 "He loves me, he loves me not." Residents may not remember what you said to them but they will remember how you made them feel when you give them a daisy. Everybody loves a daisy. They are such happy flowers. There's nothing more simple and delightful as a daisy and the very thought of it can cheer up any day! Add a splash of yellow and see what happens. It is like the sun is shining when you walk into a room and the majority of people are wearing yellow and yellow balloons fill the air. It is not a popular color in the clothing department so it really is a pretty sight.
 I stocked up on daisy dollar store flowers and put them all to use. I also attached some to an ordinary headband with yellow tape to make mine and I wore the brightest yellow shirt I could find. I layered it with a white t-shirt, which gave it a real daisy effect. Actually, daisies come in other colors too, but for today, they were just white and yellow. I put some in a vase and gave bunches of them out at Daisy Bingo. That is just one activity you can do on Daisy Day.
Last year, I made "Daisy Cookies" with a recipe I found using the brand "Daisy" sour cream and at them while watching "Driving Miss Daisy". My daisy day was created during one of my brainstorming sessions with the residents. I always have them help me think of new ideas. I absolutely love when I make a Ginger holiday out of a wild idea and I love making a fuss over the resident who thought of it. I have the other residents give a round of applause when the creator comes into the recreation room and I thank them all day. They must feel like a star for it really raises morale and encourages other residents to do some thinking so that they can have a day, too!
 This year I incorporated our annual gardening club into daisy day. We have some big planters out in our courtyard that we put flowers in every May to cheer up the garden. I wear a pair of wings and call myself the "Gardening Angel." It was a lot of work going to pick up the flowers, getting them all into my car and then back to work but it was such a beautiful, happy day that it was worth it.
“Daisy, daisy give me your answer do..." Those are the first words to a very nostalgic song that even residents with advanced dementia will be able to sing along to. When I ran a Memory Care unit at a nursing home, music was the key to establishing a connection with the residents. Singing a nostalgic song like "Bicycle Built for Two" calms residents and makes them happy, just like daisies!
Daisies were at one time called 'Days Eyes" because the flower petals close up at night and reopens, revealing the eye of the flower, every morning. It is a flower of innocence and simplicity. I can picture a pretty little girl holding them at her First Communion. That sight brings a smile to my face. There were smiles everywhere on Daisy Day. It is a very easy, inexpensive, fun day to create.
You can even contact your local Daisy Girl Scout Troop and see if the girls can come give out daisies!
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GINGER'S CREATIVE COSTUMES AND ACTIVITIES