![\"louisiana](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/louisiana-e14852799743861.jpg\")
Our new Across the USA theme for 2017 will feature one new state per month! February is the state of Louisiana. The southern state of Louisiana is known for many things \u2013 food, fun, and music. So have fun with your residents this February as you help them discover the beauty and richness of the Louisiana culture. Here are some Louisiana-themed activities from notjustbingo.com to get you started.<\/p>\n
Louisiana, named after French King Louis XIV, has maintained a culture rich in French traditions. Try to schedule a few activities that tap into this French influence.<\/p>\n
French Coffee Break<\/strong><\/span> – Brew a pot of French roast coffee\u00a0for residents to enjoy with the\u00a0morning paper.<\/p>\n Playing P\u00e9tanque<\/span><\/strong> – Teach residents how to play the French lawn game of P\u00e9tanque, which is similar to the well-known Italian bocce ball<\/strong><\/a> or American lawn bowling games. After your residents get the hang of the game, plan a few tournament games throughout February. In fact, Louisiana hosts a tournament each year that caters to many of the P\u00e9tanque sports clubs throughout the state.<\/p>\n Dial into the heart of Louisiana\u2019s spirit by playing the music that was made popular by the state, like New Orleans jazz music or Cajun country music.<\/p>\n Band Performance<\/strong><\/span> – Recruit residents to start a band where they play musical Music Appreciation<\/strong><\/span> – Find information about famous Louisiana musicians, like bandleader Louis Armstrong or trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and play their music for residents to enjoy as you share fun facts about the entertainers.<\/p>\n Line Dance Class<\/strong><\/span> – Get your residents up and moving as you play New Orleans-style dance music while teaching residents a few line dances.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t talk about Louisiana without mentioning the annual celebration of Mardi Gras, which is on Tuesday, February 28.<\/p>\n Bead Making<\/strong><\/span> – Get residents ready Mardi Gras Treasure Hunt<\/strong><\/span> – Invite residents to search for Mardi Gras favors like\u00a0themed coins<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or purple and green glow bracelets <\/a><\/strong>that can be hidden throughout your facility. Award a prize to the person who finds the most favors during the treasure hunt.<\/p>\n Masquerade Dinner<\/strong><\/span> – Host a fun masquerade dinner for residents. Pass out masks<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for them to wear. If your residents are pretty crafty, consider scheduling a Mask-Making Party earlier in the day and have residents adorn plain masks<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0with feathers<\/a><\/strong>, sequins<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or glitter<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Bourbon Street Happy Hour<\/strong><\/span> – Set up a non-alcoholic bar for residents to stop in for a drink along Bourbon Street (in the hallway). Pass out Mardi Gras beads<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and silly string\u00a0for your serious party-goers.<\/p>\n Mardi Gras Fashion Show<\/strong><\/span> – Invite residents to get dressed up in purple, gold, and green for a fashion show in your Activity Room. At the end of the show, award trophies<\/a><\/strong> to the best dressed residents. Be sure to have your activity staff get dressed up too. Pass out hats to decorate<\/a><\/strong> in Mardi Gras colors, or jester hats just for them.<\/p>\n Louisiana, known for its woodlands to the north and its bayous and marshlands to the south, provide habitats for a vast array of species.<\/p>\n Nature Sounds<\/strong><\/span> – Host an afternoon Nature Artwork<\/strong><\/span> – Use nature stencils<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for residents to create unique artwork on canvas<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or on paper. A second option is to use ready-to-use\u00a0posters<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or canvases<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for residents to paint or color.<\/p>\n Nature Crafts<\/strong><\/span> – Take stock of the Last but not least, you can\u2019t talk about Louisiana without mentioning the food! Plus, residents love food related activities!