DeniseTherrien

One craft project we've done is to design t-shirts using foam stickers and spray paint. The idea is to make a design by pressing these sticker shapes onto the t-shirt, then the craft leader can press down on the stickers to make sure they are on really well, then spray paint the shirt. When the paint is dry, you peel off the foam stickers and these areas will remain the color of the shirt. Craft stores and many times the dollar store will have foam letters and shapes with a sticky backing, and you just have to pull off the paper from the backing and let your residents make their designs. They could spell their names, make a design with butterflies and flowers, etc. You have to make sure you don't soak the t-shirt with paint, or the it will get stiff and uncomfortable to wear. I have used regular spray paint and also spray dye. The advantage to the spray dye is that you don't have fumes, and you don't have to go outside necessarily to spray the shirts if you can protect your flooring. The advantage to using spray paint is that the paint sort of floats down to the shirt instead of squirting down. Either way, you have to put cardboard inside the shirt, or the paint will seep through to the back. When I taught art, I did this project and had the students make designs on the shirt using masking tape. That worked very well, but you would have to judge whether your residents have that level of dexterity. The advantage of foam letters and shapes is that they are easy to manipulate due to their thickness; however, when you spray the shirts, you have to make sure that you spray from above and not at an angle, otherwise the thickness will prevent the part of the t-shirt from receiving paint.

Hi Kat, My name is Denise Therrien, I'm getting toward the end of MEPAP I, and I'd love to connect to share resources, etc. I just lost one of my favorite residents (I know we're not supposed to have favorites, but she was my "Mama"...) and it hasn't hit me yet.

Hi Kim, My name is Denise, and I work as a recreation assistant at a Genesis HealthCare facility in Bedford, NH. I'm getting to the end of MEPAP I, working at my own pace, hoping to finish three weeks ahead of schedule.