Young people are the future and it’s a day to recognize all their potential! Invite children from a local school. Your residents could read books to younger students; middle school students could assist your residents with their cell phones, computers or iPads; high school students can join in for an active game of kickball or balloon badminton. Encourage residents to develop some connections with the visiting students and consider starting a pen pal program to keep the connection going.
Right around the corner from World Lion Day is World Elephant Day, another important large animal found in Africa. This incredible species is not only found in Africa and Asia, but they are often the central character in many films. This day is a great opportunity to run a movie marathon for movies that showcase an elephant character or that highlight the tragic poaching and abuse of elephants that continues today. Here are some you could choose from: Water for Elephants (it was originally a book, if you wanted to do this book for your resident book club), Dumbo (original Disney version and new live action version), The Jungle Book (live action), The Elephant Queen, The Ivory Game, and Tyke Elephant Outlaw. Use the documentary options as an opportunity to discuss animal treatment in entertainment, endangered species, and what we can do to help.
There’s no better way to celebrate these beautiful animals than by scheduling a bus trip to your local Zoo or Safari (if you live in Southern Ontario, you’ll know the famous African Lion Safari). If there’s an opportunity to have a staff member talk with your residents about lions, that would be icing on the cake. Maybe they’ll share a fun fact! Like, did you know that lions are the only cats who roar together?
Celebrate and acknowledge the world’s Indigenous people by organizing your own traditional or contemporary activities with your residents. When planning, we strongly suggest you get some advice from a person who is knowledgeable about Indigenous traditions. You can learn about the Indigenous Peoples of another country, go on an outing to a significant local Indigenous site, or have an Indigenous Guest Speaker or Elder come in and share stories, traditions, folklore and history.
We know many of your residents are furry friend lovers and that some may even have a pet cat in their rooms. So, why not show them off? Host a show and tell of all your residents’ cats and encourage them to describe them and their quirks. If pets aren’t allowed in your community, you can invite some therapy cats to come in and visit those residents who love these fun felines.
Do you host a regular Happy Hour at your community? International Beer Day, which takes place the first Friday of August, is a day to recognize that cold drink many of us have after a long day. Try doing your Happy Hour outdoors and invite an owner of a local brewery to come in to talk about beer and conduct a tasting. It’s a great opportunity for residents to learn, socialize, and maybe try some new beers. Encourage them to share how they say cheers in their home countries or languages. Make sure you have some non-alcoholic beers or drinks on hand for those residents who don’t drink alcohol.
Love them, hate them, terrified of them, clowns get a whole week of celebration. To celebrate these goofy, funny, or maybe creepy characters, why not have a “Clowning Around” social? Invite a clown to come entertain your residents, as well as a face painter who could paint your residents’ faces like a clown or give them red noses to wear. Serve ice cream with sprinkles to add some more colour to the day.
What a quirky international holiday, yet a great excuse to eat delicious black cherries when they’re in season. In 1974, Herb Teichman of Eau Claire, MI. held a cherry pit spitting tournament as a joke, at a picnic. It was a real hit, and has been held annually since that very first tournament in 1974. This holiday is celebrated on the first Saturday in July and you can celebrate by holding your own cherry pit spitting contest in your community. Are your residents hoping to break the record? They'd better start practicing. The world record for cherry pit spitting is 100' 4"!!
No matter which type of kiss you prefer, International Kissing Day on July 6 is the perfect time of year to celebrate this simple, age-old practice with significance that extends far beyond just romance. While you can encourage any of your residents who are coupled up to celebrate in the romantic sense, you can celebrate with residents who aren't in a relationship either. If your health policies allow, encourage everyone to greet each other that day with a peck hello on both cheeks, as they do in many cultures (particularly French).
You can also sprinkle some Hershey's Kisses on the dining room tables for lunch and dinner as a way to acknowledge the day. And maybe, you can cap off the night with some romantic films that showcase some of the most romantic kissing moments of all time!
Do you have some tech savvy residents in your community? Why not organize a group activity with them all about Emojis, to celebrate World Emoji Day!
You could print out photos of popular emojis and have them guess what they are?
Or encourage them to text back and forth with one another using only emojis and see if they can figure out the message that's trying to be sent.
If you have residents who use Smartphones, Tablets or Ipads, but maybe don't use emojis, do a little workshop to teach them how to use them when they're sending messages to kids and grandkids.
