[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season
When it comes to September events and observances, the Mid-Autumn Moon, Respect-for-the-Aged Day, and the autumn equinoctial week come to mind.
These are long-standing traditions in Japan, so they should be familiar to many older adults.
In this context, we’re introducing simple craft activities suitable for senior facilities such as day service centers.
We’ve gathered many projects perfect for September, featuring motifs like moon-viewing rabbits and themes of longevity and health.
They’re fun to make, attractive to display, and likely to give a sense of accomplishment! Although summer is ending and autumn is approaching, some regions still experience hot days.
Craft activities are great because they can be done indoors and are accessible even for those who find physical movement challenging.
Please give them a try!
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[For Senior Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel Autumn (21–30)
Japanese pampas grass
The harvest moon is celebrated in September.
It is an event to give thanks to the moon for the harvest while gazing at it.
Some older adults may spend the evening with family, offering rice dumplings and taro.
There is one more important offering for the harvest moon: pampas grass (susuki).
It has been believed to be a place where deities reside.
The key is to make it using kraft paper or double-sided colored origami paper.
Fold it and cut it into the shape of pampas grass.
Be sure to use scissors to make fine slits for the feathery seed heads, too.
If you also make pampas grass and display it together with your Harvest Moon piece on the calendar, it will look even more beautiful.
dragonfly
Autumn skies are also a time when many dragonflies flit about, aren’t they? Some older folks may have even twirled a finger in front of a dragonfly perched on a branch to make its eyes spin.
Let’s make a calendar with dragonfly origami that brings back memories like that.
Using a single sheet of origami paper, we’ll fold both the dragonfly’s body and wings.
Of course, we’ll also make its distinctive eyes from the same sheet.
When you think of dragonflies, red or yellow might come to mind.
But if you use different kinds of origami paper, you’ll get a colorful result.
Give it a try!
Felt cosmos
Here’s an easy felt cosmos project perfect for beginners.
When crafting cosmos flowers from felt, make small jagged cuts with scissors as you go to create a three-dimensional look.
For the center of the flower, make a yellow felt piece and secure it together with a wire.
Cut felt leaves and attach them to the wire, and your cosmos is complete.
The warm, gentle feel of these cosmos flowers is so charming.
Try displaying them in a vase and enjoy!
Torn-paper collage: Moon-viewing rabbit
@saisyouan Handmade calendar created with torn-paper collageSmall-scale multifunctional in-home care#Habikino CityCare service providerRecreationCalendar#Chigiri-eStaff recruitment
Original Song – WHITEBOX [official] – WHITEBOX [official]
Otsukimi (moon-viewing) is one of Japan’s long-standing traditions.
So, let’s make a moon-viewing scene with a rabbit for the September calendar using torn-paper collage.
Because you use your fingertips to tear and paste the paper onto a backing sheet, this kind of collage can also serve as brain training.
The September moon-viewing is known as Jūgoya or the Harvest Moon and is held on the full moon around September 15.
It became cherished as an autumn harvest festival, and because people offered taro as a prayer for a good harvest, it came to be called Imomeigetsu (“Taro Moon”).
Many older adults may also be very familiar with September’s moon-viewing.
Try making it while chatting about Otsukimi.
Grape wreath made with chirimen fabric
Here’s how to make a grape wreath using chirimen fabric and covered buttons.
Cut the chirimen fabric into circles.
Place the rounded side of a covered button in the center of a fabric circle and secure it with glue as if wrapping it.
Once wrapped, press in the remaining part of the covered button with the metal side facing up.
This completes a grape berry.
Attach the grape berries to a backing sheet to form a bunch of grapes.
Decorate the wreath base with paper grape leaves and the grape bunches.
The texture of chirimen fabric adds warmth to the piece.
It’s a craft that older adults are likely to enjoy as a lovely grape-themed project.
Grape brooch made with tsumami-zaiku
Tsumami-zaiku is made by folding small pieces of fabric.
Although it involves lots of delicate work, seniors who enjoy handicrafts or are good with their hands may find it fun to make.
Let’s try making a grape brooch, a great autumn craft using tsumami-zaiku.
Create the folded pieces and secure them with glue, then attach them to a base fabric in the shape of grapes.
Cut the base fabric into a grape shape, insert a piece of cardstock, and sew felt onto the back.
Add a brooch pin to complete the brooch.
The finished piece looks cute when attached to a bag or clothing.
Grape wall hanging decoration
When there’s a grape craft displayed indoors, some older adults may think, “Ah, autumn has arrived.” Here’s an easy grape wall decoration you can make with familiar materials.
Take a small rectangular piece of tissue paper for flowers and wrap a small balled-up piece of tissue inside so it forms a round shape.
Use colors that evoke grapes, like blue or purple.
Connect the crumpled tissue pieces to create a grape cluster.
Assemble paper straws to make a hanging base and attach the grapes.
Make leaves and a stem as well, and stick them on to complete the piece.
You can make it using only items from a 100-yen shop, so please use this as a reference and give it a try.