Category Archives: parenting

autism, families, parenting, parents, pre schoolers, Special Educational Needs

Autism Awareness Month: Parenting a Child on the Autistic Spectrum # Story 3: The Wilkins Family–A Step Parent’s Story.

April 30, 2013 rightfromthestart 2 Comments

The Wilkins family; Kirsty, Mark and Connor(4). Kirsty separated from Connor’s father when he was small. Kirsty and Mark lived in Local Authority housing and were expecting a child together. Connor received a diagnosis of autism at the age of 3 years 2 months. A home tutor visited the home for 2 sessions per week focusing largely on behaviour and communication. Connor attended full time nursery in a specialist nursery school with a support worker.

Causes of Stress

Kirsty had no experience of parenting a child without ASD thus it was difficult to say whether or not it was more or less stressful. Parenting any child was difficult but when she compared him to other children his behaviour was better.

“I wouldn’t change him for the world, it (autism) is part of him, part of his characteristics.”

The only aspect that she found more difficult than parenting a ‘normal’ child is that he required more supervision because he had no sense of danger.

1. Communication/Understanding

The majority of Connor’s difficult behaviours stemmed from communication problems. Connor understood simple sentences and commands and spoke in short phrases, though some of it was difficult to understand. Kirsty found it frustrating that he didn’t understand what she was saying and that she couldn’t always understand him. His language improved since attending nursery full time and having input from speech therapists, a play worker and tutor but Kirsty still found it difficult.

Connor’s lack of understanding meant he would do things that were not allowed but had no concept of why it was wrong. He would take food from the fridge just before mealtimes or play with the toilet and bathroom products.

They couldn’t ask him what he was doing because he was unable to answer; they had to go into the room to check what he was doing.

“With a ‘normal’ child you can say don’t touch that and they will say ‘why?’. With Connor you say it is hot and he has to touch it to find out what hot means”

As Connor’s understanding improved and he was able to ask for things he became a much happier child and therefore family stress reduced.

2. Disobedience

Mark didn’t find Connor’s behaviour stressful, but the effect that this had on Kirsty was. Kirsty felt that there were a number of behaviours that Connor only displayed for her,

“He is like any kid, he will play up for his mum”.

This included running away and when Kirsty said ‘no’ to him he treated it as a game,

“Sometimes I feel like I am always yelling at him, I know it’s not his fault but then I feel stressed because I feel guilty for yelling at him….it’s a no win situation”.

Kirsty also acknowledged that if Connor started the day badly this affected her stress levels all day. If she began the day badly, small things caused her stress that wouldn’t usually.

Mark and Kirsty felt that Kirsty’s family had a tendency to give in to Connor and allowed him to do things that they wouldn’t normally allow. They feel that because of this it was difficult to set boundaries for his behaviour.

3. Going to Public Places

Going anywhere outside of the house was particularly stressful for Kirsty. She didn’t drive and anytime she walked Connor anywhere he would run away and has no road sense. Kirsty avoided going places on her own. Kirsty’s mum would take Connor out because she had a car and often had Kirsty’s sister to help. His behaviour improved, he stopped wearing reins and would walk around shops without running. The difficulty for Kirsty was getting him to the shops in the first instance.

4. Concerns about the New Baby

Kirsty worried that when the new baby was born Connor would regress. He liked to imitate babies and animals therefore the family worried that he would want to wear nappies or have a dummy like the baby. The family prepared him for the baby by talking to him, involving Connor in shopping for the baby and decorating the baby’s room. Nursery,his tutor and play worker also encouraged imaginative play using baby dolls.

Coping Strategies and Support

1. Support from Professionals

Kirsty felt that all professionals were extremely supportive. Since Connor attended full time nursery his understanding and behaviour improved significantly. He developed many good habits such as eating different foods and sitting still for a period of time. Having a tutor and play worker come to the home helped Connor to cope with new people. In the past he was frightened of people outside of the family but he became more sociable. Kirsty also found the tutor valuable as a source of information. Mark felt that if Connor continued to progress at the same rate as he had in the last 6 months then they would not have any significant worries about his future.

2. Support from Parents

Kirsty felt able to turn to her mum for advice and as a primary school teacher she often had useful strategies. Kirsty’s mother looked after Connor overnight every Wednesday; this gave Kirsty a regular break, which she found particularly helpful.

