It has been a busy and successful year with Wheely Wonders days nearly every month and they are growing in popularity. These days have been free to the families thanks to a grant from the Shanly Foundation. Jen Keil and I are loving getting to know lots of lovely families and meeting new ones each time too. By the end of the year we will have welcomed over 90 children and young people since Wheely Wonders days began in 2017!
We began in April, with an Easter themed day at the beginning of the month and a Spring day near the end. At the end of the second April day, we all enjoyed watching Chris North doing some magic outside.
At half term in May we welcomed a group of 9 children and 6 staff from PACSO. They all tumbled out of the minibus and were very excited looking at the chickens, Rosemary the donkey, the ponies and the goats. It was bottle time for the lambs next and it was wonderful to see how gentle and calm the children became when holding the lambs on their laps or just having a little stroke of Winnie the gosling! At Forest School the children created their own woolly sheep as well as sawing wood for necklaces and fire lighting. Everyone went home with a mini canvas painting of the animals they had seen and a scratch art photo frame made at my Craft Club to remember the day.
Here’s what Emma, PACSO Leader said about the day:
Our children had a wonderful day feeding the lambs, enjoying arts and crafts and toasting marshmallows on the campfire. It was lovely
for them to have so much freedom and space to play in. Lizzie and the team planned a fantastic day for us and helped to create a special memory for our children. Thank you!
We had a farm themed Family Day in June and a Summer Family Day to begin the holidays in July. On the hottest day of the year at the
end of July, Kangaroos brought 4 children with complex needs with 5 staff members. At both these days the lambs were still being bottle fed and Winnie had been joined by another gosling called Berty. Both goslings were very happy to have attention and joined everyone in the woods during the Forest School activities!
As we finished for the summer, we received the fantastic news that we had received funding from the Hedley Foundation which will enable
us to continue offering Wheely Wonders days free of charge to all families into next year!
Our September date had to be cancelled due to heavy rain, but we made up for it by running a weekend in October with 22 children over both days. They did lots of Halloween activities including decorating pumpkins with Jen and painting spooky tea light holders with me. It was great to see the children really concentrating on their craft activities as well as playing freely on the field. We also enjoyed a fabulous magic show with Chris on the Sunday afternoon.
We started November with a Fireworks themed day which finished with toffee apple slices on the campfire and sparklers. At the end of November we’ll be finishing the year with our Countdown to Christmas day!
Here are some thoughts from Michelle, one of
the parents:
As a family, we love the Wheely Wonders days! Our little boy, Freddie, loves going and he loves being outdoors! They have really helped him to develop with his confidence! Freddie has anxiety, social anxiety, sensory issues and selective mutism. He seems to improve at each Wheely Wonders visit we have. It takes Freddie a long time to join in with anything. He has to watch for a long time first and even then, he struggles to join in if he is unsure. He also struggles with large groups, noisy environments, texture and the unknown. Freddie also will not talk to new people or to people he doesn’t know. Since we have started attending Wheely Wonders, Freddie has improved massively compared to his first visit.
The groups are small, which is a huge bonus for Freddie. He is now familiar with the setting and will leave our side to go and play. The crafts and activities have been fantastic at helping him get used to different textures. He also knows that if it gets too much, he can wash his hands and try again later. The day is structured but laid back, which is great for Freddie. He can join in when he is ready, rather than being rushed through everything and missing out.
The organisers and helpers are fantastic! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I honestly see them all as friends now. Freddie also has the confidence to join in a bit more and this is growing at each visit! He even joined in with a magic show, which completely blew us away! Freddie is still quiet but he is growing in confidence each time. We are so thankful to be able to attend Wheely Wonders, for us it has been amazing! We would be lost without it!
We are looking forward to starting our 2020 sessions in the Spring and already have a booking with families from Super Scopers in April! Please get in touch if you would like us to run a day for your group or perhaps even a private party day for friends and family! Do contact me if you would like more details!
Lizzie Baily 2019
We began in April, with an Easter themed day at the beginning of the month and a Spring day near the end. At the end of the second April day, we all enjoyed watching Chris North doing some magic outside.
At half term in May we welcomed a group of 9 children and 6 staff from PACSO. They all tumbled out of the minibus and were very excited looking at the chickens, Rosemary the donkey, the ponies and the goats. It was bottle time for the lambs next and it was wonderful to see how gentle and calm the children became when holding the lambs on their laps or just having a little stroke of Winnie the gosling! At Forest School the children created their own woolly sheep as well as sawing wood for necklaces and fire lighting. Everyone went home with a mini canvas painting of the animals they had seen and a scratch art photo frame made at my Craft Club to remember the day.
Here’s what Emma, PACSO Leader said about the day:
Our children had a wonderful day feeding the lambs, enjoying arts and crafts and toasting marshmallows on the campfire. It was lovely
for them to have so much freedom and space to play in. Lizzie and the team planned a fantastic day for us and helped to create a special memory for our children. Thank you!
We had a farm themed Family Day in June and a Summer Family Day to begin the holidays in July. On the hottest day of the year at the
end of July, Kangaroos brought 4 children with complex needs with 5 staff members. At both these days the lambs were still being bottle fed and Winnie had been joined by another gosling called Berty. Both goslings were very happy to have attention and joined everyone in the woods during the Forest School activities!
As we finished for the summer, we received the fantastic news that we had received funding from the Hedley Foundation which will enable
us to continue offering Wheely Wonders days free of charge to all families into next year!
Our September date had to be cancelled due to heavy rain, but we made up for it by running a weekend in October with 22 children over both days. They did lots of Halloween activities including decorating pumpkins with Jen and painting spooky tea light holders with me. It was great to see the children really concentrating on their craft activities as well as playing freely on the field. We also enjoyed a fabulous magic show with Chris on the Sunday afternoon.
We started November with a Fireworks themed day which finished with toffee apple slices on the campfire and sparklers. At the end of November we’ll be finishing the year with our Countdown to Christmas day!
Here are some thoughts from Michelle, one of
the parents:
As a family, we love the Wheely Wonders days! Our little boy, Freddie, loves going and he loves being outdoors! They have really helped him to develop with his confidence! Freddie has anxiety, social anxiety, sensory issues and selective mutism. He seems to improve at each Wheely Wonders visit we have. It takes Freddie a long time to join in with anything. He has to watch for a long time first and even then, he struggles to join in if he is unsure. He also struggles with large groups, noisy environments, texture and the unknown. Freddie also will not talk to new people or to people he doesn’t know. Since we have started attending Wheely Wonders, Freddie has improved massively compared to his first visit.
The groups are small, which is a huge bonus for Freddie. He is now familiar with the setting and will leave our side to go and play. The crafts and activities have been fantastic at helping him get used to different textures. He also knows that if it gets too much, he can wash his hands and try again later. The day is structured but laid back, which is great for Freddie. He can join in when he is ready, rather than being rushed through everything and missing out.
The organisers and helpers are fantastic! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I honestly see them all as friends now. Freddie also has the confidence to join in a bit more and this is growing at each visit! He even joined in with a magic show, which completely blew us away! Freddie is still quiet but he is growing in confidence each time. We are so thankful to be able to attend Wheely Wonders, for us it has been amazing! We would be lost without it!
We are looking forward to starting our 2020 sessions in the Spring and already have a booking with families from Super Scopers in April! Please get in touch if you would like us to run a day for your group or perhaps even a private party day for friends and family! Do contact me if you would like more details!
Lizzie Baily 2019
