April Flowers

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We had our first revolt! What started out to be a felt flower project like we did last year was rejected as being too much work and “we already did that.”  Having supplies in the car for the afternoon session for our new Shady Lane group, we quickly switched to foamy flowers which we made into rings, necklaces, bracelets and even earrings.  The foamy flower kit was designed for children to make leis however, the forms looked like fun to us so we gave it a try.  We showed them how to make a ring using pipe cleaners and before long we were seeing bracelets, crowns, necklaces and even earrings. There were also ” jewels” to stick onto the rings and things as our playmates do love the bling. One playmate added antenna to his crown and proclaimed himself King of the Air Waves. 

What started out as a revolt ended with a new creative project that brought more laughter and joy to the playmates.  When they ran out of creative steam, we took the left over flowers and made Dr. Seuss bouquets that we left on the tables.

We were lucky to find the lei kits at Michael’s at half price so we were able to supply all the centers with a good supply of fun.  We also suggested to the independent members that they purchase some kits and try other ideas together instead of waiting for our monthly visits.

March Bonnets

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We played dress up by helping the members make bonnets from paper bags donated by Publix and Winn Dixie.  The bags were rolled and spray painted before we arrived so there was just a matter of selected the right style and color hat and then having it sized to fit (unrolling and rerolling to loosen or tighten the rim).  Members then selected fake flowers, greenery, ribbons and other elements to enhance their hats.

The items were hot glued to the hats, adjustments were made…sometimes a veil or butter fly was added at the last moment. 

The hats all turned out terrific and seemed to reflect all the personalities of the playmates.  The excitement expanded out of the workshops into the halls and business offices enticing others to join in the fun.  We made over 120 paper bag hats in 4 days. 

We were told later that buildings had Easter Parades with the hats worn proudly.(other residents made their own hats from things around the house).  There were also tea parties, hat strolls, lunch with hats, and other events still planned.  One building went on to create St. Patrick’s Day hats.  I’m sure the trend will continue.  Never has so little brought such joy, enthusiasm and creativeness.

The parade took place in Prince of Peace on Easter Sunday. Residents who didn’t attend the workshop created their own bonnets from what was available including baseball caps, fishing hats and a giant dragon fly.