers Craft Reminiscing on Mother's Day
	20th Spring (Northern Hemisphere) Activities Recycled Dream Spring Tree Spring Clean Word Finder Contact paper mobiles Recycled Crayon Sun Catchers Egg carton Spring Flowers Summer Yarn Balls Paper Plate Sunflower Coffee Filter Sun Flowers Desert Terrarium Recycled carton Bird Feeder Spring Flowers & Butterflies Spring Word Search
	21st World Poetry Day Activities Poems for World Poetry Day New
	23rd World Meteorological Day Activities World Meteorological Day Word Search New Trivia about the weather New World Forest Day Crossword New
	25th Greek Independence Day Activities Greek Quiz and Trivia Greek Mythological Quiz Greek Eggplant Dip Greek Themed Party Greek Mythological Word Search

The full range of March activities are available here: March Activities

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Welcome to the February newsletter. I hope that by now you have your major annual events sorted out by dates for the year ahead. If not, now is time for you to start thinking about it. It is so much easier if you set at least tentative dates for events; you may change the dates if necessary but at least you will be psychologically prepared and aware of the organization and preparation necessary for a successful outcome.

Here is an article I posted recently regarding how to get organised for creative craft activities.

I have a sample of an 'Annual Events Calendar' for you to take a look. As a rule of thumb you should have at least 3 events as part of your monthly leisure program (save the month of January; we all need a break by then!).

It is important for residents in long-term care to have something to look forward to. These events need not be lavish or stressful; a competition for instance is an elderly activity that can be turned into an event with just some enthusiasm, ingenuity and a little planning. Make sure you have plenty of volunteers so you can delegate a few tasks.

A new celebration this month is the International Mother Language Day which was declared by UNESCO in 1999 and has been ever since gaining momentum all over the world. This date promote awareness of cultural diversity and multilingualism.

	6th Waitangi Day (NZ) Activities New Zealand Quiz
	14th Valentine's Day Activities Valentine's Day Word Finder Valentine's Day Hearts Valentine's Day Crossword Festive Wall Art Craft
	21st Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras Activities Pancake Day Party
	21st International Mother Language Day Activities Latin Language Quiz Foreign Language Quiz 'Good Day' in different languages Notable Minority Languages Word Search International Mother Language Day Trivia
	26th The Oscars Activities Famous Movies Quotes USA Movie Quiz Fun Movie Quiz

The full range of February activities are available here: February Activities

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Creative craft is a very important part of a good Leisure Program in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Research has shown that life satisfaction in long-term care facilities and nursing homes is improved and enhanced through social opportunities.

Creative craft is just one project that fits the bill; it engages the mind and stimulates brain cells. Another benefit of creative craft is the promotion of communication and interaction which naturally develops from it.

Creative craft encompasses an array of choices including moulding clay, decorating tiles, recycling materials into useful things, scrap booking, weaving, beading, knitting and appliqué to mention just a few.

It is the responsibility of Recreation Therapists to make sure that the Leisure Program in their facilities offers a variety of elderly activities which includes arts and crafts opportunities that are not only therapeutic but entertaining and fun.

Creative craft provides elderly people with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment which promotes concentration and encourage new ideas and thoughts. These are only a few compelling reasons why you should take seriously consideration in making creative craft and essential part of your monthly Leisure and Lifestyle Program.

Golden Carers has hundreds of ideas on art and crafts with step by step instructions and templates. However, you must get your supplies and storage organized so that you don’t waste time and money rummaging around looking for supplies and buying things you already have.

First, a few hints on how to get donated materials.

Donations of materials:

1. Collect material throughout the year; ask staff and visitors to help you out by giving them a list of possible items of interest such as: plastic bottles and bottles tops, shoe boxes, wool, knitting needles, fabric, ribbons, lace, stamps, broken costume jewellery, plastic flowers, etc.
2. Ask kitchen staff to collect corks, cardboard, egg cartons, strings, large cans and bottles tops.
3. Go to charity shops such as the Salvation Army or Lifeline. These shops are a good source of picture frames, dressing-up clothing, wooden furniture (old chairs for men’s group to restore is a popular activity in my experience).
4. Discount/thrift and junk stores are also worth a look for clearance sales, surplus materials, and end-on-line products.

Storage:

1. Collect cardboard, plastic boxes and containers of various sizes (biscuit cans and baby formula tins are good for pencils and smaller items).
2. Sort all supplies in good working condition into piles and throw out dried, spent and useless items.
3. Once you have the piles sorted out you can figure out what sort of containers they will need.
4. Using a marker, label containers.
5. Store boxes and containers in shelves or even better, in a closet which can be locked.

Now you are ready to get started with craft activities! You will find that you can use your time more efficiently and spend more time with participants once you know where everything is.

Remember that activities must be modified to suit the restrictions and limitations of clients. Appropriate modifications can be implemented without reducing the pleasure and satisfaction associated with the activity.

Good Luck!

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