Armed Forces Day is this Saturday. It’s an opportunity to show our respect and gratitude to those who risk their lives to keep us safe. For me, it’s a day to be thankful. You see I am a RAF brat. By that I mean that I am the daughter of a member of the Royal…
J’s Journey Update: autism and beyond…
It’s a beautiful sunny day. Daddy and J are busy playing Star Wars on the climbing frame so I have a rare moment of peace (except for the sounds of explosions behind me). I thought now would be a good time to reflect on everything that’s gone on lately, and changes that are happening. Speech…
Oops…Fathers Day is Sunday! Our favourite last minute ideas from Twinkl.
This month has been manic. At the end of May I remember vaguely reminding myself it was Fathers Day in a few weeks, but those weeks have now turned into days and I’m now left thinking ‘argh, too late for online shopping’. So J and I are going to be exploring some homemade ideas for…
STEM and what it means for early years…
Every now and then a new ‘it word’ comes out. Sometimes it’s just renaming something that’s been around for years and sometimes it’s something new and exciting to the sector. STEM is not a new concept. However, it is an area that is becoming spoken about a lot more, especially with younger children. What is…
Autism and Festivals: A day out at Strawberry Fair, Cambridge…
Today is one of my favourite days of the year…the first Saturday of June. This means it was Strawberry Fair! I have been to Cambridge’s Strawberry Fair almost every year since I was 18. When I was younger it was all about the music, having drinks with friends and exploring the crafts stalls (including finding…
Life with Autism: Having a Haircut
It is the time I dread…the haircut. J has really thick hair that just grows so fast. He also has a double crown so ends up looking like a cockerel. J does not like his hair being cut. He doesn’t even like it being touched, unless it’s on his terms. I tend to leave it…
Review: Stonham Barns Soft Play (Suffolk)
Today we went off to explore a new soft play centre. I have been wanting to visit Stonham Barns for ages. We only had time to visit the soft play today but Stonham Barns has so much. It’s like it’s own little village. The centre itself was easy to find and had a secure entry…
Ways to Use Visual Communication with Children…
Visual communication is a great way to engage children who have difficulty with a range of scenarios. This may be listening skills, understanding, regulating emotions/behaviour and those who have not yet learnt to/are not able to read. In our family having visual communications has been a huge support with the issues caused by J’s diagnosis…
How to be poorly when you’re a parent…
When you’re ill as a child it’s great (well except the feeling rubbish part). You get to lay on the sofa and watch Tv, drinks and snacks brought to you and lots of rest and sympathy. When you’re ill as a childfree adult then you may not get everyone running around after you but at…
Keeping Children Safe in the Sun…
We are very excited to have the sun return and have made the most of time outdoors. However, I am always keeping an eye that J doesn’t get too red and keeps hydrated. With 86% of melanoma skin cancer being caused my UV exposure it’s important to be aware of how time in direct sun….
May The 4th Be With You…Star Wars: Supporting Autism and development.
Today is the 4th of May and is lovingly deemed ‘Star Wars Day‘ (May the 4th/”May the force…” you get the idea). For J this is bigger than Christmas and he has looked forward to it ALL WEEK! I thought today would be a good day to talk about why we use J’s Star Wars…
Living Arrows 18/53: Fun at the Fair…
This week the fun fair has been in town. I have gone every year since I lived here and my experience has gone through many phases. It started as a child exploring the rides and running around with friends, then a teenager where it was having boys dare each other to go on the scary…