A Wish List for the Future

Kirsty and Mark couldn’t recommend any further/ different support as they valued all the help they got from professionals. The only thing that might help slightly would be for Kirsty to be on her own less so that when she was feeling stressed she could take a few minutes to calm down without being in the heat of the situation.

Story 2 is a Single Parent’s Perspective and Story 1 Taking Time off Work

Disclaimer: all names are pseudonyms.

autism, families, parenting, parents, pre schoolers, Special Educational Needs

Autism Awareness Month: Parenting a Child on the Autistic Spectrum # Story 2 : The Simpson Family–A Single Parent’s Perspective

April 29, 2013 rightfromthestart 2 Comments

The Simpson family are Leanne, Chloe (age 6) and Robert (age 3). Leanne separated from the children’s father before Robert was born. Robert received a diagnosis of autism when he was 2 years 4 months. The main concerns at this time were communication and social interaction. Leanne also felt that she needed a lot of information because she knew very little about autism. Robert attended pre-school for 5 mornings per week supported by a tutor, a tutor also visited at home.

Causes of Stress

Leanne felt that parenting a child with ASD wasn’t significantly more stressful than parenting any other child but different things caused her stress. The knowledge that he would always be autistic in particular changed the way she thought about things. Once she knew that he was autistic she felt unable to allow him to be content to do his own thing, there was pressure to ‘get him to do things’ so that he would reach his full potential’.

Smearing

Robert as a very tactile child often sought sensory stimulation, including tickling, walking on bricks and exploring paint, water and sand with his hands. Often, when he had dirtied his nappy he would play with the contents and smear it over the room. This usually only occurred when he was on his own. At night Robert wore an all in one pyjama suit with the fastenings sewn together so that he couldn’t get his hands in his nappy. This worked well, and Robert stopped smearing every night. Leanne felt that bathing him after an incident was offering him a reward because he enjoyed baths. Leanne avoided this and instead made minimal fuss and put Robert in the shower (which he disliked).

The most stressful aspect of this behaviour was that it had to be dealt with alone. Leanne felt that school would help with other things, like communication but this was primarily a home problem.

2. Communication

On the whole the most stressful aspect of parenting a child with ASD was communication.

“Smearing is the most stressful thing day by day but communication is the most stressful thing on the whole”

Robert’s inability to communicate was less stressful than his inability to understand. It was often possible to guess what Robert wanted or offer alternatives.

Robert’s communication improved significantly since his home tutor first became involved. Initially Robert’s only form of communication was to push Leanne towards desired objects. A picture exchange system (PECS) was introduced to enable Robert to exchange a picture for a desired object. Initially this was very difficult for Robert to grasp and although he was able to pass one card to an adult he could not make a choice between 2 or more. Eventually Leanne discovered that he was interested in fridge magnets, the pictures were mounted on magnetic strips and placed on the fridge. Desired objects were placed out of Robert’s reach and each time he would reach for something Leanne would ask ‘What does Robert want?’ whilst signalling to the pictures. Robert quickly learned to pass the correct picture spontaneously. Robert developed a wide range of vocal sounds and used some words in context including ‘go’ and ‘again’.

3. Going to Public Places

There were 2 difficulties when taking Robert to public places: –

Throwing himself on the floor and refusing to walk .
Grabbing things from shop shelves.

Robert had a large pushchair that was generally used when Robert went out. This enabled Leanne to visit a variety of places that would not otherwise be possible. However, Leanne was anxious that as he got older it would be less appropriate to take him out in a pushchair. When Robert was expected to walk even short distances (e.g. from the car to his sister’s school) he would drop to the floor and refuse to move. Leanne’s main strategy for dealing with this was to walk away and wave good-bye, Robert usually responded by following. When this didn’t work Leanne tried to make it into a game. Robert enjoyed playing ready, steady go games and running on the word ‘go’. The game was used to encourage him to walk.

4. Impact on Siblings

Chloe was old enough to be aware that Robert was autistic but Leanne found it difficult to explain things to her in a comprehensive manner,

“Only the other day she said ‘if I was autistic Robert wouldn’t be’, which is quite hard.”

