Patriotic Table Decoration

This Patriotic Craft was made for a Memorial Day celebration but would be perfect for 4th of July festivities as well. In some cases, a person with Alzheimer’s (or another form of dementia) may need some help but it should be relatively easy for most if the steps are introduced and completed one at a time.  Remember that with Alzheimer’s, the order of things can be confusing so it is important not to put everything out on the table at once! This project took about a half hour for most of my senior crafters.

I ended up putting the ribbon around the neck of the bottle myself as this step seemed to be too difficult for many but it added the perfect finishing touch to this project. The bright colors and variety of items to touch and feel made this a particularly fun, interesting and rewarding craft and would be great for kids too! This idea could be used for other holidays also.  For instance, it could be done for Christmas using silver and white garland and poinsettias, silver stars, white beans to weight it down, etc.

 

Here are the supplies that you will need:

  • WIDE MOUTH PLASTIC BOTTLES….”BAI” (or other brand)..Cut off label

  • BEANS (to weigh the bottle down)….I used red kidney, black and white

  • 3 FEET of PATRIOTIC GARLAND…..I purchased mine at my local dollar store
    and cut a 9 foot garland into three pieces which worked well.

  • STAR STICKERS…..(Red/Wht/Blue)…Mine were felt and purchased from AC MOORE

  • RED WHITE AND BLUE ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, PINWHEELS, ETC.

  •  2 to 3″ WIDE PATRIOTIC RIBBON

Here are the steps:  (ONE STEP AT A TIME)

STEP #1: Put assortment of stickers out on the table. Adhere the stickers to the
blank bottle.  (Some of my residents needed help peeling them but most did fine.)
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STEP #2:  Pour about two inches of beans into the bottle.
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STEP #3:   Push the garland into the bottle. (This is why you need
a wide mouthed bottle.)  Everyone was successful with this step!
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STEP #4:  Add flowers and other decorations to make a
pleasing arrangement.  (three to five items should be enough.)
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STEP #5:  Tie a wide festive ribbon around the neck of the bottle for the finishing
touch. (This is the most difficult step and you may need to assist with it.)

Isn’t it colorful and fun?!

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