Julie

Hi
We cut up Pool Noodles into 3 - they make great hitting sticks for balloons - colourful too
:)

Hi
I looked at some famous nurses one year and also the changes in nurses fashion over years
Also you could try make some old fashioned nurse hats - there are examples on internet

Last year we asked all of our staff which country they had links to - it was amazing as we had staff not only Aussie, but English, Irish, Finnish, Scottish, India, Nepal, China, New Zealand, Pakistan, Iranian just to name a few.
We cut out an orange paper person for each person and added their name and country.
Hanging on the wall - It was a great point for conversation and our residents and family learnt something about our staff. Plus it was an activity that grew over the week. Everyone wanted to have their name on the wall.
This year I might add how to say hello just for more fun !

We had a Broad Bean Growing Competition ! No Garden Required
We had everyone grow a broad bean in an enclosed snap lock bag - I got the idea from my daughters primary school.
Each person selects their own bean - and gives it a name for a bit of fun (eg. "Baked Bean, "Has Bean" these were funny ones).
The bean is placed in a clear snap lock bag with a bit of moistened paper towel - make sure bag is sealed. Write both persons name and the beans name on the bag.
We stuck the bags to the window where everyone could stop and see if their bean was growing - and a sign - we had it as our "Christmas Bean Growing Competition".
Some had doubts to the beans growing - but they do !
As they started to grow there was more and more interest in the beans and everyone became excited.
After about two weeks we gave out certificates to the largest three and an encouragement award.