Thank you to Jane (who I've known my whole life)

So, there I was, meeting up with my lovely friend, Jane. I’ve known Jane my whole life….in fact our Mum’s have known each other since school so we have known each other for-ever! Anyway, Jane is lovely and has had a blog for years and years. She is a big supporter of mine and I of her. So, we were at our local pub catching up and we were unable to sit on the bar stools as they were busy…..this threw us but we found a table and started our catch up. I’m digressing…….to cut a long waffly story short…..Jane reminded me that one of my goals for 2019 was to focus on my blog and to put it bluntly I’ve not been. I sat and admitted that my writing is not as good as my talking……although to be fair my talking isn’t that much better. I have a huge fear that my writing is poor and that no one wants to read it or be interested in anything I have to say…..but in 2016 I took a huge leap and became self-employed. I’m now remembering that and I’m going to write something on my blog every week. I promise.

My blog will consist of stuff I’ve done at work, things I think and anything else I like…..

So, thank you, Jane. My friend forever, even if we don’t see each other regularly we pick up where we left of…..and that’s what friendship is all about. Love you x

Cheers to Jane and thank you x

Sensory Tray - Shaving foam and cotton wool balls

As the weather is cold and frosty……and snow is being threatened……we decided to explore a snow scene using similar textures: shaving foam and cotton wool balls. Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs of the finished ‘snow scene’ due to being covered in shaving foam but here are a few that I did manage to take before it got really messy. The little girl absolutely loved the experience so we will be repeating this again. Next time I might animals too to create a different texture. …….

Girls Group - Clothes horse and sanitary towels

This week we continued to practice putting sanitary towels in our knickers. In one group we matched the underwear and the sanitary towel together from the clothes horse.

Some of the girls are embracing this opportunity to practice with their friends, in a safe classroom setting. I must stress that we practice this fully dressed and participation is not compulsory. Some of the girls can only practice in the bathroom which is absolutely fine and others are mortified that we are doing this! But through making the topic of periods and sanitary towels ‘ok to talk about’ I’m hoping that the girls will develop some self-awareness and confidence in their own bodies.

Next week we are talking about washing our bottoms and what to use……

Sensory Tray - Pasta and Shaving foam

This week we added having foam to the dried pasta. The cooked pasta had been binned the day after but the dry pasta kept fine so shaving foam was added to create a contrasting texture. This sensory tray went down really well as some of the food colouring turned the foam a little bit green. Plus the added bonus was the smell of the shaving foam…..it is a smell I love as it smells clean and fresh so the room had a great aroma. At the end of the session all pasta and shaving foam was thrown away. This turned out to be another great, cheap, sensory session that will be repeated.

Girls Group - Sanitary Towels

In Girls Groups this half term we are focussing on sanitary towels; how to use them, when to use them, how to dispose of them, personal hygiene, packing our school bag and focussing on our feelings.

The younger girls are finding this topic quite fascinating as some of them have not started their periods so it feels very grown up. The older girls are less impressed as they know about them. However all the girls and staff put on knickers and practised putting a sanitary towel in place. The staff were fantastic at supporting me to get the message across that this topic is ok and part of life.

Some of the girls preferred the hot chocolate and biscuits but everyone participated……lets see what next week brings…..

Even ‘fancy pants’ are private

Sensory Tray - Pasta

Last week the sensory tray on offer to the young people with SEND was a 3 sorts of pasta tray. One bag of pasta was cooked, one was raw and one was dyed green (and raw). I tried to dye the cooked pasta blue but, as you can see from the photo, this did not happen…..I managed to dye the water blue so if anyone knows how to dye cooked pasta please let me know. Thank you.

The session was a great success as the different textures and colours allowed for great exploration of feelings. Definitely one to repeat….next time I might cook all the pasta and provide scissors so the pasta can be cut up as that can be quote a relaxing activity too.

You need:

• Pasta

• Food colouring

• Tray

Let me know if you try this sensory activity and how you get on…..

Take care and have fun!

