Monday, August 31, 2020
On Thursday, August 27th, a craft recreational activity called "Making Sunflower Ornaments" was held at the Social Welfare Center as part of the "Cosmos Club Activities" run by the Hokuryu Town Social Welfare Council (Chairman: Takebayashi Hitoshi).
Cosmos Club
"Life support" and "care prevention" for those requiring level 1 and level 2 support
Cosmos Club is a project run by the Hokuryu Town Social Welfare Council. It provides "life support" and "care prevention" activities to people who have been certified as needing care level 1 or 2.
Specific activities include health checks, lifestyle consultations, bathing services (assisted by home helpers), daily movement training (voice training, singing, exercises, walking training), and shopping tours around the town (once a month: Cocowa, Minoritch Hokuryu, Tsuchida Shoten, Hokuryu Onsen Shop, etc.).
In addition, under the guidance of an occupational therapist from Fukagawa City Hospital, physical fitness tests are conducted twice a year and services necessary for living an independent life are also provided.
Activities at the Welfare Center every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Currently, the Cosmos Club has 22 members. They are divided into four groups and carry out various tasks. Meetings are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at the Welfare Center.
The usage fee is 795 yen per visit (including bus transfers, lunch, and bathing fees).
Making sunflower ornaments
This time, the Cosmos Club's recreational craft activity was "making sunflower ornaments." There were a wide variety of unique creations!
A story from home helper Megumi Murai (Care Worker)
"This year, Sunflower Village was closed, so I was disappointed that I couldn't go see the sunflower fields, which I was looking forward to.
So, we had each child create two handmade sunflower decorations with the theme "Let's make a one-of-a-kind sunflower bloom!!"
Using common items such as cardboard, masking tape, beans and seeds, the children were able to create beautiful sunflowers.
The idea for this piece came about when my daughter received some discarded cardboard die-cutting dies from Hokuryu Cardboard Co., Ltd. as material for her summer vacation independent study project.
The remaining part was shaped like a petal, so I imagined it as a sunflower.
Sunflowers made from recycled cardboard
Make up flower petals with masking tape
The petals are arranged using masking tape of various patterns.
The material is cardboard
The circular base was cut out of cardboard, and the carpet core was cut into thin strips to create a divider in the middle.
Handmade by the helpers
We received help from our helpers in preparing the ideas and cutting the items.
Beans include tiger beans, black soybeans, adzuki beans, pumpkin seeds, ginkgo nuts, etc.
The beans we collected were old and inedible, including tiger beans, black soybeans, adzuki beans, pumpkin seeds, and ginkgo nuts.
At first, I thought about using sunflower seeds, but they were sterilized seeds, so I decided against using them because it would be dangerous if someone accidentally ate them while working.
It was a detailed job, but everyone worked hard and thought about it carefully, and seemed to enjoy it. Each piece turned out to be unique.
"We are making preparations for this year's cultural festival. If the cultural festival is not held, we are considering holding a temporary exhibition inside the museum," said Murai Megumi.
We are already preparing our next craft project!!!
Dear Helpers,
"It's the only sunflower in the world, it's so beautiful!" she said, helping everyone with the detailed work.
Users and their works
"Every single thing was difficult, but it was fun," he replied with satisfaction.
With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we send these wonderful, irreplaceable sunflowers, one of a kind in the world, which embody the feelings of the Cosmos Club members for the sunflowers of Hokuryu Town.
Other photos
・Click here for 63 photos of sunflower decoration making and Cosmos Club activities >>
Related articles
・Hokuryu Town Social Welfare Council: Introduction page here >>
◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi
