Dolls with paper and wool

This is a doll I made with one of my clients.

The first thing to do is to draw the outline of a human figure on an old box. Then I cut it. Some times the clients haven't got that strog hands to cut a really thick paper.
After cutting my paper the clients started rapping it. At the end we sewed the eyes and the nose. We just made little balls from wool for the nose and eyes.

You'll need:

• Different colour of wool. Black for hair, pink for face, whatever else you prefer for clothes. 
• Scissors
• Thck paper

valentine heart garland

This is a Valentine Heart Garlad I made with my clients. It's a very very simple activity and you can decorate the place with this coloured garlands.

I draw two hearts on an A4 paper and then made copies. I used different colour paper. Some of the clients could follow the cutting path, others couldnt. Some of them were able to pass the wool through the little holes. I always adjust the activities to what clients can or can't do.

You'll need:

• Coloured Paper - Foam Paper 
• Scissors
• Wool

and maybe a photocopy machine. 

Winter Collage

Winter Collage

This is a Winiter Collage I made with my clients. You can do one for each season and decorate your care home, activities room etc. 
You'll need:

• Paper - Foam Paprer

• Watercolours or oil paint

• Glue

• Scissors

• Brushes

• Felt

• Stickers

• An old picture frame or canvas 

We always try to use things that we don't use any more. In this case I took an old picture frame and one of my clients painted it black in order to cover the old painting. 

I did the outline for the trees, the human figures and the houses and then my clients cut everything down. 

I used foam paper, felt and plain paper and silver glitter in order to make the collage look nice! 

I bought snowflackes stickers but you can use cotton or plain whte paper to do the snow effect or maybe cut down silver stars. 

Some of the clients f.e with dementia they forget what to do so I had to remind them where to paint and what to cut. You know your clients so you can share the cutting or the painting depending on their skills or abilities. Even if they can do anything of the above I am sure they will be able to use the stickers. 

This is my winter collage, but you can do yours tottaly different!!!!

Christmas Butter Biscuits

You know why I love baking? 

It always makes my clients happy. The feel that they can use their hands again and also they will taste after a few minutes what they made. Most of them feel very proud of theirselves. 

Even if they don't remember what to do with your sapport they will feel satisfied. Give them to break the eggs, to mix or decorate. You will be impressed how many great things they can do! 

For this simple receipe you will need: 

• 100 gr butter
• 100 gr icing sugar
• 1 egg 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 300 gr all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Cream together butter, soda and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Beat in the flour and salt.  Roll out dough between 1/4 and 1/2 inch and cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until very lightly browned on the bottom. 

If you want to decorate them you can make some icing etc. 

Colouring Pages - Make your self-portrait!

Colouring pages is a childish activity. Mainly the colouring pages showing cartoons and comic characters. I am always trying to find cars for the men such as BMW or old fashion cars and for the women animals f.e cats. Sometimes if their vision is not good I will try to find a colouring page that shows only one thing and doesn't have many details. Complicated drawings are "crowded" and hard to see for people with problematic vision. 

An idea that I had is to take a picture of the elders, edited on a computer and give it back to them to colour their self-portrait! This can also be a good idea for birthday cards! 

Many of the elders liked that idea, colouring their self-portraits!

You'll need:

• Paper
• One picture - portrait
• A printer
• Photo editing software such as Photoshop or even Microsoft Word. 
• Crayons, colour markers or pencils or watercolours 

Instructions: Scan the picture and take one with a digital camera. Open microsoft word, or photoshop and use one of the filters to transform the picture to a comic picture. There are also some oneline services that you can use. such as: http://www.befunky.com/ , http://www.cartoonize.net/ . 

As soon as you cartoonize the picture, print out the image and start the colouring! 

P.S Please feel free to contact me to help you with the software! 

Glass case with felt

I am always trying to find art and crafts activities that the outcome will be something useful for the eldelry. That's why I am suggesting those glass cases since most of the elders wearing glasses. 

You'll need:

• Felt
• Scissors
• Needles
• Cotton
• Bits and pieces for decoration 

Instructions: Cut a square piece of felt as long as your glasses are. Sew the bit and pieces that you will use for decoration. Sew the three of the four sides. Your glass case is ready!!!     

Halloween Pumpkins

You'll need:

• Paper plates
• Orange and Black paint or water paint 
• Corrugated Green paper 
• A stapler

Instructions: Paint your plates orange. Cut your corrugated paper in leaves shapes. As soon as the plates are dry, paint scary faces and use your staple to staple on them the green leaves.