As a single parent it was also difficult to go to places that Chloe would like to visit. Leanne found it difficult to cater for both of their needs.

5. Diagnosis

The diagnostic process in itself was not stressful but Leanne felt that her health visitor/doctor did not prepare her for a diagnosis of autism,

“When they were asking me questions that I know now was to do with autism, nobody mentioned to me at all; it could be this, which meant that when I did go to the paediatrician and they said it probably was autism it shocked me”.

Leanne would have liked to have been prepared for the possibility so that she could have found more information.

6. Nursery and Schooling

Finding the right nursery place for Robert was stressful for Leanne. Robert was offered a place at a specialist nursery from September but in the meantime Leanne felt it would be valuable to attend a local pre-school to see how he would interact with other children. Many of the pre-schools she visited didn’t feel right, as it seemed they had no experience of autism and were less than enthusiastic about taking him. On the contrary Hawthorn’s pre-school had experience of autism and appeared very flexible in their approach.

After a few weeks at the pre-school Leanne became worried because nursery workers gave comments that they were unhappy about Robert attending without a support worker,

“Hawthorn’s was a complete nightmare that really did stress me out…knowing what I do now I wouldn’t have put him in that school”.

With time and negotiation Leanne felt more comfortable about Hawthorn’s but feels that it was an unnecessary burden.

Leanne was also worried about choosing the right school for Robert; she felt that ultimately it was her decision but that it was a huge weight on her shoulders,

“If you get the right school and the right help then wherever he goes in life that will help him get to the highest potential, because that will be the majority of his learning.”

Coping Strategies and Support

1. Professional Support and Information

The Support Leanne had from professionals was particularly valuable, the most notable of these being his home tutor and the Early Bird course. These helped share information about autism and suggested strategies for dealing with problem behaviour.

Leanne had a particularly good experience with her Early Bird group. The group of parent’s bonded particularly well and they continued to support one another and meet socially both with and without their children.

The most important contribution from the home tutor was the introduction of PECS. Leanne felt that she needed to be taught from scratch how to communicate with Robert and the regular contact with the tutor helped. They also helped Leanne to see what Robert was capable of,

“Before I used to say he is never going to do that, it’s taught me not to think that way”

Having someone to talk to on a regular basis, particularly someone with knowledge of autism and experience with other children was invaluable. The flexibility of the early intervention programme and informal relationship with the tutor meant that there was no pressure,

“You feel like you aren’t on your own”.

2. Support from Friends

Leanne’s close friend Helen had a child slightly older than Robert who was also autistic. They spent a lot of time together both with and without the children. Leanne often telephoned Helen when she was having a particularly stressful time. Helen had first hand experience of autism and the practical advice she gave was refreshing,

“I don’t want to hear ‘aah’, I want to hear ‘yes I’ve been through that as well’ ”.

A Wish List for the Future

Leanne would like to continue having someone help her develop strategies for dealing with Robert’s behaviour.

If Leanne could have any additional help the most useful thing would be to have a regular break. Someone looking after the children for one night per week would give Leanne something to look forward to. It would be important that she could trust the person caring for her children, being sure they were safe would help her relax. Leanne felt support of this kind was lacking, her parent’s would baby-sit but never have the children overnight.

“ If you don’t have anything to look forward to it is a constant thing. If you’re having a bad week, which you do, and your child’s having a bad week as well you can see no end to it.”

As a single parent this is particularly important. Single parents are more likely to require respite care and support from other families.

Story 1 : Taking Time off Work Story 3: The Step Parent’s Perspective

Disclaimer: all names are pseudonyms.

days out, early education & play, families, Life in the US, outdoor play, parenting, play, pre schoolers, Seattle, toddlers

8 Things a Child Can Learn From Playing Golf.

April 26, 2013 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

Today I met with a group of mums and their toddlers to play golf at the pitch and put, Willows Road Golf Course. All of the children were new to golf and most of the children were below the age of 2. My girls had a brilliant time – my 4-year-old even asked if she could come back tomorrow.

Before 11am under 12’s can play the 18 hole pitch and put for $5. The beautiful setting meant that my 2-year-old, who lost interest after a few holes had plenty to keep her occupied.

