Five reasons to get baking with the kids this Christmas

Ask anybody what the benefits of baking with the kids are and they’ll tell you that’s obvious, you get to eat lots of delicious cakes at the end of it. True, that is one of the great benefits of baking with your children, but that’s only the end result. There’s so much that they can learn along the way and it’ll actually improve their skills and learning in a lot of different ways that you may not have considered. And Christmas is a great time to start and take advantage of more than just yummy outcomes.

Getting the kids involved in Christmas baking this year

This year is perhaps one of the years when we don't want lots of fingers in food.  But, baking and cooking at Christmas can be a great way to keep kids learning when they've spent time out of school in the run up to the festive break.  There’s so much that they can learn along the way and it’ll actually improve their skills and learning in a lot of different ways that you may not have not thought about. Use the times when it's just your household to get together and bake.. here's just a few things they'll get from it. 

Burrowing bunny Easter cupcakes learning activity

There's always plenty of food involved in Easter.  The kids love the Easter egg hunt in the garden and then there are the hundreds of hot cross buns consumed (one of Anthony's favourite snacks that are not available all year round).  This year we're making super easy burrowing bunny cupcakes that will help with their spatial reasoning, motor skills development and include Oreos as a special treat.

Kids easy Chinese Spring Rolls for the Chinese New Year

There's always time for a bit of baking in our home.  Jane absolutely loves baking cakes, cookies and brownies (and then the eating of).  Her latest gift ask was a vegan baking cookbook!  But it's great for our boys too helping them develop their skills in areas they often struggle. 

Vegan burrowing Bunny Cupcakes activity for Easter

There's always plenty of food involved in Easter.  The kids love the Easter egg hunt in the garden and then there are the hundreds of hot cross buns consumed (one of Anthony's favourite snacks that are thankfully available all year round).  This year we're re-inventing our burrowing bunny cupcakes that help with their spatial reasoning, motor skills development as a vegan treat with Oreos to boot. 

Gift ideas to help develop imaginary play

Many kids with autism struggle to develop their imagination and struggle with enjoying imaginative play.  It's something we've really worked on and our middle son is just getting there with some things in it.  There's lots of ways to access your imagination but many kids with autism find it difficult to create things from nothing and we've found that providing props and support is a way to support them.  Here's some ideas if you are looking for things this Christmas. 

Easter break activities and games for my kids at home

It's the last week of Easter Break and despite the weather trying to convince us otherwise, it's spring at last.  So what can we do to keep our kids busy at home for the last week of the Easter holidays?

No heat required - Easter Chocolate Nests recipe and activity

One of my kids loves cooking and baking but with three kids and some with disabilities, it’s not always easy. Things can get messy and using the hob and oven can be dangerous with them all around.

Some simple sensory activities for autistic kids

Whether you’re raising a child with autism, a family member or friend’s child has autism or you’re starting to provide childcare for someone with autism, you may be wondering what activities you can engage with that help them to enjoy themselves without lending them towards sensory overload. Here’s some information on the subject that can help get this journey started out in the right direction.

Easter activities for my kids at home

It's almost Easter and we might not be able to do the same things we usually do.  Those of us who may go to Church probably can't and there will be no big family gatherings.  We're not even meant to go out to get things like Easter Eggs or other special items so what are we doing with the kids this Easter?

Cookie Tots - Lovely little hedgehog is a hit

Sometimes I worry that my boys will never be able to do simple daily tasks like brushing their teeth, tie their shoes or cook a meal for themselves.  Cooking is a great way for all kids to learn and involves valuable skills for any child like measuring, sharing... and waiting.  Some of these can be difficult for kids with autism because they involve motor skills, sensory feedback and seeing things from other people's perspective like in Theory of Mind.  So I figured it was about time I think about these issues and what might work for them when doing recipes.

We've been visiting Cookie Tots, a kids cooking club, with Jane who is two and half years old.  At the club they sing and do actions to songs that teach them about cooking, hygiene and different ingredients. This can be engaging for some kids with autism who may also appreciate the structured the sessions.  

For anyone who likes their senses stimulated, there is hands on fun squashing, squeezing and learning how to cut, mix, tear and enjoy food. If your child is at the stage where they are following instructions then they may like that you get a recipe to take home with you and a special stamp too!  We make the recipe at the club and then take it home to cook. If your kids have difficulty waiting during the session you could try giving them a 'wait' token/card to hold and at home use this or an egg timer to watch while the food is cooking in the oven.

Recently we made: Seeded Tomato Bread Hedgehogs

Jane loved making this bread hedgehog. There was no kneading necessary but a bit of shaping of the dough.  If that's too sticky for your kids then you can help with this bit or use lots of flour to stop it being sticky.  Alternatively if they love getting their hands in a mess then make lots.  Adding the pumpkin seeds on top was challenging and a great fine motor skill and counting task. 

Some kids with autism avoid gluten.  If your kids are avoiding gluten you could try switching for a gluten free flour like rice flour but add in some (gluten free) baking powder to make sure your hedgehog doesn't go flat!  Picky eater Anthony enjoyed eating it.  He likes breads, pasta and pizza for comparison to your kiddies likes.