3 sorts of pasta: raw, green and cooked

New Year - welcome to 2019

Like everyone else I welcome the new year as a chance for a fresh start. I’ve got my usual list (the list I have had for quite a few years but I’m slowly working towards….) of things I want to achieve. So here is my list for 2019:

• Turn 40 with style

• Become a size 12

• Focus on my wellbeing and mindfulness to be the best version of me I can be

• I have a few work ones but the one linked to my blog is: stop thinking I can’t write and write a weekly blog post about things that interest me. (Hence why I’m here today but we are on week 2 of the new year so I’ve got to focus on this one and not let my lack of confidence stop me……work in progress I think……..).

Last week I was in a meeting with a lady I respect greatly. She is teaching me how to ensure a clear audit trail from discussion, to minutes, to actions, to outcomes. She is very logical and calm (things that I am not!) so I love learning from her and challenging myself to develop my skills. She said she had read my blog. My blog! I suddenly felt a wave of self-doubt and panic wash over me but she continued to say that she was inspired (yes……inspired!) by my focus on wellbeing and she had sorted out her craft room, which was being used as a dumping room. She had undertaken some craft activities and spoke of how positive this had made her feel. I think she said some other lovely things too but my heart was beating so loud that I couldn’t hear her. I was so eager to not cry and look like an idiot but I’d achieved one of my goals…….to have a positive impact on someone through a focus on wellbeing. DONE! So whatever happens with the blog going forwards in 2019 is a bonus as it has created change and a focus on self. I’m very happy about this and a huge thank you goes out to Emma for being the person in question.

So, with that in mind onto 2019….. :-)

Welcome to 2019 - lets make it a mindful one xxx

Connected by yarn

There I was, wearing my orange sundress, red sandals and pink cardigan (my lovely Aunty Nora would have said “you look bootiful duck”) crocheting a green blanket. The colour combination was ‘interesting’ to say the least…… I was sitting in the hotel lobby with my Mum and we were waiting for the rain to stop so we could pop out for a walk along the seafront to the harbour. I should probably say that I’m currently in Majorca.

Anyway……..getting to the point (finally)…….a lovely lady wearing a beautiful handmade knitted tank top asked me about my crochet. She’s currently working on an amazing sounding project: you crochet the doll, 20 outfits and a suitcase that turns into a bed. Obviously I want one. I mean who wouldn’t? She said the doll’s body was lopsided so I suggested she turn her work after each row. I also suggested she watch ‘Bella Coco’ on YouTube as I find her tutorials so clear and informative. We then chatted for ages about crafting and the ‘feel-good’ factor that comes from crafting as well as an inner sense of calm and self-care. The lady said that her husband knows when she is knitting as the house feels calmer.

Crafting allows for a calmness within the individual and this impacts on their environment and those around them. I’m a true believer ‘craft for wellbeing’ has, and will continue, support me and I hope that in the future I can branch out and support others to benefit from crafting.

Oh! And the lady with the beautiful handmade knitted top also has her own craft room……jealous!!! ;-)

3 ingredients - banana pancakes

This is one of my favourite breakfasts so I thought I should include it in my '3 ingredients series'.

You will need:

• 1x egg
• 1x banana
• 1x large spoon of natural yogurt

1. Peel banana and mash it with a fork in a bowl.
2. Crack the egg into the banana and mix together with the fork.
3. Heat a small, non-stick, frying pan on the hob.
4. Add the banana mixture so it fills the bottom of the pan.
5. Cook for around 2 minutes.
6. Either flip the pancake over or turn it over with a fish slice - depends on how brave you are.
7. Cook the other side for around 2 minutes.
8. Slide onto a plate.
9. Add the natural yogurt and eat!

3 ingredient - banana pancakes - banana, egg, yogurt

Haul for September 2018

As the summer rolls on I'm starting to think of September and the sessions I offer to young people with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).  Whilst out and about I grabbed a few bits for my sessions (photos below)........

• I thought the unicorn jewellery making set would be a great addition to the activities I offer in Girls Group and provide an activity to focus the girls whilst, perhaps, they are talking about issues which are important to them.  I brought this from Sainsburys and I think it was only around £3.00 so a real bargain.
• The wiggly eye rings are from Flying Tiger Copenhagen and will make a great addition to 1:1 interactions where a young person needs distracting or needs an opportunity to off-load their thoughts.
• The magnetic pegs (from Flying Tiger Copenhagen) will be used on the radiator to show the schedule for the sessions.
• And the lama sandwich bags (also from Flying Tiger Copenhagen) were just too good to resist!  I have no real reason for purchasing these other than I liked them and thought the young people would.  Ha ha ha.
• Finally I purchased a little notebook from Sainsburys (I love stationery at Sainsbury's - very quirky and pretty) for a family I am working with to record their thoughts and feelings and start to focus on improved mental health and wellbeing.  This is in conjunction with a variety of other interventions but I thought the note pad was very appropriate so though I'd mention it here.

