Care homes across the UK will be repurposing everything from old welly boots to the kitchen sink, thanks to a brand new competition designed to make nature both fun and accessible for older adults.
Getting Inspired
Bringing something different and exciting to residents is particularly important for care homes right now. The competition, inspired by Oomph!’s brand new Oomph! Nature 2.0 skills workshop, focuses on one of the key learning areas – creative containers – which encourages homes to use unusual or decorated containers to pot their plants.
The workshop which has inspired the competition not only gives care home teams ideas for recycling household items such as wheelbarrows and jeans as planters, but also shows care home staff how to engage older adults in nature through miniature gardens and through edible plants. The workshop has been created with help from expert partners – such as the Soil Association and Thrive – and covers a range of ideas which can be adapted based on interests, abilities and resources.
Following the workshop, the homes are tasked with not only entering Oomph!’s Creative Container Competition, but also encouraged to get involved in community initiatives, such as the Food for Life Get Together’s Plant and Share month.
Fantastic Feedback
Perfect for Spring, the workshop, where care homes are coming together via video call, is already proving very popular.
One trainee commented, “I have wanted to create indoor gardens but it never crossed my mind how person centred I could make it, so the workshop was a great. It’s easy to learn when it’s fun and gets you engaged!”
How to get involved
The Oomph! Creative Containers Competition is running between the 19th April and the 19th May, and is open to all care homes across the UK, who can enter the competition by submitting photos of their creatively potted plants on social media (tagging Oomph! Wellness) or by emailing them in (to hello@oomph-wellness.org).
The home with the most creative container will win a £50 Amazon gift card, whilst the home with the highest number of likes and shares on social media will get a super funky veg kit so they can grow all sorts of colourful produce.
The Oomph! Nature 2.0 skills workshop is available virtually, for more information, get in touch at hello@oomph-wellness.org
For further information, please email hello@oomph-wellness.org, or visit www.oomph-wellness.org/on-demand
