[For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July

Frame decoration of Orihime and Hikoboshi

Orihime and Hikoboshi Frame Decoration / Tanabata Craft

Here’s a cute framed decoration of Orihime and Hikoboshi you can make with items from 100-yen shops.

Using aurora-colored origami paper will give the characters a sparkly look.

First, use a template to make the faces and cut them out.

Fold the bodies along the template’s crease lines and trim off any excess.

Attach the faces and bodies with double-sided tape.

For the background, star-patterned origami paper works well.

To finish it like a frame, fold the edges of the origami paper narrowly inward and secure them with stickers or similar, and you’re done.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Transparent three-dimensional star tanzaku

Star tanzaku ⭐️ Tanabata decorations

Let’s draw fireworks with straws

[Easy Craft 059] Fireworks — Beautiful drawings even without artistic skill

Do you know about etegami, which is popular among seniors? It’s a simple postcard art where you draw seasonal fruits or events on a postcard and add a short message.

The charm of etegami is that the drawings don’t need to be especially skillful—if anything, the roughness gives it a nice character.

One technique used in etegami is drawing fireworks with a straw.

Even if you can’t go to a fireworks festival, you can enjoy the summer atmosphere with these straw fireworks drawings! The method is very simple: cut the tip of a straw as if you were making octopus-shaped sausages and spread the slits out.

Then dip it in your favorite colors and stamp onto black paper.

If everyone works together to complete a big picture, you’re sure to have a great time!

Calendar with straws and paint

@safran5069

We started making the August calendar 🎆 Dabbing with paint and straws!Minami Ward, Nagoya CityCommunity-based day service#SafranSakuramotomachiTranslationCaregiving#WelfareCalendarAugustfireworks

♬ ai no hana (Instrumental) – aimyon

Here’s a simple fireworks calendar you can make using a straw.

Cut several small slits into the tip of the straw.

Dip the slit end in paint, then dab it onto the calendar’s backing sheet.

This creates a burst like a firework.

Because the steps are simple, many older adults may find it easy to try.

You can change the color of the straw’s center and the tips of the slits, or make fireworks in multiple colors—there are lots of ways to arrange it to create different colorful fireworks.

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Nakajima Junko

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Fireworks calendar with cotton swabs

Fireworks that beautifully color the night sky are also a hallmark of summer.

Are there facilities that host fireworks viewing events? I imagine some older adults once went to see fireworks displays as well.

Let’s make a calendar that expresses fireworks—perfect for the summer mood—using cotton swabs.

Put paint on the tips of the cotton swabs and prepare pieces with only the very ends cut off.

On a circular sheet of drawing paper or origami paper, arrange the painted tips so they look like fireworks.

This fun method should be enjoyable for older adults to try, too.

Besides cotton-swab fireworks, we also recommend adding origami items like fans or shaved ice to the calendar.

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Nakajima Junko

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uchiwa (Japanese hand fan)

[Origami Summer] Easy and cute way to fold a uchiwa fan – perfect decoration for July and August! / fukuoriroom

Why not make “uchiwa” fans—a hallmark of summer—out of origami to brighten up your calendar? Using cute patterned origami or layering summer-themed designs like morning glories and goldfish will give your fan a stylish finish.

Drawing summery motifs such as goldfish or fireworks also creates a cool, refreshing look.

Even just scattering and pasting them onto an existing calendar will complete a summer scene full of seasonal charm.

Since it’s easy to make, it’s also recommended as a recreational activity at senior care facilities.

Give it a try!

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kojifumi

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firefly

Easy way to fold an origami insect series firefly! Recommended for July.

These days, we don’t get as many chances to see fireflies glowing over rice fields and waterways at night.

When today’s seniors were young, weren’t there many more fireflies flitting about? Let’s make a calendar using firefly origami that brings back those kinds of summer memories.

Since you’ll make the firefly’s body and its glowing part separately, there are fewer tricky steps.

For the glowing tail, try sticking on a yellow circle cut from origami paper or a round yellow sticker.

Besides calendars, this firefly origami is perfect for summer crafts like wreaths and wall decorations.

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Nakajima Junko

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