There were lots of opportunities for learning too:

Number recognition as we moved around the holes
Recognising colours – who has the red ball? What colour flag do we have this time?
Reading signs – Please rake your footprints, keep on the path.
Gross motor skills – how do you hold the club? You need to hit it hard to get it up hill. What is the best way to get it in the hole?
Counting – how many shots did you take that time?
Writing – filling out a score card.
Vocabulary – What is the stick called again? I’m in the bunker.
Turn- taking and awareness of others.

We’ll definitely be doing it again, a great way to spend a sunny morning.

Hmm, how should I play this shot?

I’m getting the hang of this now.

I’m going to take 3 hits this time.

Go on, you can do it.

You need to hit it really hard to get it up the hill.

the sand in the bunker was lots of fun, especially when they raked away their footprints.

When you’ve had enough of golf, climbing and jumping is fun.

The course is built around waterfalls, lakes and bridges – beautiful.

The 18th hole

autism, parenting, Special Educational Needs

Autism Awareness Month: Parenting an Autistic Child # Story 1:The Evans Family.

April 25, 2013 rightfromthestart 2 Comments

Before I had my own children I had a really rewarding job, working with families with pre-school children on the Autistic spectrum. As a parent myself, I now appreciate even more how challenging life was for these families and how valuable it must have been to have someone regularly visit their home to offer respite, problem solve together and help the children develop. My Masters dissertation investigated stress and early intervention in families of pre-school children with Autistic Spectrum disorder. The following stories are taken from case studies used in my dissertation.This is the first of 3 posts telling different families’ stories of the stresses they encountered and strategies for coping.

The Evans Family

The Evans Family are James, Rebecca, Charlotte (aged 8) and Alex (aged 4). Rebecca hadn’t worked since Alex’s birth and James was taking 9 months unpaid leave with the intention of returning when Alex started school. Alex received a diagnosis of Autism at the age of 2.

Causes of Stress

Sleep

The most prominent and on-going issue for the Evans family was sleep. When Alex was first diagnosed, he slept for between 2-5 hours per night and would wander around being quite destructive during the time that he was awake. Medication (melatonin) helped tackle his sleep problems. It took a while to get the dosage right but eventually the correct level was maintained. Before this point, stress levels at bedtime were extremely high. James didn’t feel able to go out for an evening until Alex was asleep, which meant that he rarely did. Alex’s sleep improved with medication but was still very disturbed and unpredictable,

“For example he can still get up between 12-1am/2am/3am and be awake for anything between 30 minutes – 4 hours”

Charlotte was never a good sleeper, and just as she was beginning to sleep through the night Alex was born. Rebecca hadn’t had a full nights sleep for many years and this took its toll on her health.

Randall and Parker (1999) found that the most common cause of anxiety and the most severe problem for parents of children with ASD was sleep. Parent’s also reported that many other stresses were associated with lack of sleep.

Unpredictability

The most stressful aspect of parenting a child with ASD for Rebecca and James was the unpredictable nature of everyday and the inability to be spontaneous. With most challenges there were helpful strategies, for example using pictures to communicate but very little could be done to help unpredictability. If a routine needed to be broken, like needing his hair washed in the morning when he normally had a bath in the evening, it was extremely stressful.

Social Isolation

Social isolation is a major cause of anxiety for parents of children with ASD (Bristol 1984).

“You feel like you are on your own with the problem…. in a bubble……… .Most people know nothing about autism so you don’t have that thing where you talk about what your child has done….there is no reference point”.

Other people were interested in hearing about Alex’s history but talking about it was depressing for Rebecca and James. Meeting children of the same age as Alex was upsetting. Not only did they ask questions about Alex’s inability to do things but seeing children do the things that Alex was unable to was difficult..

As Alex got older, social situations became more difficult.People began to question why he couldn’t talk and explaining to people all the time was tiring. Doing things as a whole family was difficult therefore they would often do things individually with Charlotte so that she was not left out.

Socially there was a marked difference between the 2 children. Charlotte would have friends to stay and then they would return the favour but this never happened with Alex, the lack of respite was an added stress.

