Have you ever noticed children stood around a table full of trains and tracks and how engaged they are in play?

Over the years when my eldest children were small I remember spending hours putting toys in separate labelled boxes, kept apart for play.

• How do you feel about mixed playdough colours?
• A Christmas tree with mixed colours?
• Do you rearrange when the children are in bed?

Story sacks & treasure baskets have been popular for some time.  The curiosity approach, Hygge and heuristic play are becoming part of childcare education settings more and more.  Tuff trays and the flisat filled with toys have also been favoured too.

Now go back to that train track and picture this small world set up with tunnels, trees, animals, bridges, rainbows, people, buildings and sand.

Picture a toy kitchen with plates and cakes. Now add to that chefs hat, aprons, utensils, menus, rolling pins, realistic stone foods and trays.

A mud kitchen or sand pit with sand and buckets, add to that funnels, jugs, water (its ok to mix it) pipettes, vehicles, dinosaur and fossil play stones.

A Child's world they can create and build using all the areas of learning - open ended play - a holistic way of learning.

My youngest child was described as inquisitive, a character, with a mischievous side.  He has grown into a resourceful young man, ambitious.  He is creative, knowledgeable and has can do (won’t be beaten) attitude.

As a child nick named (light heartedly) ‘spaghetti arms’ because he couldn’t help touching everything whever we went.  He learned best through playing and exploring, touching, smelling and moving things - using his senses to explore his world.  I always dreamed of home schooling him or sending him to a Waldorfsteiner or Montessori aligned school. During Covid lockdown he thrived when learning at home and later we found a fantastic college for that taught in a way that suited his needs.

Fund raising for Seren’s Austism Assistance Dog.

Seren had recently turned 14, when the pandemic hit she was just 11 and hit crisis. I (mum) was shielded, so Seren had to be pulled out of school prior to the national lockdown. Everything that they relied on, and helped them to regulate was removed overnight. They were in year 6, and as a consequence of covid never went back to primary school. At this point, although they didn't have a diagnosis, it was strongly suspected they had autustuc spectrum condition. Their three older brothers were diagnosed with asc. Seren had always struggled with anxiety, but this became huge when they started secondary school, they shut down and only managed 1.5 days there. It quickly became evident that Seren was not going to be able to cope there, and repeatedly taking them to the gates and then them not being able to physically walk through was torturous for them and us. Eventually we had an appointment with paeds, they were referred to the Hospital Reintegration Education Service and the autism assessment process began.

Despite the limited timetable and very low key one to one approach, Seren still struggled to engage with HERS until the conversation went to dogs. Seren hadn't ever been around dogs, and was terrified of them, BUT Seren knew they needed a dog. They and their teacher did lots of research, and they decided they needed a Poochon to be trained as an autism assistance dog.

Nele has been incredibly transforming for them. They are now at an amazing new specialist independent, Nele accompanies them, and want to try and increase their hours to full time, but sadly due to her poor health Nele tires easily. Hence why we are fundraising for the second dog, a Ttoodle named Nettle or Nettle Penelope Rainbow Dragon who joins our family in two weeks time. The two dogs will share the job role and be with me on days they aren't working.

Unfortunately we couldn't find any service dog charities, with open lists, that would supply a trained dog to a family with more than one asc child.

https://gofund.me/8a94ae1b