I did this program for Valentine’s Day and all of my residents loved it.
I had three different stations for them to make things to give to their Valentine (or keep for themselves). Since I had the event the day before Valentine’s Day, a lot of my residents told me they were glad to be able to get some of this stuff for free.
At one station (I did this one in the kitchen, but it can be done anywhere there is a microwave), we made chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels, and marshmallows. This was really easy because you can buy a type of chocolate called ‘dipping chocolate’ already in microwavable cups at the store. I found it was easier to do the dipping myself, but with their choice of chocolate (white, dark, milk). They could even add sprinkles if they wanted. After you dip the strawberries/pretzels/marshmallows, you have to let them sit for a while, so I put them on wax paper in little plastic containers that our schools cafeteria donated and put them in the fridge. While chocolate covered strawberries can be ridiculous prices at other places, this was actually pretty affordable.
At another station the residents could decorate their own cookies and cupcakes. This was really simple, all I did was bake sugar cookies and cupcakes and then set out icings, sprinkles, conversation hearts, chocolate chips, etc. The residents had a lot of fun personalizing their cupcakes.
At the last station, I put out stuff to make Valentine’s Day cards. I had doilies, paper, stickers, scissors, glitter, glue, and other fun things. People just relaxed and talked in the lounge while they were making the cards, and everyone had tons of fun.
This event will definitely be a tradition for me! I know the residents loved getting free gifts to give away on Valentine’s Day and I enjoyed seeing them get creative!
Submitted by Sarah Tschoepe, University of the Incarnate Word