[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: A Roundup of May Craft Ideas
May is a lovely season of fresh green leaves, isn’t it?
Here are some easy craft ideas perfect for day-service activities in May.
May is full of events like Children’s Day and Mother’s Day.We’ve gathered craft ideas that tie in with those occasions.
Many of the projects introduced here can be taken home and displayed, so you can enjoy looking at them at home.
They also make great gifts for your grandchildren.
Some can even be used for a garden tea party or a stroll, so be sure to give them a try.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: Summary of May Craft Ideas (131–140)
Flower basket
Here’s how to make a flower basket that’s great as room decor or a gift.
The charm is that you can craft it with familiar materials like paper cord and plastic bottle caps! Wrap double-sided tape around the cap, then attach the paper cord by winding it over the tape.
For the basket handle, braid two strands of paper cord.
To make the flowers, do a running stitch along cut felt pieces and pull the thread tight to gather them.
This part is very detailed work, so simply cutting the felt into flower shapes is perfectly fine, too.
Adding pearl beads to the center of the flowers makes them extra cute!
Kashiwa-mochi castanets
Kashiwa-mochi is a must-have wagashi for Children’s Day (Tango no Sekku).
It’s delicious to eat, but since its shape resembles castanets, let’s turn it into a castanet craft! It’s such a unique project that older adults may also take an interest.
Glue together a circle of thick paper and colored paper, then cut it into the shape of a kashiwa leaf.
If gluing layers feels like a hassle, you can simply paint the leaf color instead.
Next, roll paper clay into the shape of the mochi, and before it dries, sandwich it between the leaf pieces to form it.
Finally, embed a button into the paper clay and let it dry—that’s it! Since it’s a castanet, don’t forget to attach a button on the opposite side from the paper clay as well.
four-leaf clover
A four-leaf clover is like a symbol of happiness, and it’s exciting when you find one, isn’t it? How about making your own four-leaf clover? Using a coffee filter and some paint, you can create a cute design, and it’s fun to watch the paint slowly seep in and form a gradient.
Leave a small part of the coffee filter uncut so the center of the clover stays connected, then cut the leaf sections into rounded shapes.
Hold the connected center and dip it into water tinted with diluted paint.
Let it dry as is, and when you open it up—your clover is complete! If you vary the intensity of the colors and make a bunch of them, it will create an even more spring-like atmosphere.
windmill
Why not try making a pinwheel that spins round and round? All you need are origami paper, a straw, and a pushpin.
Fold the origami paper along the diagonal, make cuts along the folded lines, then gently fold one tip of each cut toward the center and glue them down at the center.
Pack a small piece of cut origami paper into one end of the straw, stick the pushpin through the center of the pinwheel, and fix the pin into the packed paper in the straw—done! Many day service centers and care facilities probably enjoy strolls and sunbathing on warm, sunny days.
Bring along the pinwheels you made on such outings; they’re sure to make an ordinary walk or sunbath even more fun!
helmet
Many of you may have folded one when you were a child, or folded one for your own children or grandchildren.
While helmets made from origami are popular, using a newspaper lets you make a large helmet that actually fits on your head! Open up a sheet of newspaper, form an equilateral triangle, and trim off the excess to make a square.
From there, it’s just folding—but newspaper is soft and can be a bit tricky to crease.
Take your time and fold carefully, and you’ll be fine.
Once you’re done, have everyone wear theirs and take a commemorative photo—it’s highly recommended.
Koinobori made from a paper roll
Would you like to make a cute carp streamer that gently sways when hung on the wall, using a toilet paper roll? Press down on the top of the paper roll to make a crease, then start attaching origami paper.
Cut the origami slightly larger than the area that will show, and fold any excess over to the back.
On top of the origami, glue on the carp’s eyes and scales made from colored paper.
In the same way, try making the black carp, the child carp streamers, and the streamer ribbons, changing the sizes and colors.
Finally, bundle everything together with twine, and it’s done.
In conclusion
We introduced some recommended craft ideas for May.
These spring-like, excitement-boosting projects offer a different kind of fun when you display or use them.
As we enjoy the precious, pleasant days before the rainy season, we hope everyone has a wonderful time.
Please give them a try!