Links
Our Blog - Theory of Mind, double rainbow and breakfast
Our Blog - Getting responses using a token economy, following instructions

External
NAS - Sensory

Kiddy Cooks: Using our memory skills with Pink Pizza recipe

I'm often impressed by Anthony's memory. Having a good memory is not uncommon in some people with autism and is a characteristic that both my autistic kids share.

I've used baking and cooking as an excuse for the kids to practice their motor skills before.  This lovely one from Kiddy Cooks for example requires grating and that needs bilateral motor skills (using both hands in a coordinated way by holding the grater in one and moving the cheese and courgette with the other.

But it's also a great way of practising memory recall too. Anthony was able to completed recite and make another lovely pink pizza for several days. Great for his memory and for his tastes as pizza is one of his favourite foods. This lovely recipe adds vegetables into the pizza which is great and uses beetroot to give the dough a pink colour.  Why not give it a try? Search 'cooking' to find other recipes on this site.

Ideas to help our autistic kids celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Finally it's the weather for outdoor parties and celebrations - and the Jubilee is right around the corner! Big festivals and street parties are currently not something we could consider going to as there's usually a lot going on and our autistic kids can struggle with this and all the sensory input. So why not take advantage and enjoyed a little autism friendly mini party or festival in your own garden.

Why my chatterbox goes to Makaton classes

Jane signs "Reindeer"

Jane is only two and a half years old.  She's doing great.  Coming back from her new nursery, where the teacher described her as Little Miss Independent, Jane can tell me about her day and what she wants for lunch.  She started talking earlier than her older siblings.  In fact, she started talking a lot earlier than her siblings.  That's why after we've had whatever compromise we came to for lunch, Jane and I are going to a pre-school singing and signing class. 

I've been going to Singing Hands classes and Me Too & Co singing sessions for years, well before we had our beautiful little daughter. We started going when Anthony's speech seemed delayed. As is often the case with siblings, when his younger brother David was born he also came along for the ride. At this point we had no idea that by the time David was five years old, Makaton sign language would be his primary means of communication. 

Initially the only noises David made sounded more like bird calls than any kind of speech sounds at all. Following various sessions at the speech therapist we started two forms of AAC. Alternative and Augmented Communication either replaces (alternative) or works alongside (augmented) speech. Makaton signing supports speech. It's not like British Sign Language where people can communicate in audible silence; Makaton is only used along side words. And this is how David uses it.

Jane though can't stop talking. Most of the time she uses a good sentence structure too. I don't know whether going to Singing Hands and joining in with Singing and Signing at Me Too & Co helped her talk early. Or maybe it's because she got a lot of second hand therapy as she spent a lot of time with David and I before David started full time school this September. She definitely enjoys the classes though and I think it was quite good at expanding her vocabulary.

What I do know is that there's a much greater chance of her being able to communicate with her brother if she picks up Makaton too. Going to the classes sometimes means we don't go to the playground in a sunny afternoon or that we'll have to put off baking a cake.  But as they've just started the Christmas songs, I don't think she minds.

One thing's for sure though. The first time I see Jane and David communicating in a way that's not just a game of rough and tumble tag, I'll have a massive smile on my face. 

Links

Our blog - Freezing during Frozen: Makaton in Action

External Links

Singing Hands

The Makaton Charity

Ambitious about Autism - Help my child with communication
Me Too & Co

Supporting my kids learning now they are back at school

It's so good to have the kids back at school.  I know that being able to send my autistic kids to school for at least some of the time during lockdown was important for them (and us), but it's so good for them all to be back.  My daughter has always been a quick learner and enjoys this part of being back at school.  Like many she's missed friends, but has then also struggled with getting on with peers again.  Even though they are all back to learning at school, we can still support them at home with this - especially if they've fallen behind when they could be.  

Easter Rabbit Toast activity recipe & printable

Make an Easter breakfast or lunch even more fun and get your kids practising their language and motor skills with this recipe activity and printable to make an Easter Rabbit in your toast.  This recipe activity contains egg.

How our autistic family uses our garden

When the kids are home it can be hard to keep them entertained and regulated throughout the whole day.  We often try to just 'get out' to give a break from the device filled home. There are only so many indoor crafts and activities we can do such as baking or motorskills practice through sheets and various crafts. 

With some outside flood lights the garden can be accessible well into the evenings at the moment and there is an abundance of benefits to our kids in being out in the garden. 

Are my 'Children in Need' of someone better?

There's no denying that being a parent is way more work than you think it's going to be. When the midwife came to see me the day after we took our first child Anthony home she found me still in my pyjamas despite it being nearly noon. Within minutes of her asking how I was I'd burst into tears. Being a mother is overwhelming. Over eight years later we now have two boys with autism and a little girl and I still get that same feeling. Sometimes it's during the simplest of circumstance.

San Francisco with our autistic kids

San Francisco, San Fran or even SF to the locals, is a vibrant, diverse city in northern California known for it's bay, famous Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and much more.  But having a family that often struggles with busy environments doesn't mean we didn't enjoy the area.  In fact we had a great time.

Easy bread mix helps kids learn to wait and share

Lots of children with autism find it difficult to wait for things.  Sharing is difficult for many kids, including those with autism or ADHD, because they have to wait for a toy, going on the bus is difficult because they have to wait for their bus. David used to have meltdowns at the bus stop because he didn't understand that we had to wait to for another number bus.  This cooking recipe is easy, fun, helps them learn about waiting and is ideal for this season of  'sharing'.