Life with Special Needs: A Bedroom Fit for a Teen

We've moved house recently and Natty had some very strong ideas about her bedroom decor - one cherry pink wall it is then! 

Moving house can be fun!

It never will be a perfect Insta-ready room I can tell you. Her habit of hiding small objects in purses which then get hoarded in multiple handbags will ensure of that...

But just as every teen has their own ideas about decor, and their room layout will be determined by their physical and cognitive needs as well as being led by the space you have available, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to make their lives easier and more comfortable.

Natty's room is quite cosy to say the least and that has meant I've needed to be creative in order to help her organise herself. So here are a few hacks I've learnt along the way.

Label Items

We have an labelled underwear drawer, a sock drawer and a pyjama drawer. These can have small stickers with an easy read font and/or symbol, or you can laminate card and blu tac it on. It's also a great idea to label objects such as the door and window depending on your teen's needs. 

Baskets Work

Natty and her sister Mia have multiple baskets which are stored inn and on top of the wardrobe. Each one contains everything needed for a particular activity, say dance or gym class. Another contains sun hats, glasses and sun screen and yet another all the swim kit. This make getting ready to go out much easier. 

Make Clever Use of Space

You can use the space under ottoman beds* or in the drawers of divan beds* to store items that aren't wanted on a daily basis and keep them tidily out of sight.

If storage isn't a problem, then another option is a truckle bed, which has a second mattress tucked underneath for when friends come for sleepovers. Inexpensive shelving can house books, games and puzzles and again these can be labelled.

Desk Area

If your teen has homework to do, they might need a desk with a reading lamp. This can double up for doing art, puzzles or as a dressing table for getting ready. 

Create a Visual Timetable

A visual timetable can feature the morning or bedtime routine broken down into achievable steps, or show the weekly timetable of activities that your teen enjoys. Visual timetables help foster independence and life skills and can even set out the steps for chores such as changing bedding. 

Get the Height Right

Coat hooks can be great for hanging uniform or an outfit ready for the next day as this provides a visual cue for what's happening. But it's no good having a hook on the back of your door at full height if you are petite in stature. So look at your teen's room through their eyes when planning and if they are small, fix shelves and hooks within their reach.

Let Them Choose

Provide options for your teen to choose from so that they can personalise their space and have ownership of the project. Simple cosy touches such as new cushions, a duvet set, rug, lamp shade or poster can really personalise a space.

Showcase Their Collections

Perhaps your teen has a collection of trains or dinosaurs or books, or as in Natty's case, tiaras. They might not be your idea of ornaments but they are precious to them. So display them on a shelf or desktop display unit. Items such as drawings, certificates or old records can be popped into cheap frames and hung on the walls.  

Family Tree

Family photos can be slotted into over door hanging pouches or displayed in frames. This is a way for your teen to cherish special memories or milestones in their lives. 

Get Sensory

Your child might like their room to be quiet, in which case you can use soft furnishings or pin fabric to the ceiling to muffle sound. Equally they might enjoy a sound system on which to blare out Little Mix on a loop. 

Mix and colours textures together to provide sensory interest. Pick different fabrics, faux furs and fluffy throws. 

You can bring aromatherapy into the room safely with a natural essential oil diffuser or by planting aromatic herbs in pots. 

Your teen might find a weighted blanket helps to calm them and aid sleep. They might also enjoy a memory foam pillow for support and some youngsters like a couple of extra pillows packed around them for comfort.

Make your teens bedroom a calm place to unwind

Sleep Hygiene

If your teen has trouble sleeping, it's a good idea to keep their bedroom a calm place. Eliminating tablets and phones before bed, lets them relax and helps their brain switch off for a good night. Read our Sleep Strategies post here. 

So, each room will be as individual as our teens themselves, and they are going to want to spend a lot of time in them, so why not make them as comfortable and functional as possible. 

* This post includes collaborative links.

Teacher Gifts: To thank you for helping me shine

 #AD Spoiler alert - look away now if you are Natty's teacher!

It's time to start thinking about teacher gifts for the end of the Summer term

Not Home School Heaven

I'm not sure about you, but since the endless stretched-out days of home schooling during the Covid lockdowns, where time stood still, we all lived on banana bread, snacks and short walks, and where our calendars hung empty on the kitchen wall, I've found that we are cramming our lives full of more fun than ever now that the global pandemic has eased.

My home school teaching skills were a bit under par...

