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Search Jar

Search Jar

You will need:

  • A transparent container – we used a 500ml drinks bottle but you can use something with a wider neck if you want to use larger objects inside. 
  • Something ‘granular’ for the shaking part of the search jar, e.g. rice, lentils, small plastic beads, sand. 
  • A range of objects small enough to pass through the neck of your container but varied enough to be easily and separately identifiable. Items could include coins, small plastic figurines, nuts and bolts, snippets of coloured thread, shells, brightly coloured beads or even parts of old jewellery!

Instructions:

1. Place all your ‘search’ items into the container and cover with the granules. Top tip: Do this in layers to ensure they are spread out within the jar. Don’t just fill the jar with granules first and then try to fit them all in as that will end up in a mess. 

2. Secure the lid: depending on who you will be sharing the jar with, you may want to glue the lid shut, or simply ensure it is well screwed on. 

3. Label accordingly, either with a list of items or simply the number of items that are in the container. Top tip: Add a short instruction or question, e.g. “Find 6 items” or “What can you find in me?” 

4. Your search jar is complete – we hope it brings you and the children hours of fun!

Two-ingredient  ice-cream

Two-ingredient ice-cream

You will need:

  • Punnet of strawberries 
  • 4/5 bananas 
  • Zip seal freezer bags 
  • Blender 
  • Mixing bowl 
  • Cones/bowls 

Instructions:

1. Prepare the fruit in advance by chopping up a punnet of strawberries and 4 or 5 bananas. 

2. The children can help by placing the fruit into zip-seal freezer bags and sealing them tight, being careful to squeeze out the air without squeezing out the fruit!  

3. Freeze for 6 hours, break up into chunks and blitz in a blender until it is the consistency of a smoothie.  

4. Pour it into a big dish, cover and freeze for a further hour.  

5. The children can then spoon the ice cream straight from the freezer and serve it to each other in a cone or in a cup.  

6. Don’t forget the sauce and sprinkles! 

Brain box

This craft is in relation to the Celebrating difference and neurodivergence - part 5” article by Joanna Grace

You will need:

  • A box with a closure mechanism (that isn’t immediately obvious to the children) or a plastic tub with a lid that you can screw on. Rope, cord, ribbon, wool. A selection of different small items to stimulate the child’s curiosity.

 

Instructions

1. Make holes in the side of the box, thread the ribbon, cord, rope or wool through the holes, and knot together on the inside. I tied all of mine onto a curtain ring to make it easier for me. On the outside of the box fasten a different curiosity inducing object on the end of each thread.

2. Prepare several boxes and vary the lengths of the different threads, so that, for example, if on one box the large button is on a long thread, on another box the large button is on a short thread.

3. Before sharing the activity, open the box and pull all the threads from the inside so that all of the curiosity objects are pressed against the outside walls of the box.

4. To share the activity:

Simply offer the boxes for exploration. Allow the children to discover for themselves that the boxes, although appearing similar, have different properties inside which means that they get a different experience on the outside. 

5. Decorate the lids of the boxes with pictures of brains. Talk about how all of our brains work differently on the inside, meaning that some of us are good at some activities and others of us are good at other activities. 

Pineapple fried rice

Pineapple fried rice

What do you need?

 

  • Shredded wheat

  • Pineapple

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/2 bowl of frozen peas

  • 1/2 bowl of cooked rice

  • Garlic

  • Soy sauce

  • Chinese 5 spice powder

     

Instructions

1. Heat some oil, crack 3 eggs and add into a wok

2. Mix the eggs, then leave to cool until it forms an omelette

3. Remove onto a board and chop the omelette into small pieces. Leave this to one side for now

4. Ask an adult if they can prepare the pineapple ready for you to chop

5. Chop the pineapple fingers into pieces. Then leave the pineapple to the side

6. Cut the ends off the garlic and crush the segments into a garlic crusher

7. Put the garlic into the wok and fry on a medium heat

8. Add one teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder

9. Pour in a tablespoon of soy sauce and add to cooked rice

10. Add the frozen peas then mix

11. The rice should be a lovely brown colour. Mix and put on the hob on a high heat and keep stirring

12. Add the chopped pineapple and the chopped omelette

13. Mix it all together and cook on a high heat for around 5 minutes

14. Serve this into a bowl

Feelie box craft

Feelie box craft

This craft is in relation to the Celebrating difference and neurodivergence - part 4” article by Joanna Grace

You will need:

  • A large cardboard box
  • An old T-shirt 
  • A selection of different items to feel

 

Instructions

1. Cover the box with the T-shirt

2. Cut two holes in the sides of the box, level with where the sleeves of the T-shirt meet the box

3. The children will be able to reach down the T-shirt sleeves to feel the contents of the box and the fabric of the sleeves will stop them from being able to peek inside

4. Place something to explore inside the box and invite different children to feel it - and to describe what they feel and what they think about it

5. You could try the following:

Cotton wool, peeled soft fruit - like grapes or tomatoes (dropping them into boiling water makes their skin easy to peel off) something gooey or slimy, like slime, gak or a homemade playdough, feathers, polystyrene, ice cubes

6. A feelie box is essentially a container that isolates our sense of touch. Consider how you could create a similar experience for other senses, like tasting with a blindfold on or closing your eyes and listening

Best ever chocolate nests

Best ever chocolate nests

What do you need?

 

  • Shredded wheat

  • Chocolate

  • Mini eggs

  • Cake cases

     

Instructions

1. Heat some oil, crack 3 eggs and add into a wok

2. Mix the eggs, then leave to cool until it forms an omelette

3. Remove onto a board and chop the omelette into small pieces. Leave this to one side for now

4. Ask an adult if they can prepare the pineapple ready for you to chop

5. Chop the pineapple fingers into pieces. Then leave the pineapple to the side

6. Cut the ends off the garlic and crush the segments into a garlic crusher

7. Put the garlic into the wok and fry on a medium heat

8. Add one teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder

9. Pour in a tablespoon of soy sauce and add to cooked rice

10. Add the frozen peas then mix

11. The rice should be a lovely brown colour. Mix and put on the hob on a high heat and keep stirring

12. Add the chopped pineapple and the chopped omelette

13. Mix it all together and cook on a high heat for around 5 minutes

14. Serve this into a bowl

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