The Educational Statementing Process

This was a significant source of stress to the Evans family, however they felt that their experience was not nearly as bad as other parent’s they had talked to. They disliked that the child was viewed in monetary terms and when the statement was explained, the LEA reiterated the monetary figure. Rebecca and James felt that explanations of the actual support available would be more valuable.

Coping Strategies and Support

Structure and Visual Prompts

Having a clear structure to each week helped with Alex’s behaviour, ensuring he knew where he was going each day and keeping routines the same. A structured visual timetable depicted what would happen, using pictures and photographs of the places and people he would visit. It was also used for main parts of his daily routine such as bath time and bedtime helping Alex to understand what would happen next.

Information and Learning from Experience

The family’s experience of stress changed over time. A number of behaviours that were particularly difficult when Alex was younger stopped as he grew older, for example screaming and head butting. The change in behaviour was partly attributed to growing up but also as time went on the family understood the things that affected Alex’s behaviour. For example, in the past Alex’s parents were inclined to coax Alex to eat food or wear clothes that he did not want to but have learned that this achieves nothing. Rebecca learned through reading literature about autism that certain textures of clothing could feel like sandpaper on the skin. She quickly recognised that wearing an item of uncomfortable clothing could be a trigger for a bad day,

“Now if he scratches even a little bit when he puts his clothes on, I take it off straight away.”

Patience

Learning to be patient was a huge asset to the Evans family. They built up Alex’s confidence before pushing him a little harder, using visual and verbal prompts and waiting for a response before the information was given for a second time. James and Rebecca acknowledged that being patient was much easier when they didn’t need to be anywhere important.

Reducing Work Commitments

James decided to take a break from work to help with the family; this would not be an option for many families but it had a huge impact on the life of the Evans family. Life became more settled for Charlotte as she could regularly be collected from school by the same parent. In the past this had been difficult because of Alex’s unpredictable behaviour. For Rebecca the biggest relief was sharing the responsibility of attending meetings and completing paperwork. It also meant that when paperwork needed to be done Rebecca could focus her attention on this whilst James dealt with everyday routines.

From James’ point of view, of all the support and coping strategies employed this reduced stress levels more than anything else,

“Often I would have to go out leaving Rebecca with Alex knowing that she was really ill and he was being in a right state” James found it difficult having to explain at work what was happening. There was a financial impact for the family but this was significantly outweighed by the benefits.

Support from professionals and friends

The most valuable professional support came from the people at the top (e.g. consultants) and those that worked with Alex on a regular basis (e.g. early intervention tutor, nursery staff). The consultants were particularly good at helping Rebecca and James get in touch with services and moving things along quickly. The NAS Early Bird programme helped provide initial information about autism. They felt that some professionals (mostly those that saw Alex less regularly) would not be missed if they no longer had contact with the family.

Friends were an important source of support and it helped to go out without having to talk about autism. Meeting other parents of children with Autism meant experiences could be shared without the need for explanation.

Focusing on the present

Rebecca stressed the importance of dealing with short-term problems and not worrying about the long term. This took some adjustment for Rebecca as a natural forward planner. She felt there was little point in focusing too much on the future because they couldn’t know what would happen or what Alex would be like.

A Wish List for the Future

Rebecca and James had elderly parents so felt it was unfair to ask them to babysit, this meant there was very little respite.They would love to have a number of options for respite e.g. in the home or in another venue. They felt that respite was not offered; but was available only on request. The options of what is available were unclear, and they felt it would be helpful if a certain amount of funds were allocated and a number of options presented for consideration. Finding babysitters for an autistic child was very difficult, his support tutor was invaluable as when she baby sat they could go out knowing that she knew Alex well and would be in control.

Rebecca and James would like additional input from a speech and language therapist. As Alex had no spoken language they assumed that he would get maximum input from a speech and language therapist. They felt the level of involvement was insufficient and that children with some language got more hours than those with no language at all.

For her own sanity Rebecca was really keen to return to work full time once Alex was settled at school. However, she couldn’t see how this would work unless James wasn’t working. As part of the conditions for James’ leave, he was obliged to return. Returning to work in a new position would be particularly difficult; in an old post there would be more understanding of the family situation and therefore negotiation for flexibility. In a new post Rebecca felt it would be very difficult to have time off for meetings etc.