And I'm off the Hobby Craft soon so watch this space..........

Yours Clothing & Accessibility

Desperately seeking a pretty dress for my cousin's wedding I headed into Yours Clothing in The Andale in Luton (yes I know it's called the Mall now but it'll always be the arndale to me and, for the record, I miss the flamingoes!). Anyway.........I found a beautiful green dress in Yours which I tried on and I was impressed to see the changing rooms had three rooms, one was an accessible space with enough room for a wheelchair/mobility aids.  I was so impressed and was saying so to my friend when I suddenly wondered how on earth anyone in a wheelchair would be able to access the space???  It's fair to say that the shop is packed to the rafters with clothes and the rails are tightly packed in.  As I wandered around my bag and bottom managed to move clothes around the rails so I'm not sure how a wheelchair or walking frame would be able to access the accessible changing room at the back of the shop............a good idea, Yours Clothing, but perhaps a little tokenistic in being useful.

A large changing space but how do you get to it.......?

Fact!  I absolutely love this sign and think this may be my new mantra........ ;-)

Jonathan Bryan

Sometimes you read something and it inspires you to rethink how you work and how you communicate with others.  I have just read an extract from a book called "Eye Can Write - A Memoir of a Child's Silent Soul Emerging" by Jonathan Bryan.  This book will be ready to purchase later on this week and I for one will be purchasing it.

Jonathan Bryan is a young man with a long list of medical and physical conditions.  His early years were spent trapped inside himself until a communication system was used which enabled him to express himself.  His voice and thoughts are articulate, clever and intelligent.

I have spent the past twenty years supporting children and adults with learning disabilities and feel very strongly about age appropriate activities and treating people in a person centred manner. Jonathan beautifully articulates the horror of being aged eight and having to do Maths to nursery rhymes as well as having to listen to such songs for relaxation.  This made me think of how awful it must be for young people in secondary schools and in adult placements who are supported by staff and families who view them as young children.  I feel very strongly that age appropriate activities are the way forwards and we need to face the challenge of appropriate resources head-on.

The other point Jonathan raises is that he and his peers were never able to touch each other.  Why is this?  Why are children, young people and adults with complex needs not able to touch each other, yet carers and staff often have full access to their bodies?  I feel very sad reading his comments on this and will reflect on my own practice going forwards to ensure I do not react quickly to people being friends and being friendly.

Jonathan Bryan is a remarkable young man.  I will add him to my list of 'inspirational people' I would like to meet.  My Mum was the person who found the article inside the 'you' magazine which comes along with the 'Sunday Mail' (dated 08 July 2018).  My Mum was incredibly moved by Jonathan's words and his desire to support others in reaching their full potential - whether that is because of their disability or because they are carers/staff supporting people with disabilities.  

A great read and one that will inform practice going forwards.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Girls Group

"If you can be anything, be kind" - taken from a post on Instagram.

I love this statement and what it stands for.  I think that kindness is underrated and the impact it has on the individual and who they come into contact with is never focussed on enough.  Part of being a female in 2018 is trying to balance and juggle so many different things; from work, to house work, to relationships, studying, hobbies, families, the list goes on and on.  Sometimes I feel we run the risk of forgetting what being a kind or nice person can be or feel like.  I'm trying to focus on my kindness.......to myself and others.  I like it when people are kind to me so why not reciprocate?

At the moment I'm supporting a fantastic group of girls, aged 11-18, with SEND, as part of a weekly Girls Group.  I absolutely love hearing their thoughts about themselves, their lives and the world we live in.  And I feel part of my role is to encourage them and inspire them to become polite, kind, strong, empowered young women.

For the next academic year I'm hoping to work on their self-advocacy skills as well as introducing them to inspirational women and enabling them to hear their stories.

