Low Demand Morning: supporting children who struggling getting ready for school.

The transition from home to school can be difficult for some children. For those with neurodiversity it can be full of triggers that will create a barrier to getting ready for school or create a ‘fight or flight’ response which doesn’t give the best emotional or physical start to a school day. I started to…

Visiting Rougham Pumpkin Patch, Suffolk

It’s October and Autumn feels in full swing already. Today we ventured to Rougham Estates Pumpkin Patch in Suffolk to get our Halloween pumpkins (and gourds…just can’t resist the little ones). It was great to venture out as a family and spent time outside exploring. I thought I’d share our thoughts on our day out….

Heatwave with Kids: ways to handle to heatwave.

As I write this it is currently 26c in my part of Suffolk. I can feel the change in the air, the way everything already feels slower and more hard work. Which means the news that we will be in the 38c for us Monday is concerning. Heatwaves can be great for sun lovers but…

Review: World of Play play session for young children, Suffolk.

Today we went to the newly opened World of Play, Ixworth in Suffolk. It’s set in a beautiful building with wooden beams and lovely little features that make it feel more like a home than a play centre. It caters for children 7 and under offering a unique opportunity for completely immersive play. I took…

7 Books to Support Emotional Well-Being for Children 5 and over.

Emotions are a hard thing to control when you’re a child. They can often be overwhelming and children’s behaviour may change because of it. It’s not just about recognising what their feeling, there’s always understanding why they feel that way and what they can do to balance themselves again. For those with neurodiversity (for example…

Hand, Foot and Mouth – a guide for families.

Hand, Foot and Mouth is one of those rights of passage for many children. It’s a common childhood illness along with more well known viruses such as chicken pox. Despite it looking rather concerning and being uncomfortable for the child, it is actually not one of the illness that requires the child to be isolating or excluded from their educational setting, toddler groups etc (however go by how your child is feeling and check with the provider that there aren’t any immuno-compromised children who may get very poorly from a virus). My 2 year old has recently caught the virus so I thought I’d share what we’ve learnt from it.

Advice For Taking an Autistic Child for a Blood Test.

Recently our GP recommended that we get our 6 year old son a blood test. When I heard ‘blood test’ it made my heart jump. In my head I flashed through several issues and then I set up a plan…

Family meal ideas: weekly meal plan 1

There’s nothing worse than that dreaded question – “what’s for dinner?” and your mind going blank as you try to remember what’s in the freezer. For us, weekly meal planning has been a huge timer, money and sanity saver. I have to plan for a family of four – including one children who is autistic…

Coronavirus Diary: What I’ve learnt to help us home school.

So, we’re currently in week…I’ve lost count actually, of home schooling. The last couple of weeks have certainly been a learning curve for me. I learnt a lot about myself…such as, I am rubbish at cursive and I have less patience that I thought (some swear words may have been uttered under my breath). This…

Glitter Free Reindeer Food: helping the environment this Christmas.

Did you know that glitter is made of a microplastic? That means that as with other plastic it is harmful for the environment. The glitter from ‘magic reindeer food’ can end up in water such as ponds and rivers causing damage to the eco system, eaten by birds etc. This year I have tried to…

19 Must Watch Family Christmas Films.

Christmas movies are part of most families festival traditions. My family included. Every year ‘Father Christmas’ leaves a movie for us to watch, along with some snacks for Christmas Eve. But we also spend the weeks leading up to Christmas watching both our favourites and trying out some new films. Here’s my 10 films that…

A Spooky Visit to the Ascarium (Sea Life Centre, Great Yarmouth)

(Gifted Ad) This year Halloween, like most other events, has been affected by the Coronavirus. However, The Sea Life Centre has come up with a fun, family event for the season…Ascarium (“dum – dum – dahhhhh”). From the 10th October till the 1st November the Sea Life Centre has had a spooky transformation. The wizard…