Story 2: The Single Parent’s Perspective Story 3: The Step Parent’s Perspective

Disclaimer: All names are pseudonyms.

books, parenting, reading, world book day

Juice Recipes for Kids: Inspired by ‘The Hungry Caterpillar.’

March 24, 2013 rightfromthestart 4 Comments

In a bid to get more healthy we recently invested in a juicer. I now start every day with a healthy mean green as featured in the film ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’. It looks pretty grim but I assure you it’s delicious. It contains

1 cucumber

4 celery sticks

2 apples

A small amount of ginger

A small bunch of kale

Half a lemon

I sometimes add a carrot for good measure.

The kids are not so keen on this one but they love the fruity ones.

For Hungry Caterpillar Day we tried an experimental Hungry Caterpillar Juice. No Caterpillar’s were harmed I assure you. Head across to Really Kid Friendly to see my Guest Post on how we made it.

Try some, it’s delicious and would be great for a Hungry Caterpillar themed party.

early education & play, outdoor play, parenting, play, pre schoolers

Outdoor Play: Making Muddy Footprints Isn’t Always Easy.

March 23, 2013 rightfromthestart 10 Comments

I had a bit of alone time with my middle daughter. We thought it might be fun to try to make muddy footprints.

Do you want to make shoe prints or do it in bare feet.

Her face lit up

Bare Feet!

In Seattle it rains a lot. Finding soft mud shouldn’t be a problem….

But then it is still only just outside of winter and we still have frosty mornings.

The mud didn’t look much like we would be able to make footprints. We decided to wet it with the hose.

We tried again.

It’s not working.

How about we dig a bit and try to find the clay-like mud?

We found trowels and proceeded to dig.

Let’s add a bit more water now.

We tried again.

Now it’s too wet! It doesn’t work properly.

How about we try to smooth it out and make it flat and then see what happens?

Press your foot in

Look it worked.

We can try again in the Summer or in another bit of mud. Can you wash my foot with the hose?

It’ll be cold

I like it cold.

books, early education & play, imagination, literacy, music education, outdoor play, parenting, play, pre schoolers, science, singing, teaching, wildlife

10 Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Activities

March 20, 2013 rightfromthestart 3 Comments

To celebrate the 40th birthday of one of the world’s most famous picture books, I have 10 Hungry Caterpillar inspired activities.

Maths: Build caterpillars from dough or clay. Count the number of segments that make up the caterpillar. Play a matching game – place the correct caterpillar on the leaf with the matching colour or number of segments.

2. Imaginary Play: My eldest followed an enveloping schema for years. She would hoard things in little bags and containers and if you ever left anything around that she could climb into, you would find her inside. On one occasion I left a fabric storage bin in her room. She promptly climbed inside declaring that she was in her cocoon and soon emerged as a beautiful butterfly. Provide material, boxes, play tunnels, blankets, wings and deely boppers.

3. Song and Rhyme: Sing the caterpillar on a leaf song or sit behind your child and pretend to crawl a caterpillar up their back. Teach them to ask ‘Whose that climbing up the garden wall?’ and you reply in a caterpillar like voice ‘It’s me’ said the caterpillar ‘I’m learning how to crawl’.

4. Paint symmetrical butterfly pictures: I’m sure we all remember these from school days. Paint on one side, fold the paper over to create a symmetrical print on the other. This can also work well by painting a piece of string, placing it between the folded paper and then pulling it out whilst the paper is still folded.

5. Movement: Read the Hungry Caterpillar and give the children movements to follow during the story. Egg – curl up in a ball, caterpillar – crawl along the floor moving to eat different types of food, big fat caterpillar – stretch out wide, cocoon – spin slowly then hang their head between their legs, staying very still, butterfly – flap their wings and fly.

6. Discovery – it is a little cold yet but once the weather is warmer, grow your own butterflies. We have done this very successfully using kits from Insectlore. It is fascinating to watch how quickly the tiny caterpillars grow and then instinctively hang upside down. You soon get to recognise when the butterflies are ready to emerge and can feed them indoors for a day or 2 before releasing them into the garden. The species that they use tend to stay within your local area for a few days after being released so you can spot them in the garden.

Find out about the butterflies and caterpillars that can be found in your locality, and print pictures of more exotic species.