Summer's A-Coming

And as a consequence there only seems to be a blink of an eye between each school holiday and the half terms, and the sudden realisation that The Summer Holidays are just over the brow of the hill has hit me squarely between the eyes.

Cue, planning fun and inexpensive activities to entertain and delight Natty, meet ups with old friends, juggling childcare, custody and work commitments, all whilst keeping her interested in a bit of cleverly disguised school work.

Teacher Gifts: Thank you for helping me shine

But the end of term also means thanking Natty's teacher and classroom assistants. They have worked extra hard this year, having to devise new ways of working through a pandemic and then helping youngsters re-settle into school life whilst supporting their challenged mental health and guiding them through missed academic ground (I hate the term ''catching up').

And I think more than ever, I appreciate what teaching staff do, especially after having found home schooling so very, very difficult, despite having once been a 'real' teacher. (Although, in my defence, professional teachers aren't doing a second job whilst teaching 2 different year groups, rustling up lunch and whipping a hoover around the classroom in which they also live...)

Personalised teacher gifts with inspiring slogans from Gift Delivery UK

Great Teacher Gift Ideas

With pennies tight for most of us and the cost of living rising, showing your appreciation to your or your child's teacher needn't be expensive. As a former teacher myself, some of my most treasured end of year gifts were either homemade or inexpensive practical gifts. Try to keep them small and light if possible, just in case your teacher cycles or catches the bus to work! 

And remember, it's the thought that counts.

You could try giving them:

• a small packet of homemade shortbread, cookies or fudge
• a handcrafted thank you card or painting
• a personalised coffee mug, pencil case, coaster or tote bag teacher gift from Gift Delivery UK*
• a pack of useful stationary, such as coloured pens for marking, Sharpies, board markers or even post-it notes
• a DIY bathbomb
• a jar of nice coffee, hot chocolate or box of tea
• a homegrown plant or flowers. This could be something you have grown from seed or a cutting, a herb plant or a little tomato sapling. Even a pretty bunch of wild flowers tied with string make a colourful offering.

Natty chose a ceramic coffee mug for her teacher,
which reads 'thank you for making me shine'*

Time to Shine

*Natty was allowed to choose a teacher gift in exchange for writing a review. She loves this re-usable double wall ceramic travel mug with a soft silicone lid. She chose it because it's big enough to hold all the tea that her teacher drinks every morning. She was able to ask for his name on it and it reads 'thank you for helping me shine', because he has certainly done that this year.

We hope you also have fun finding ways to thank the teacher that has brought sunshine to your school world this year and helped you sparkle. It's time to shine!

Preparing for Tonsillectomy the Fun Way

D Day. 

Or should I say T Day. 

Natty is having her tonsils +/- her adenoids removed.

Bye bye tonsils

Yes, I know it's routine, and my head also knows thousands of children have it done each year. I had it mine out when I was 4. My mum wasn't allowed to stay with me. I do remember a lot of ice-cream though, and my Grandma buying me a new red overnight case.

Powerful Words: How to Be a Captivating Public Speaker

A Captivating Public Speaker

A good speaker, be it at a conference, after dinner at an awards ceremony, or via a traditional platform like TedX, holds a lot of power in their hands. 

The right words, delivered well, have the ability to move us to tears, shake us with laughter or make us stop in our tracks and think deeply about an area of life that we have never before contemplated. Words quite literally shape our thinking and can stay with us long after the talk is over. 

Empathetic, relatable and passionate after dinner speakers* will make you feel as if you are walking their path alongside them. They will make you see life from a different perspective. And when a warm and honest orator takes to the stage, you will not hear a single pin drop. There will be no need to hush the audience, for they will be utterly captivated.

Whilst we can all hone our speaking skills and improve how we deliver our message with practice, I do believe that the desire to want to get up and overshare our personal stories in front of strangers is probably due to some innate personality trait. But the ability to do that in a way that audiences want to keep hearing is truly an honour and a blessing. 

Sally Phillips is a brilliant after dinner speaker

Fate: Reunited with the Nurse Who Changed Everything

Just over ten years and a few weeks ago, our youngest daughter Natalia quietly and swiftly made her entrance into our world. A gentle birth, a soft soul and a rare delicate beauty came together that day. 

Yet all around us, and her, raged a kind of storm. Turbulent emotions, the whispering winds of ignorance and a heavy weight of worry filled our hearts. 

Reunited with the nurses who changed our lives

The identification of Down's syndrome and a heart condition was a shock to us, something we weren't expecting, or at least had shut from the consciousness of possibility.