We love learning new things at Farnham Mill and this week we learnt all about the Chinese New Year, its meanings, culture and how it is celebrated.  It was very colourful as we made Chinese lanterns, tasted Chinese food, and all helped to make a dragon which paraded around the home on Sunday.  It was just like being in Chinatown.

Monday 16 January and residents started work on our Chinese Dragon.  We painted boxes red which we later turned into the dragon’s head.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed games of dominoes – there was a lot of concentration.

Tuesday 17 January and residents learnt about their Chinese star sign.  We learnt what sign we were born under, whether it was the Rabbit, Ox, Rat, Tiger etc, and what that means.   It was very interesting and quite different to our usual zodiac signs.

In the afternoon, as it’s the year of the rabbit, we painted our own rabbits to decorate the home.  It was very relaxing as we thought about what colours we would use.

Wednesday 18 January and more work was taking place on our dragon.  Residents worked on its facial features, and we looked forward to seeing it parade around the home later in the week.

Wednesday afternoon, we tried using chopsticks to pick up different things such as mini pom poms, spaghetti and dried pasta.  Our residents were very good at it, but we decided we would stick to knives and forks when eating our supper that evening.

We played dominoes in the afternoon.  This game originated in China in the 1300s and is a game most of us grew up playing.

Thursday 19 January and to continue our Chinese theme we made Chinese paper lanterns.  They are so easy to make but will look lovely as decorations.  We love working together with art and crafts as it is a social activity, and we always have time for a chat and a cup of tea as we admire each other’s work.

At Farnham Mill there is always something to see in the garden, not just our favourite birds and ducks on the pond, but also squirrels and cats roaming the gardens.  We noticed that the bulbs are just starting to shoot up as well.

In the afternoon it was our regular flower arranging activity.  Our residents enjoy seeing the different flowers that are delivered and then we arrange them in vases decorate the home.

Friday 20 January and as the sun was shining it was a good time for a little walk outside to enjoy some fresh air, we had a dog visiting it was lovely to say hello to him.

In the afternoon we enjoyed relaxing hand massages.  This is a great way to end the day and also a chance for one-to-one time with our staff.

Saturday 21 January and it was a very busy morning, we played a Chinese dice game.  We rolled the dice and had questions to answer such as ‘what is your favourite colour?’, ‘where did you live?’ and ‘who is in your family?’.  They were great conversation starters, and we learnt a lot about each other.  We had another visit from gorgeous baby Chloe as well as enjoying walks outside.

In the afternoon residents and visitors enjoyed our Chinese buffet trolley that toured the lounges and corridors around the home.  We had spring rolls, vegetable dumplings, prawn crackers and even fortune cookies.  It was great tasting the different food and was very colourful as well as our activities team looking very good in their Chinese hats.

Sunday 22 January in the morning our library trolley visited residents around the home.  This is now a regular feature at Farnham Mill with many residents borrowing books and audio books.  One resident commented that she had so enjoyed one of our books, she purchased three other books by that same author.  If you have any large print books or audio books you no longer want, then please hand them into reception for the attention of the Activities Team.

In the afternoon our wonderful Chinese Dragon that was made by the residents toured the lounges, corridors and even outside to chase away evil spirits and welcome good luck into the home.  It certainly was a sight we haven’t seen at Farnham Mill before.

Later we gathered together and played Chinese Bingo.  It was also another opportunity to learn about Chinese customs and food, and to enjoy a cup of tea and cake together.

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