School Refusal Avoidance Anxiety Specialist Teacher Tips

School Refusal: What Every Parent and Teacher Should Know About School Anxiety in Children

A Specialist Teacher’s Top Tips on School Avoidance I first met Leo(*) in 2022 when his parents sought my help due to his school refusal, which escalated after the Covid lockdowns. Leo’s parents first suspected something was wrong when he began experiencing frequent tummy aches at home and school. Things worsened when he began vomiting …

Finding a neurodivergent affirming teacher - a free checklist for parents

How To Find a Neurodivergent Affirming Teacher, School or Program – A Free Checklist

For Autistic, ADHD, 2e and Gifted and other Neurodivergent Children. Most parents want to ensure their child is receiving the best education possible. For those with a neurodivergent child, it can be even more challenging to find a teacher who understands their unique needs and can provide a learning environment that is supportive, safe, and …

Dragonology Home Education Curriculum. A young child sits on a mossy ledge, happily feeding a purple dragon.

Dragonology Course – Homeschool/ Home Education Curriculum Package (4 – 8 years)

Play and Learn With Dragons! Activities, background notes, plans and guides in both PDF and video format Use the curriculum ‘as is’, or adapt and integrate into your own home education or unschooling approach Individual feedback for each enrolled child is included in the package Discover the maths, science/ STEM, and literacy secrets of dragons! …

Art Supplies To Build Children's Autonomy Through Choice-Based Art. Image of a young child painting their body with paint, against a colourful background of paint splashes and spills.

From Mess to Mastery: Using Art Supplies to Unlock Your Child’s Creativity With Choice-Based Art

Providing choice-based art supplies and experiences is a wonderful way to support children’s creativity, skills, and self-expression. However, this type of open-ended art can be challenging to facilitate. The first step is to choose the open-ended art supplies for choice-based art-making. Even then, concerns about mess can make it difficult for adults to support free …

List of essential art supplies. Image shows a range of colourful art supplies including pastels, paint bruses, feathers, yarn, googly eyes, jewels and origami.

Nurturing Creativity: The Essential Art Supplies List for Kids

As a play-based teacher who values children’s autonomy, I am frequently asked what are the essential supplies needed to support children’s creative play and open expression. The truthful answer is that creativity can be supported with whatever you have on hand. Having some open-ended materials is important – but there really is no special or …

How To Introduce Loose Parts Play-Based Learning. Image of loose parts such as keys, cutlery, hats, cups, cards, die and locks.

How To Introduce Loose Parts Play-Based Learning

Loose parts play as a pathway for learning Families and teachers are increasingly interested in how loose parts play-based learning can be introduced to children. Researchers have found that when children engage in high quality play, they extend their social skills, language abilities, identity development, executive function, problem-solving, and academic foundations (Hassinger-Das et al., 2019). …

Neuroaffirming Individual Play-Based Learning For NDIS and Homeschool. Square image. Picture of a young, curious caucasian boy looking through a magnifying glass in a fun playground wonderland.

Let’s Play! Personalised, Neuroaffirming Play-Based Learning and Capacity Building

A neuroaffirming, play-based capacity building program designed for children aged from 4 years to around 9 years old. This program provides one-on-one learning support to your child in a variety of areas, including academics, social enjoyment, learning skills, and developmental curriculum. The program is tailored to each child’s unique needs and can be used for …

Salt dough recipe for sensory play. Image is of a toadstool and bug sculpture made from salt dough, in a garden filled with flowers and a secret pink door.

Best Salt Dough Recipe for Creative Sensory Play

This salt dough recipe is one of my favorite ways to combine sensory play with creativity. It’s suitable for all ages and provides endless opportunities for exploration, imagination, and artistic expression. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, salt dough one of the most versatile sensory play materials to have on hand. This is a …

Easy cloud dough recipe. Image of a play scene, with safari animals on a tray of cloud dough.

Best Play Recipes: Easy Cloud Dough

Easy cloud dough is probably my favourite sensory dough. It is a simple and forgiving recipe, using only two ingredients. Cloud dough has consistency and Newtonian quality similar to kinetic sand: it can both hold its shape and crumble apart, allowing for many different types of play. However, it is less ‘gritty’ and far cheaper …