Autumn fun

Autumn is a great time to get outside. There are some amazing nature spectacles to see such as the colours of autumn foliage, deer rutting season, plentiful fungi and starling murmurations. From a sensory standpoint: autumn has a lot to offer. Not are there spectacular things to see in autumn but there are new smells and sounds too and plenty of new textures.

This weekend we got out to a local park to play in all of the leaves. This activity is great as it combines the novel texture of leaves with the auditory stimulation of them crunching underfoot and is a lot of fun. It can also stimulate discussion of why leaves fall from the trees, why they change colour or about the seasons.

Pumpkin news
After Halloween we were left with 2 fairly large pumpkins, in an attempt to reduce our waste and use the pumpkins I made pumpkin pie, pumpkin cannelloni and many other pumpkin based food stuffs. I can now officially confirm that the boy does not like pumpkin.


Bonfire night
I hope everyone had a great bonfire night! We watched the fireworks at Caerphilly Castle this year and were blown away! The crowds and loud noise can often present a challenge and Robbie often doesn't like wearing ear defenders in public. My hack is to put a bobble hat on him under a hoodie under a coat - If he could even hear any of the fireworks under those layers i'm impressed :')

 Not to say there were no meltdowns involved... There were definitely some of those from both of us :') the change in routine, being out late, the excitement and the crowds are a lot to cope with but we stuck it out and had a great time.
Bonfire night can be a nightmare for some children on the spectrum especially public displays because of the loud noises and unfamiliar sensory environments, so many parents choose to do something more simple like sparklers in the back garden or watching the fireworks inside from a quiet space - however you chose to spend your bonfire night I hope you had a great time <3

Children In Need 2016

Hi everyone!

This year myself and my family have decided as a family to take on a challenge for Children in Need! Children in Need is one of my favorite charities because of the amazing work that they do for children in the UK including funding many great activities and support groups for children with autism and their parents such as Contact a Family, Chapter (Cardiff), and Conwy Monkeys Climbing Club to name just a few.

This year we are planning a hike up the tallest peak in South Wales on the 12th of November! We're really excited to take on this challenge and to take in the amazing views around the Brecon Beacons, be sure to check back with us for progress updates and for live Instagram posts on the day!
If you would like to sponsor us you can donate online or give us a shout out on social media :)

About me

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog! I want to start out by explaining a bit about who I am and why I have created this blog about a new project that I am excited to be starting called Eco-Explore Education. This project will be focused on providing scientific and environmental engagement activities to schools in South Wales with a particular focus on working with children on the autistic spectrum.

I'll try and keep it short and sweet!

I'm Sarah :)

The story behind this project starts in 2011 when I began my degree in biology. During university my lectures were a gateway to a brand new world, I learnt about places, people, animals and organisms that I never knew existed. I would travel home everyday bursting with excitement to share the incredible things I had learned with my young son. We were equally fascinated by the natural world and could spend hours in front of nature documentaries. Story time every night would be interspersed with drawing giant siphonophores or running around flapping our arms and screaming to imagine what it must be like to be a bat using echolocation. At five years old my son couldn't tie his shoelaces but could tell you what a tardigrade is.

In 2014 my son was diagnosed with high functioning autism. Overnight my entire world changed. I had no idea what autism was, what it meant or how it would affect our future and I dedicated any time I had  to finding out as much about autism as I could. At a time when I was struggling to understand my son, his needs and  his moods the one thing that we could always share was our love of nature and our passion for adventure. We have been on so many adventures and aim to get outdoors and have new ones as often as possible. Autism can mean that new experiences and new environments can be difficult to cope with and that travelling is always a challenge but with every adventure no matter how big or small we learn more about ourselves and each other.
The most important thing that these experiences have taught me is that children have unlimited potential and that they will always surprise you and surpass every expectation you have.

Often children with autism are left out of nature activities in schools, it may be that the schools don't have the resources to deal with the added safety concern of taking a child with additional needs out on a trip with a classroom of children. Sometimes trips outside in the middle of the school day can present a huge challenge to a child with autism, they have to cope with an unexpected change in their routine, perhaps an unfamiliar sensory environment and very different expectations than what they are used to in the classroom - But this doesn't need to be a barrier. What I want to do is tailor these types of activities to the needs of these children and not the other way around. Engagement with nature is incredibly beneficial for children from an educational standpoint and for their health and well-being. There is no reason why any child should be left out from this amazing journey of discovery just for being who they are.