Welcome to the fifth instalment of Culture Box!

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April Public Health Guidance Resources

by Lynne Phair, Gail Elliot, Kara Gratton & Jim Watt

Below are links to public health guidance resources regarding Covid-19 that are in accordance to the government guidelines from April 2021. They have been specifically tailored for people living with dementia who live in care homes to give them greater understanding of the current restrictions.

There are two guidebooks: one with general guidance on keeping safe in care homes during the pandemic and another with the same information but has been designed specifically for people from Black and Asian communities .

There are also posters concerning health & hygiene, self-isolation and social distancing that can be downloaded and printed to put up in your care home. A selection of these posters are shown in the slideshow below.

Posters

Cherry Tree by Martin Jordan

Oil on Canvas

A print of this painting with its corresponding activities is included in this month’s physical box.

This month, Martin has painted the life cycle of the Cherry Tree.

The picture shows a sweet cherry tree in full bloom in Springtime. It’s a medium sized tree as you can see from the lady and her daughter who are admiring its beauty. Mature trees can grow bigger than the one shown in the picture, and can live for sixty years.

The sweet cherry and other kinds of cherry tree used to grow in mainland Europe. They were introduced to the British Isles during ancient times. Many other kinds of cherry trees grow in countries as far away as North America and Japan.

The sweet cherry is a deciduous tree. This means it loses its leaves during the winter and grows new green leaves in the spring.

Martin is a visual artist who specialises in botanical and zoological painting. To find out more about him click here.

Wisley RHS Garden

To accompany this month’s tree, we would like to share this video from the Royal Horticultural Society Garden in Wisley, Surrey.

This video shows all the different things that can be seen at Wisley, from the water lillies in the Jellicoe canal, the pink, yellow and red roses in the gardens to the waterfall in the Japanese-style Rock Garden.

Watch the video and have a think about:

• Have you visited a garden like this before?

• What colours do you see and how do they make you feel?

• What types of plants do you see? What do you think they feel/ smell like?

• Do you have a favourite type of plant/ flower?

• Do you like to garden? if so, what’ type of things do you like to grow?

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Sweet Cherry Tree by Martin Jordan

Colouring-in activity

This activity is included in this month’s physical box.

This outline drawing for you to colour in shows the different features of a Sweet Cherry; the blossoms that bloom in early spring, the oval shaped leaves with toothed edges and a pair of sweet cherries that are harvested in the summer.

How to Draw a Cherry Blossom Spring Tree Video

To accompany this month’s tree, we would like to share this video that shows you step-by-step, how to draw a blossoming Cherry Tree.

Wren Birdsong Video

The wren is another common garden bird and is one of the smallest birds we have in this country.

Despite its small size, it has a surprisingly loud voice!

Wrens feature in European folklore and culture, including in Aesop’s fables, winning a battle with an eagle using its superior intelligence.

The wren featured on the smallest British coin, the farthing.

Through Your Letterbox by Spare Tyre

This video is called ‘Hand Dance’, and is by theatre company Spare Tyre who have created a YouTube playlist of videos called ‘Through Your Letterbox’.

These dementia-friendly videos are part of Spare Tyre’s work in engaging people living with dementia with creative activity during the pandemic. The videos i include nature inspired short films and pieces of dance and music. They are gentle in pace, and use a variety of senses.

To access the the full playlist of videos, click the link below.

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Mendhi and Lotus Flower Inspired Activity by Renata Kudlacek

Cut-and-Paste Collage Activity

We have included this drawing, the activity sheet and materials (not including scissors) in this month’s physical box.

For this activity, the task is to create a cut-and-paste floral collage using this abstract drawing by artist Renata Kudlacek which has been inspired by the decorative pattern of the sacred lotus flower that is used in Mehndi, a form of body art that involves using henna to draw intricate patterns on the hands and legs.

Renata is a mixed media artist, specializing in fine art photography, drawing and print media. To find out more about her click here.

Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum by Claude Debussy, performed by Celia Denore López. Artworks by Angela Denore López. Click the link below for the interactive activity for this concert.

SoundArt, Music & Art Digital Concert Series by SoundUp Arts

SoundUp Arts is a participatory music organisation based in Manchester. They have created some great resources and ideas for activities during lockdown. 

Their Sound Art concert videos are especially interesting, and each ones comes with free downloadable ideas for interactive activities. You can enjoy the concert videos on their own or you can use the interactive activities to expand your session.

Visual Art Activity: As you listen to the album, you may find it enjoyable to create your own piece of visual art by painting/ drawing along with the music by using different shapes and colours to represent the different sounds you hear.

Lullaby of Birdland by Sarah Vaughan

We would like to share the Sarah Vaughan & Clifford Brown version of the jazz standard, Lullaby of Birdland, along with her self-titled album from 1954. Sarah Vaughan who was also known as “The Divine One” was an award-winning American Jazz singer whose career spanned nearly 50 years and was regarded as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century".

Lullaby of Birdland was originally composed by George Shearing and the lyrics were written by George David Weiss. The song has been covered by hundreds of musicians since the 1950s including Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, Duke Ellington and Amy Winehouse.

Click the link below the video if you would like to follow along with the lyrics. As you listen to the song and the rest of the album by Sarah Vaughan think about:

• Have you heard this song/ a version of it before?

• Does it remind you of anything?

• Are you fan of jazz music? If so, what songs/artists do you like?