Monthly Archives: April 2017

Guest Blog – Emily from PAN reviews more products!

Emily Brailsford

 

Hi its me again.  I’ve had the chance to play with some more products from Rompa and Winslow.

 

The first couple of products were the ‘Soothersack‘ and the ‘huggabuddies cat‘. I loved the cat and so did my son.  Not only does is it quite heavy so it provides pressure, the soft fur is also a nice sensory experience.

 

The Soothersack is your standard pillow which you warm in the microwave and then can place on certain parts of your body to relieve aches and pains or across a child’s knees again to help ground them. Essential oils can be added to the pillow to help with relaxation. The ‘huggabuddies’ cat was a lot better for me as I sat with it snuggled on my shoulder with the heat going where I wanted it too whereas the pillow, as I’m sure many of you know, loses its filling to either end of the pillow so there was no heat on the top of my shoulder where I wanted it.

These two pieces of kit are nice to help your child but also nice to have around for when you might (if miracles occur) get 10 minutes relaxation to yourself!

3stars

I would give them both 3 stars.

Tangle Therapy

Tangle Therapy

Another product which I looked at was the ‘Tangle Therapy’ toy. Again, a product which I’m sure many of you will have come across.  I particularly liked this version as it was a bit larger than others I have seen.  It is not recommended for children under 3 as the pieces can be separated and potentially swallowed, but with older children I have found they enjoy taking the tangle toys to pieces as it provides a nice clicking noise!  Some of the sections also had a clear rubber coating with small raised bobbles.  I did wonder if these would get picked off over time though.

4 Stars

 

 

On the whole I felt this deserved 4 stars

5 Reasons You Should Buy a Snoezelen® Sensory Corner Kit

Bubble Tube Corners

Since their launch last year our Sensory Corner Kits  have been extremely popular. If you are interested in trying sensory here are 5 reasons why should try our Sensory Corner Kits!

#1 It’s everything you need to start your Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment…

Designed with the customer in mind, the Sensory Corner Kits bring together the most popular sensory products to provide you with a perfect introduction to Snoezelen®. It’s also suitable for any age or ability as the colours are neutral.

We even have 2 options to work with different budgets and preference.

The Original Snoezelen® Bubble Tube Sensory Corner Kit or the Snoezelen® Deluxe Bubble Tube Sensory Corner Kit

#2 In the bedroom, the spare room, the classroom, anywhere you can find a corner…

The space saving design uses a corner of any room meaning that you can provide the effects Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment in a relatively small space. Perfect for bedrooms, spare spaces, classrooms and more.

#3 Easy to order with a massive £500 saving…

We wanted to make it easy to start a Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory environment. There are so many options available to you that in the past it could have felt like too much effort. We’ve selected the most popular components of sensory rooms put them under 1 easy to order product code and on top of that made it £500 more economical.

Check them out now: The Original Snoezelen® Bubble Tube Sensory Corner Kit or the Snoezelen® Deluxe Bubble Tube Sensory Corner Kit

#4 Easy to install without the need of professional help…

Providing you with products that take very little skill to set up makes it easier and less expensive for you to get up and running with little fuss.

#5 Rompa® quality that you can trust…

Rompa® have been providing Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory products for over 30 years. We’ve been established this long because our products have been built to last. Whilst there are seemingly similar options available on the market take a look at the reviews from our customers why you should choose Rompa®:

5 stars

Amazing

This product is amazing! Although it may be on the high side for price but it’s well worth it! Very strong and beautifully made! If you want all of this equipment it’s worth buying this sensory corner for a great affect.

Jade H – Verified buyer

5 stars

Excellent Product!

I bought this bubble tube for my son’s bedroom. The bubble tube is stunning, very bright lights and plenty of bubbles. Installation was quick and easy.

Kirsty R – Verified Buyer (reviewing the 2m Bubble Tube).

Interested in finding out more about Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environments? Take a look at: https://www.rompa.com/interactive-sensory-room or contact us now to find out more

Developmental Play – Impacting Children Across The World

The Deepti Centre family 2015

The Deepti Centre family 2015

Occupational Therapists Caroline Clay and Caroline Essame report on the latest news from The Deepti Centre in Kerala, India and the launch of the new training centre that’s impacting thousands of children in rural India.