<\/p>\n Beignet Pastry Class<\/strong><\/span> – Dust off the aprons and teach residents how to make French beignets. Use an electric fryer for the class, or to keep things simple, make a beignet batter that can easily be placed in an donut maker. Residents can also use this cupcake maker<\/a><\/strong> to make delicious cupcakes topped with strawberries, Louisianas state fruit.<\/p>\n Hot Sauce Tasting<\/strong><\/span> – Invite only your bravest residents to participate in a unique hot sauce tasting. Grab a few bottles of Louisiana-style hot sauces, like Louisiana Hot Sauce and Tabasco Red Pepper Sauce, and have residents sample the sauces with tortilla chips.<\/p>\n Find more ideas from Notjustbingo\u00a0on the S&S blog here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n About Not Just Bingo:<\/strong><\/p>\n Not Just Bingo<\/a>\u00a0is an online resource of fun, senior activity ideas for activity professionals of assisted living facilities. They have been providing fun activity ideas online since 2009, and continue to assist activity professionals across the country by creating meaningful and engaging activity ideas for their residents that go \u201cbeyond bingo.\u201d Not Just Bingo feels privileged to help activity directors better the living experiences of their residents while demonstrating that a senior\u2019s quality of life can actually improve when they move to a senior facility!<\/p>\n Want even more ideas each month? Visit\u00a0www.notjustbingo.com<\/a>\u00a0for how-to activity ideas, monthly newsletters, and daily holiday ideas. You can also sign up for the\u00a0Notjustbingo Membership<\/a>\u00a0to receive specialized activity ideas to keep your residents and staff engaged, active, and having fun!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Music<\/h2>\n
![\"louisiana](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/rainmaker-11.jpg\")
\ninstruments<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0while listening to jazz CDs. You can also hand out rainmakers<\/a><\/strong> or bells<\/a><\/strong> for residents with sensory needs. Try organizing a \u201cBand Rehearsal\u201d each week throughout February to get residents used to socializing and having fun with music.<\/p>\nMardi Gras<\/h2>\n
![\"mardi](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sequin-masks-e1485201840202-300x1751.jpg\")
for your Mardi Gras festivities by making their own\u00a0accessories\u00a0using jewelry cord<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and colorful beads<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n![\"mardi](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/mardi-gras-decoration-300x3001.jpg\")
Mardi Gras Dance<\/strong><\/span> – Celebrate the last day of February (Mardi Gras) with a fun dance for residents. Ahead of time, decorate your Activity Room with Mardi Gras decorations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and lots of purple<\/a><\/strong>, gold<\/a><\/strong>,and green<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0balloons. During the dance, pass out party horns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and encourage residents to dance to Louisiana-style music.<\/p>\nNature<\/h2>\n
![\"louisiana](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sounds-of-nature-e1485200985768-300x1311.jpg\")
for your residents to listen to and enjoy the different sounds of nature<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n![\"bear](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bear-puzzle-1-300x300.jpg\")
\nimportant animals that are found in Louisiana by planning fun animal crafts. For instance, since the Louisiana State Mammal is the American Black Bear, set up a bear jigsaw puzzle<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0on a table in your
\nActivity Room for residents to independently stop by and work on the puzzle at their leisure. In addition, as an intergenerational activity, invite the grandkids to come by to color their own stuffed bears<\/a><\/strong> with Grandma and Grandpa. Another animal craft option, since the green tree frog is Louisiana\u2019s State Amphibian, is to gather residents to make fun frog note holder<\/a><\/strong> to hold some of their letters from relatives or nice thoughful notes from staff.<\/p>\nFood<\/h2>\n
![\"lousiniana\"](\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/food-louisiana1.png\")
Gumbo Lunch<\/strong><\/span> – Coordinate with Dining Services to serve a fun gumbo lunch for your residents to enjoy. If the Kitchen Staff is willing, set up a cooking demonstration in the Dining Room before lunch where the cooks can show residents how to make a proper
\ngumbo.<\/p>\n
\n\n![\"senior](\"https:\/\/ssww-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notjutbingo-logo-300x221.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n