7. Food: Make a fruit salad using the fruits eaten by the Hungry Caterpillar or taste some of the more unusual foods he ate. We are a big juicing family so we are going to make Hungry Caterpillar juice using:

1 apple

2 pears

3 plums

4 strawberries

5 oranges

8. Maths: Turn your finger into a crawling caterpillar and measure things in caterpillar steps.

9. Outdoors – Grow a butterfly garden. I saw some amazing butterflies in our garden last year that are fairly commonplace in this area. I’m definitely going to learn about how I can attract them this year.

10. Visit a Butterfly Farm. I can highly recommend the butterfly house at Bristol Zoo and Felinwynt Rainforest Centre in West Wales. In Seattle there is the Butterfly House at the Pacific Science Centre . Feel free to add any recommendations in the comments.

And don’t forget to read the book……

early education & play, education, parenting, pre schoolers, Special Educational Needs, UK

CBeebies – Magic Hands: Translating Poetry into British Sign Language

February 27, 2013 rightfromthestart Leave a comment

Often as parents we are unsure about introducing children to poetry, fearing that it is difficult to understand. My children however love poetry and will often choose to read it rather than prose. A new CBeebies programme Magic Hands launching soon will make poetry even more accessible to children.
CBeebies Magic Hands is a brand new and groundbreaking series for the channel featuring poetry translated into British Sign Language.

A co-commission with BBC Learning, Magic Hands presents modern and classic poetry for children in a way that has never been seen before. Across the series, the Magic Hands presenting team – Ashley, Donna, Aimee and Simon – perform some of the best children’s poetry entirely in British Sign Language (BSL).

From Robert Louis Stephenson to Roger Stevens and Michaela Morgan, the programmes are fun, five-minute packages that mix sign language, the spoken word, music and vibrant animation to bring the poems to life and capture the imaginations of both deaf and hearing children.

The series is made for CBeebies by Remark Ltd, a company that is owned, staffed and run by people who are deaf.

Series producer, Judith Bunting, says: “Translating modern and traditional poems for children into BSL on such a scale is a first. There are deaf poets and deaf theatre companies but no national television company has ever tried translating children’s poetry into BSL.

The Magic Hands presenters are all new to television and have been profoundly deaf since birth. On set they worked with professional interpreters along with the series’ artistic director, Jean St Clair, and both deaf and hearing production crew.

Each episode of Magic Hands is based around a single verse, interpreted for children. The selection comes from poets including Christina Rossetti, Kenn Nesbit, Gareth Lancaster, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Katharine Pyle, Charles Kingsley, James Carter, Sarah Coleridge, Maya Angelou, Rabindranath Tagore and Grace Andreacchi as well as Shakespeare.

Controller of CBeebies, Kay Benbow, says: “We are delighted to bring Magic Hands to CBeebies. The mix of sign language, music and lively animation creates spellbinding poetry that we are sure all our young viewers will enjoy.”

Magic Hands will be broadcast in the Spring.

early education & play, imagination, outdoor play, parenting, play, pre schoolers, toddlers, writing

Outdoor Play:Water Painting

February 20, 2013 rightfromthestart 6 Comments

Getting my children to put things away when they are finished is often a struggle but sometimes it has its advantages. A tub and paintbrush were left on the driveway. After a few rainy days it inevitably filled with water. My 2-year-old picked up the brush, dipped it in the tub and proceeded to paint the garage.

On a sunny day she returned to the tub but couldn’t find her paintbrush. I brought a selection from the garage and as she discovered the different lines the brushes made. Painting on a dry driveway was a very different experience. I later found a paint roller – below are her remarks as she played.

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early education & play, literacy, outdoor play, parenting, play, pre schoolers

Outdoor Play: Finding The Alphabet in Nature

February 17, 2013 rightfromthestart 12 Comments

Having recently discovered some of the amazing hikes in the Seattle area we are really keen to encourage the children to appreciate the wonders around them. My kids love outdoor play, especially in the woods but a 4 mile steep hike can be hard work for an 8, 4 and 2-year old. To keep them going on our last hike I asked them to see how many letters of the alphabet they could spot in the surrounding area. The letters had to be found in nature and they weren’t allowed to create a letter by moving an object.

Here are some of the letters we found