Baking improves children's:
- Physical Development: Fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills are developing by chopping, mixing, squeezing, and spreading.
- Cognitive Development: Cooking encourages children's thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
Mathematical skills- Weighing and measuring ingredients provides a perfect opportunity for children to apply their knowledge in a practical and real- life context - Social development: Children work in a team, taking turns and giving instructions to each other in order to follow a recipe.
- Personal development: Cooking can give children a sense of pride once they see the finished product that they have made and also promotes their independence.
In school, we currently have 2 baking sessions, with children attending once a week.
They discuss what they would like to bake at the beginning of the half term and make a plan of action for each session. They may sometimes go to the co-op to purchase ingredients, so they are very much part of the whole process.
The children will bake in the nurture room or the staff room where we have just had 4 brand new ovens installed, which allows us to cater for more children baking at the same time.
Bereavement Support
At some point we will all experience the loss of a loved one, a much loved pet and these experiences are supported
with individual support as and when needed. Sometimes it is a conversation, some children like to do something to
remember their loved one/pet and they can decorate a love heart which they place on our little remembrance tree
in school. Other children may need further support with activities such as making a memory box/book, planting
something special. Anniversaries are celebrated and termly “Over the Rainbow” sessions help children share their
thoughts in a safe, supportive group.
https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
https://www.winstonswish.org/
Comic Strip Conversations
Comic strip conversations, created by Carol Gray, are simple visual representations of conversation. They can show:
- the things that are actually said in a conversation
- how people might be feeling
- what people’s intentions might be.
Comic strip conversations use stick figures and symbols to represent social interactions and abstract aspects of conversation, and colour to represent the emotional content of a statement or message.
From Carol Gray’s Comic strip conversations, 1994
By seeing the different elements of a conversation presented visually, some of the more abstract aspects of social communication (such as recognising the feelings of others) are made more ‘concrete’ and are therefore easier to understand.
Comic strip conversations can also offer an insight into how an autistic person perceives a situation.
How to use comic strip conversations
Comic strip conversations can help autistic people understand concepts that they find particularly difficult. People draw as they talk and use these drawings to learn about different social situations.
In a comic strip conversation, the autistic person takes the lead role, with parents, carers or teachers offering support and guidance.
- Start with small talk (for example, talking about the weather) to get the person you are supporting familiar with drawing while talking and to mimic ordinary social interactions.
- Ask a range of questions about a specific situation or type of social interaction. The autistic person answers by speaking and drawing their response.
- Summarise the event or situation you’ve discussed using the drawings as a guide.
- Think about how you can address any problems or concerns that have been identified.
- Develop an action plan for similar situations in the future. This will be a helpful guide for the autistic person.
For complex situations, or for people who have difficulty reporting events in sequence, comic strip boxes may be used, or drawings can be numbered in the sequence in which they occur.
Comic strip conversations can be used to plan for a situation in the future that may be causing anxiety or concern, for example an exam or a social event. However, remember that plans can sometimes change. It’s important to present the information in a way which allows for unexpected changes to a situation.
How to make your own comic strip conversation
You can use just paper, pencils, crayons and markers, computer word processing applications, or you could use an app.
Ask the person you are supporting to choose what materials they would like to use.
Some people may like to have their comic strip conversations in a notebook, or saved on their smartphone or tablet, so that they can refer to them as needed, and easily recall key concepts.
For further information, please follow the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RTVZ3kFjI0 – A video explanation of Comic Strip Conversations
Drawing & Talking
Mrs Morris is a licenced Drawing and Talking Practitioner and this 12 week programme is offered to support children through issues such as a bereavement or any other traumatic experience they may have had.
https://drawingandtalking.com/
Early Help
We work in partnership with Bradford’s Early Help. Support is available for families experiencing difficulties. For
more information https://www.bradford.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/early-help/what-is-early-help/
Mrs Morris is Sandal’s Lead Practitioner who can refer to Early Help and support families through the process.