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I don’t know about you, but March is always a loooong month for me. The cold and colorless days of winter lose their charm, and I long for the sunny, colorful days of summer. For this reason, I think National Plant A Flower Day is the perfect holiday to celebrate with your residents at this time of year.
Here are some ideas to get you started. Please add your suggestions in the comment section!
Spark A Lively Discussion
- Look through seed catalogs and reminisce about your residents’ flower gardens of the past. (If you request catalogs now, they should reach you by March 12.)
- Discuss edible flowers. Ask residents if they’ve ever used flowers when cooking or baking. (Want to give it a try? Many grocery stores sell edible flowers.)
- Talk about medicinal uses of flowers. I’m sure you’ll find residents who remember some of these remedies.
- Start planning what to plant in your facility garden this spring.
- Share the meanings of various flowers. Did you know a yellow daffodil represents good luck while a gardenia means a secret love?
Go On An Outing
- Take a trip to a nursery or the garden center at a big box store. It’s fun to see how they’re preparing for the planting season.
- Visit an indoor botanical garden.
Host A Guest Speaker
- Invite someone from a nursery to talk about caring for flowering plants.
- Ask a florist to come in and demonstrate the art of flower arranging.
- Invite a wedding planner to share stories about how they’ve used flowers at weddings. (The ladies are especially interested in this topic!)
Encourage Creativity
- Try craft projects that involve pressed flowers. You can find tons of ideas for bookmarks, sun catchers, wall hangings, and other beautiful handmade items on Pinterest.
- Decorate flower pots. Again, you’ll find lots of creative ideas on Pinterest.
- Offer each resident an opportunity to plant indoor flower seeds in their decorated pot. Then the residents can care for their plants, watch them grow, and enjoy the flowers in the months to come.
- Plant an amaryllis bulb and place it in an area where residents can check on its progress. They’re so much fun because of the super-fast growth and gorgeous blooms. (Do be careful if pets live in your facility as amaryllis can be toxic to some animals.)
- Make collages using pictures of flowers cut out of magazines. This is a favorite activity of residents in our memory care unit.
Fill The Place With Flowers
I always think it’s much more fun when employees join the residents in celebrating special days. Encourage residents and employees to wear flowered clothing on March 12. If someone doesn’t own a flowered shirt, they can also wear a boutonniere, a hat decorated with flowers, or floral jewelry.
How do you plan to celebrate Plant A Flower Day?
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