Theme activities for the spring “daffodil days” - activities for seniors

This post contains the following:  Daffodil Facts; Folklore of the Daffodil; reminiscing/discussion; info on the The American Cancer Society and “Daffodil Days”; Word Game; Make a Daffodil Collage; Sensory Activity; Daffodil Display

The Daffodil is the official birthday flower of March, the same month as the vernal equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere), which brings great celebration to the return of springtime.

Though their botanic name is narcissus, daffodils are sometimes called jonquils. There are over 25,000 varieties of daffodils and they come in yellow, white, orange and even a peach/pink shade.

The daffodil is also the 10th wedding anniversary flower.

The old name for daffodil was Affodyle, Affodyle means that which cometh early. The name Daffodil was first used in the English language around the 1500's.

Daffodils, the flowers symbolizing friendship, are some of the most popular flowers exclusively due to their unmatched beauty. Daffodils are the floral symbol from the Cancer Society, standing for love, hope through the joy of sunshine.

DID YOU KNOW?

The earliest known reference to Daffodils can be found in the 6th century A.D. writings of the prophet Mohammed.

Grown extensively by the ancient Greeks and the Romans, Daffodils nevertheless became a forgotten flower until about 1600 and even in 1860, there were fewer than 350 cultivated hybrids.

Around 1629, a group of Englishmen took the Daffodil out of the weeds and put it into the garden. Daffodils were in favor again.

During the days of the American experience and the expansion west, daffodils were well established as a "must have" in the garden.

Today, the majority of daffodils are grown in the Channel Islands, Great Britain, Holland and the Isles of Scilly.

All parts of the daffodil are poisonous.

The sap of daffodils can be damaging to other flowers. If you’ve picked them to display in a vase with other flowers, then it’s best to leave them in water on their own for at least 12 hours, before mixing them together.
The emblem of Wales is the daffodil. People often wear daffodils on St. David’s Day.

In New York, nearly 2,500,000 daffodils are grown each year.

The Victorians thought daffodils acted as a symbol of regard.

Australia holds an annual Daffodil Day in August to help raise awareness about cancer. The daffodil is also used as a symbol by Marie Curie Cancer Care in the United Kingdom.

Folklore of the daffodil

Medieval Arabs used the juice of the daffodil as a cure for baldness.
Tread with caution when walking around a bed of daffodils. If you step, stomp, or trample on a bed of Daffodils, bad luck will find you.

If you make a great effort to avoid stepping on a daffodil, you will be rewarded good fortune.

It is bad luck to bring in a single daffodil -- misfortune will fall upon the house. Always bring a bouquet filled,
if you intend to give daffodils as a present, this will bring good fortune to the house.

It is bad luck to be confined with a bloomed daffodil; the scent will bring on a migraine.

The State of Maine, USA has a superstition about the daffodil. The daffodil when pointed at with the index finger will not bloom.

According to Welch tradition, the first daffodil of Spring brings good fortune. Due to the bright yellow color, the first one who sees a daffodil can expect good fortune, bringing in more gold then silver for the following 12 months.

During Medieval times, it was believed that if a daffodil drooped or wilted while you were watching, it was an omen of death.

Another Old English folklore says, when you have poultry nesting on eggs, don't bring daffodils over the threshold. It was believed that the daffodils would bring bad luck to the chickens who laid eggs, and the eggs would not hatch.

As a Chinese lore, the daffodil which is groomed to bloom on the Chinese New Year will bring good fortune for the next twelve months.

In Wales, it’s said if you spot the first daffodil of the season, your next 12 months will be filled with wealth.
For a lady to give a man a daffodil, it denotes her insight to his chivalrous manner.

The sunny yellow glow of a daffodil tells the one you love that their sunny smile brightens your day.
To give a daffodil to your sweetheart it is a sign of love, hope, joy, through respect.

The American cancer society and “daffodil days”

You can give hope to people facing cancer and save lives by supporting the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days program. (Check in your area for dates as they vary).

The Daffodil Days program is an opportunity to fight back against cancer by raising funds and awareness to help beat the disease.

