Activity #9: Flower Pots

Activity: Decorate flower pot and plant seeds!


Target Participant Group: Individuals with HIV/AIDS, elderly population


Other Groups that may Benefit: children with physical and cognitive disabilities, individuals with substance abuse, adults with cognitive disabilities


Groups not appropriate for: This activity is great and can be used for most all groups in my opinion!


Therapeutic Potential: enhance creativity and individuality, promotes mental and social well being, improve fine motor skills, increase self-esteem, increase observational skills, provides outlet for stress and emotions, opportunity to interact with others, cooperation, dealing with success and failure, learning environment


Resources Needed: 
flower pots (can be bought for pretty cheap at a garden store)
craft paint
sponge brushes/paint brushes
bowls for paint
sponges/stencils (optional)
dirt/cup for scooping it
variety of seeds for planting
Sharpie (if want to write names on bottoms)
newspaper (to cover surface)


Activity Description:


This activity is simple and tons of fun. The individuals can start by decorating their flower pots with paint.  This part is the fun part and should encourage creativity from the individuals.  Once the pots have dried, they are able to fill the pots with dirt.  Next, they can choose what they would like to plant in their pot and place the seeds in the dirt.  Make sure to tell them to keep the pot in a sunny spot and water it daily!


Best Leadership Style:  Depending on the size of the group and ability level of the participants in the group, one facilitator should work for this activity.  It is fairly simple, but if the individuals have certain impairments they may need one-on-one assistance when decorating their pots.  This activity is great because it can be done in a group setting and allows the participants to interact with others in the group while they decorate their pot and plant their seeds. 


Activity Source: I first decorated my own flower pot and planted seeds in it when I was in girl scouts.  This is a well-known, popular activity.  This is just a sample of horticultural therapy and may spark an interest in further gardening such as creating a garden at an assisted living home for the residents to participate weekly on certain "gardening days".  


Additional Info: http://voices.yahoo.com/making-own-flower-pots-51998.html?cat=32
http://www.orientaltrading.com/design-your-own-mini-ceramic-flowerpots-a2-56_9292.fltr

There is not much additional info, but you can search for creative designs online by typing in "painted flower pot" on google images.