The session is one hour long and we meet weekly.  If follows the same pattern each week:

• Welcome and get a drink
• 'How are you feeling?'
• Topic for discussion - different each week and undertaken as a group
• Break with a snack and another drink if wanted
• Activity - 1:1 focus such as nail painting, bracelet making, colouring etc.

A few photos are below.......

I use different ways to encourage the girls to think about their day, how they feeling, strengths and challenges.  The M&M Feeling Game is a definite favourite!

Each week the topic to discuss is on the cork board.  At the end of the session, the speech bubble is pinned to the large board of future use.

Some of the girls like to have a sensory object in their hand to support them in the group and in their interactions with others.  

The light speech bubble is a new addition to the Girls Group resources but I really like.  It enables the girls to access information in a variety of ways.  And snacks are a key part of Girls Group.....we have recently tried olives too.

I try to use as many different resources and visual aids as possible to support the discussions and engage everyone.

Learning from the Craft Fairs.....

I finally plucked up the courage and attended two completely different craft fairs.  One was the local May Fair on the Village Green and the other was a Table Top sale in a Church Hall.  Both were fantastic opportunities to learn and meet other like-minded people.  I have no expectation that I will make any money this year (or even make even) but I'm hoping to learn how to do it next year.  Before the fairs my lovey friend, Jane, contacted me to say I needed to take pegs (in case of wind) and coffee as well as a friend so that I can nip to the loo and the stall is not abandoned.  So I roped my best friend into this and off we went........

To be honest the thing I was dreading the most was the gazebo.  I had brought a gazebo off the internet 18 months ago and it had remained in its box, in the garage, unopened the whole time.  As my garden is tiny I thought I'd just have to blag it on the day so the box was bundled into the car and off we set.  Josie had repeatedly told me that it would be ok but her eyes did not say the same and as we entered the Green she could be heard commenting that if we parked by the trees we probably wouldn't even need a gazebo.  Once parked the moment had arrived for the gazebo reveal and tentatively I opened the box and then the bag.  At this point Josie could be heard to cry "it's a pop up" and set about with gusto to build it.  Her face was filled with relief and smiles as she told me she was dreading having hundreds of poles to put together.  So without even realising it I'd picked a good gazebo.......

So, before I waffle on for any longer, which I could do but fear you're getting bored already, here are my initial thoughts of how I need to improve my stall going forwards:

• I need to invest in an old-fashioned clothes horse to display blankets and scarves (you know the wooden ones).
• I need a banner which says: Marjorie & Me for the stall front.
• I need to stop getting gazebo envy and be happy with my little green number.
• I need to develop an order form and payment plan for people who want customise items which I can make but that are not on the stall.
• I need to add some items to my crochet baskets to stop people thinking they're hats!
• I need to have photos of my work so people can see what else is available or what other colour combinations look good.
• I need a sign which says:  Handmade as people were querying if I'd made the items or was simply selling them on.
• My business cards need updating to include my website.
• I need a fake small tree for hanging keyrings etc on for display,
• I need a small tailored jacket to display the brooches on.
• I need a receipt book
• I also think I need to add a price list of my items on my social media sites so people are aware of what things cost prior to attending.
• I need to make small 'pocket money' items for children as they were interested in my crafts too.

I met some local fellow crafters and have been invited along to their monthly session so hopefully that'll help me develop better links locally and get to know other like-minded people.

But.......the highlight was selling one of my cushions.  I'm so happy that I'm still grinning from ear to ear.  And now onto the next one and making more items.......

Preparing for Craft Fairs

I've finally plucked up the courage to book myself some stalls at local craft fairs around Bedfordshire.  I've chosen three completely different ones so I can see what they are like:  

1. May Fair in Houghton
2. Table Top sale in a church in Bedford
3. Village Party in Wixams

I'm terrified to be honest and have so many questions whirling around my head from will my stock sell to can I put the gazebo up?  And hundreds more questions in-between.

I'm planning a practice 'putting up the gazebo and table' session soon.  And then I'll need to figure out if I can get these in the car.  These are all things I guess I should have figured out some time ago but I never got around to it, you know what it's like.  There are always hundreds of other things to do first........like paint my nails or start another crochet project.  So once I've figured out if my essential table and coverage items actually fit in my teeny tiny car then I need to figure out the rest........gulp!

I've obviously been addicted to Pinterest and Instagram looking at the fantastic displays other people do and knowing full well I'll never be able to recreate it.  Plus I've read so many helpful and informative blogs, that all make perfect sense, but again I suspect I'll manage to achieve all the 'things to avoid' with great success and fail at what I should be doing.  And then there is the whole phaff of pricing.......a minefield.  But whilst I pontificate about all this, this is what I'm thinking of taking (apart from the items to sell):

• Bags to put brought items in.
• Marjorie and Me stickers.
• Tissue paper for wrapping items.
• Bunting to hang up in gazebo (if I manage to get it up and it stays up).
• Scissors and sellotape.
• Labels and pens.
• Money tin with change (plus a sign explaining unfortunately cash only).
• Drink and snacks.
• Folding chair for me to sit on!

What else do I need?  I'm going to make a list of everything I take so next time I can figure out if it was essential or not and also add what I really need to take.  I'm guessing I'm going to learn more than I sell but, apart from all the stress and phaff, I'm actually really looking forward to it......

Sensory Play

I am an avid supporter of sensory play to stimulate the senses, add communication and empower choice making.  There are wonderful sensory spaces all around which can be hired out with bubbles tubes, dark lights, projectors, etc and these are all fantastic and do a brilliant job.  However you can also provide simple, sensory activities on a shoe-string budget.  I personally am a fan of the tray; putting different textures on a tray to enable safe exploration.  I tend to opt for things with different textures and or sounds to support the engagement.  I'm also a fan of lights as these can really hold the attention well.  Recently I have been putting together sensory trays that include:

• marshmallows 
• rice
• cotton wool balls
• water
• play-dough 
• plastic dinosaurs
• bells
• tin foil
• the list goes on and on

My approach is 'give it a go'!  I'm always interested to hear and see what others have been doing so please let me know.

Charity Shop Haul

I'm really getting into rummaging around Charity Shops.  They provide a great opportunity to fund raise for good causes as well as offer goods to the public as a much lower price as everything has been pre-loved.  Mum and I popped into the Keech Hospice Care charity shop in Dunstable as I wanted some resources for sensory play and stories.  I managed to get all the below, including the pretty heart bag, for only £8.  The cars have already been used for mark-marking and the books are being used as a basis for a sensory story so I'm busy collecting bits and pieces for this.  And as for the car keyring....this is going to be used in 'wheels on the bus' on Tuesday.  It's a fantastic resource.

I'm off rummaging again during the week.......happy me :-)

Homemade Playdough

Another fantastic BBC Good Food recipe........no-cook play dough.

The ingredients needed are all store cupboard items and low in price so the play dough is easy to make and quick to knock up.  The wet ingredients are poured into the dry and then mixed.  Once in a dough you then knead the play dough until it is soft and pliable.  So easy and it can be customised with different colours and smells to support engagement.

All you need:

• 8tbsp Plain Flour
• 2tbsp Salt
• 1tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 60ml Warm Water
• Food Colouring
• Food Flavouring

Happy Making!

Pancakes

I am a huge fan of the BBC Good Food website and will always turn to them for recipes and ideas.  So when the young people I support requested to make pancakes I went to the website straight away.

The recipe I followed had the following ingredients:

• 100g Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 300ml Semi-skimmed milk
• 1tbsp Sunflower oil

The recipe was easy to follow and made lovely light pancakes.  What I learnt, when making them with the young people, was that chocolate spread is the clear topping winner and should be thicker than the actual pancake.

A great session and a fantastic recipe .............. other toppings are also available, I'm personally a fan of lemon and sugar.

Jam Tarts

As a foodie I am really keen for everyone to contribute towards their making their own food.  Whatever someone's needs are I feel that they can make something which they can eat and enjoy. I am a dedicated learning disability practitioner who believes that everyone can contribute in their life in a meaningful way.  Last week we made jam tarts.  And I'd forgotten how lovely homemade jam tarts were so I set about making some at home too.  The risk in making jam tarts is the jam is like molten  lava when it leaves the oven so great care needs to be taken but once their cool they are delicious with a cup of tea.  I'm taking some today to my friend's house as they make a great gift too.