While the Daffodil Days program involves offering daffodils every spring to donors in appreciation for their contributions, it is about more than just giving beautiful flowers - it is everyone's opportunity to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays, where cancer never steals another year from anyone's life.

Money raised through the Daffodil Days program makes a difference. Everyone’s support allows the American Cancer Society to save lives and create a world with more birthdays by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer.

Reminiscing and discussion

Ask everyone in the group, “For how many in the group, is the daffodil your favorite flower”?  If so, why is it your favorite flower?

When you think of daffodils, what thoughts come to mind?

Did you grow daffodils in your garden?  If so, did you have more than one variety?  Did you pick them or leave them blooming in your garden?

Did anyone ever give you a bouquet of daffodils?  Who?  How did it make you feel?

Did you ever give anyone a bouquet of daffodils?  Who?  How did it make you feel? How did it make the recipient of the bouquet feel?

How many words can you think of that you associate with daffodils? (Go around the room and have each person give a word.  Write the words on a white board or flip chart.  See how many you can think of.”

The poetry corner

A poetry writing activity is a wonderful way to express one’s thoughts.  All the rules that apply in waking life are thrown out the window.

Poetry can envelop emotion, history, relationships, logic, learning, and a myriad other things. Poetry can help one to escape. Poetry has no bounds, like the universe or love. It is a universal form of connection with other minds.

Some benefits of poetry are communication, creativity and self expression.  Poetry is therapeutic in nature. It builds self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.

Poetry is designed to stretch the mind’s eye, touch the heart and entrench the senses.

Plan your Poetry Time Activity using both the theme and title (of the poem) “Daffodils.” This activity can be done in two ways.

If your residents are writing a collaborative poem, use a white board/flip chart and create the poem as a group. Remind residents that it doesn’t have to be a rhyming poem.

If residents are creating individual original poems, provide each participant with a pencil and paper.  Softly play relaxing background music and enjoy a cup of herbal tea.

Before you begin creating/writing, read two poems (with the title) “Daffodils.”

“Daffodils”     

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

“DAFFODILS”

By Jo Anne Harrison-Becker

I searched for flowers on the hill
One bright and sunny day,
And saw a single daffodil
Standing proud and gay.

No flowers standing by its side
In a field of shimmering grass,
It stood there bold -- not trying to hide
I paused before I passed.

I continued to search as I climbed the hill
The sun was gold and mellow,
I reached the top and stood so still
To gaze in a field of yellow.

There were thousands of daffodils all around
In truth, such a glorious sight,
Shades of lemon and apricot covered the ground
Meadow shining like sparkling light.

As I sauntered down the winding hill
Before heading back to home,
I spied my single daffodil
Standing gallantly alone.

WORDS IN A WORD

How many words can you make from the letters in DAFFODILS?

ad
add
adds
adios
ado
ads
aid
aids
ail
ails
also
as
dad
dads
dial
dials
did
do
fa
fad
fads
fail
fails
foal
foil
foils
fold
folds
id
idol
idols
if
is
la
lad
lads
laid
lid
lids
load
loads
loaf
oaf
oafs
od
odd
odds
of
off
oil
oils
old
os
sad
said
sail
silo
slid
so
sod
soda
sofa
soil
sold
solid

Making a daffodil collage

Request gardening catalogues from catalogue companies, staff and your friends or print off color pictures of the different varieties of daffodils to make daffodil collages.

Sensory – assess your resident

Use a bouquet of fragrant daffodils in a vase or one single daffodil.

Does the resident respond to the sight of the daffodils?

 If so, how?

A smile?

Verbalization?

Is the resident able to hold the daffodil(s)?

Is the resident able to smell the daffodil(s)?

Any reactions to the smell?  Is resident able to communicate?

You can also show daffodil collages to the resident.  What responses do you get?

If resident is able to communicate/verbalize, use some or all of the questions in the Reminiscing/Discussion included in this activity.

Flower display

Ask staff, volunteers, family members or local establishments to donate daffodils.  Have residents place in vases.  Display in rooms or throughout your facility.

Written by JoAnne Harrison Becker
Find more activities at https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoAnneHarrisonBecker

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay