Pretty Pinwheels!
Exercise
Use handmade or purchased pinwheels as an addition to Fitness Class. Encourage blowing them into a quick spin to promote lung strength, alternate arms to cross the pinwheels in front of the body rapidly enough to create spin or chair-dance with pinwheels to some different music selections.
Cooking
As a no-cook cooking activity, participants can make their own pinwheel tortilla sandwiches. If each person creates and eats his or her own sandwiches infection control becomes easier to manage.
http://www.ehow.com/video_2200994_pepperoni-pinwheels-recipe.html
Creative Writing
Use a large flip chart, poster board or write board to create a Pinwheel Poem.
http://teacher2b.com/creative/pinwheel.htm
Education and discussion
The E-how website has a little history of pinwheels.
http://www.ehow.com/info_8664866_history-pinwheels.html
Crafts
Make pinwheels to use for tabletop decorations. Here is a link for a how-to pattern page. Heavy weight scrap-book paper purchased in pads are often solid on one side and patterned on the other, this would work very well. http://www.leslietryon.com/3dcolorcutout/makepinw/makeapinwheel.pdf
Fundraising- Pinwheel Petunias
Is your care center located in a small supportive town or community? If you are a creative fundraiser to consider, is a “Shower with Flowers.” In the wee hours, scatter 40-60 brightly colored flower pinwheels throughout the front lawn of a home. (High School Volunteers might be able to help with this.) Start with the yards of people you are certain will be supportive. Little notes tied onto the pinwheels or to the front door explain that “Surprise! You’ve been showered with Flowers! With a $5.00 donation Garden Fairies will simply come to remove the flowers. For $10.00 Garden Fairies will remove the flowers AND give you the opportunity for you to select someone to send them to next. And for $15.00 the flowers can be removed, resent, AND you can find out who sent them to you.” Most people choose the $15.00 option. Reports are that the “Shower with Flowers” has been a most enjoyable and successful long-running fundraising idea.