Following on from my last post about the value of Natural Exercise for older people, I have recently set out on my first small project which has been to offer Natural Exercise workshops to care homes and housing associations in Stirling and Forth Valley. My aim with the workshops has been to give older people living in the care homes or housing associations or attending day centres (and their staff) an introduction to the idea of natural exercise and more importantly a fun couple of hours outdoors.
Each workshop has been a bit different but the basic plan has been using a Nature Palette activity to get out into the garden and have a walk around and a look at what’s there, then having a cup of tea together and a chat about it. Here are some photos of the residents of Devlin Court Sheltered Housing in Stirling having fun with Nature Palettes in the garden.
collecting leaves for the palettes
A Nature Palette is a really simple activity- all you need is a bit of cardboard cut into the shape of an artist’s palette (see below) and covered with a few strips of double sided sticky tape. The Palette can then be used on a walk around your chosen green space (e.g. a garden or a park) and you can stick on to it anything that takes your fancy- you could make a pattern or look out for colours, textures, smells… and will probably be amazed at the variety you get (we were!).
For more information about Nature Palettes and other great sensory activities see the Sensory Trust Website .