 

The Deepti Centre is a special school and rehabilitation centre for children and young adults based in rural Kerala, South India. In 2010 we set out from different continents (Caroline Essame from Singapore and Caroline Clay from the UK) to support the development of The Deepti Centre in any way that we could. In fact we didn’t realise how deeply involved we would get. In our first few years there we formed relationships with the children the staff and the parents and found that we shared the passion and drive to provide the very best service for the local community.

 

Good relationships are the foundation that makes the biggest impact in the world, and it’s who you work with and who you partner with that build sustainable change. So we are very grateful to Rompa for their encouragement and support for our children and families at The Deepti Centre.

 So we are very grateful to Rompa for their encouragement and support for our children and families at The Deepti Centre.

At the time of our first visit to the centre there were under 30 children attending daily and our work was mainly directly with the children and drew on our experiences in Art Therapy, Creative Arts, Sensory Processing, Occupational Therapy and seating and posture.

In October 2016 there were 150 children attending daily and a growing curriculum of arts, crafts, drama, role play and sensory work to promote learning through play. The recent addition of a sports teacher and band leader has seen our children win competitions in regional events for a variety of sports and music. Though the band consists of mainly drums and bugles and is more rhythmic than tuneful, there’s no doubt that the immense fun is in the taking part and gives a real sense of belonging.

 

Dr Susan Mathew, the director of The Deepti Centre encouraged us to train more teachers across the region as this would have a greater impact on children in different schools. This was a step up for both us and all the staff at the centre, and several events have been endorsed by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

watch a video about tactile sensory play:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgZQzW5BxI&feature=youtu.be

In October 2016 we trained 50 special needs teachers and local Occupational Therapists in a new course “Developmental Play “ another 30 teachers and parents  from Deepti special school also attended gaining the certificate in Developmental Play. The course was so successful that we have decided to offer it in the UK aswell.

 

In January 2017 Caroline Essame and Dr Suvi Pitkola undertook a 2 day conference on the “Development of play and social skills in children with ASD” this time to an audience of 100 attendees.

 

 

Play matters. It’s the language of childhood. It’s the way that children make sense of their world. Play is also the process through which children learn about how their bodies work and how they can use them to have an impact on the world, whether that is through splashing in the bath or waving at someone who waves back. It’s about cause and effect, exploration and identity.

 

Our Developmental Play  course has been designed by Occupational, Play and Creative Arts Therapists with both educational, health and social service backgrounds and brings ideas and expertise to the field of play therapy and play based learning.  It specifically focuses on the stages that children go through to develop through play, so it has particular relevance for people who work with clients with special needs or very young children.

 

It is relationship-centred and based on contemporary research and practice, including:

  • Attachment theory and playful creative relationships
  • Neuro-dramatic play and neuro-linguistics
  • Creative arts education and play based learning
  • Eco-play, nature play and play in the outdoors
  • Sensory processing and bodywork

 

This June will see the launch of the UK training in Newcastle for level 1 of this 3 level certificate course introducing Developmental Play theory and practice.

By the end of the course participants will be able to understand and identify developmental play stages and apply developmental play practice to their work situation.

 

Each level has a three-day training workshop as well as online content, training and resources. Students undergo practical assignments and at the end of level 3, in order to qualify as the advanced practitioner, there is a written assignment to be submitted online. There is also an opportunity to study level 2 and 3 in India in October 2017 and work alongside the course coordinators in their special education practice at the Deepti Special School, so not only will you get to learn about play but also how to adapt it for children with special needs cross culturally.

 

On completion of all levels participants are accredited play practitioners and can register with CREATECATT’s Play Practitioners database.

 

For more information about the upcoming course in June 15th – 17th Newcastle or for details of training in India please contact either of the Caroline’s at :

 

[email protected]

www.createcatt.com

www.facebook.com/createplaymoveandlearn

www.deepticentre.com

 

Caroline Essame and Caroline Clay

 

Caroline Essame and Caroline Clay travel to India every year to work with children at The Deepti Centre in Kerala, India on a voluntary basis. Their unique style of training crosses language barriers bringing creative fun to learning. They aim to impact thousands of children by supporting educators and therapists across the world.