Children’s Workshops
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Two hour workshops during weekends, half terms and holidays ranging from colour therapy, art therapy, story massage, meditation and relaxation, mindfulness workshops, aromatherapy, pottery, creative and crafts, kids’ cookery, kids’ yoga workshops, crystal kids,jewellery making, sea glass craft , driftwood art and outdoor nature workshops, to name just a few ! Most workshops are held in the therapy chalet unless otherwise stated and are run by fully certified, DBS checked teachers , therapists and instructors.
Keep an eye out here for details of all workshops as they come in and book online at info@therapiesforspecialneeds.co.uk or by calling 07791 977786. All bookings must be made in advance due to limited places.
The workshops are for all children , of all ages and all abilities whether neurotypical or with a different ability.
Pricing
The cost is £10 per child unless otherwise stated and refreshments are provided, however children might like to bring a packed lunch or snacks as well as a drink. Cakes and refreshments included.
Workshops
*Wednesday 20th February 2019*
*Relaxation Afternoon : 1pm – 3.30pm*
*Venue: Rainbow Kids at Holistic Therapy Dunster with Kelly May Twiss MFHT*
A lovely , warm, nurturing and magical afternoon to share with friends . Story massages, yoga stretches, guided meditations and creative activities all enjoyed at a slow and gentle pace. Each child will bring home with them a ‘calm in a bottle ‘ aromatherapy roll on, blended especially to help them relax and unwind whenever they need it. Kelly is a fully qualified and insured aromatherapist.
All ages welcome. £10 per child including yummy snacks and a gift. Limited spaces available.
*Sunday 10th March 2019*
*Crystal Kids workshop : 2pm – 4pm*
Venue : The Therapy Chalet, Porlock Hill, Near Minehead ,Somerset with Mary Smith M.Crys.H.Crystal Reiki Master /Teacher and fully qualified Sound Practitioner of many years experience.
Mary will take the children on a journey about energy which is in every living thing and all around us. The workshop will include how colours make us feel, how colours themselves feel , choosing crystals and why you are drawn to those particular crystals along with formation of them and how this can be used. Mary will share how to make a lovely peaceful space to relax in and will take the children on a beautiful guided meditation. A gift awaits each child who shares this special afternoon . Cakes and refreshments are included .
All ages and abilities welcome. Limited spaces available.
*Sunday 9th June 2019*
*Yoga for kids workshop 2pm-4pm*
- With Giuliana Wheater, BA Hons Exon, MCMA.
- Venue: The Therapy Chalet, Porlock, TA24 8QH
- Cost £10
I will be sharing yoga, mindfulness , breathing and sound with the children. Gentle , meaningful yoga stretches and releases to stimulate our happy hormones and coping chemicals, fun yoga poses to massage our digestive systems and internal organs, open our lungs and diaphragms and to stimulate the brain as well as personal and inter-personal awareness.
There will be some really fun and engaging yoga kids games and relaxation as well as some enchanted and kids yoga memory games , yoga pathways to explore. story telling and expression through yoga as well as team work with yoga poses and the breath.
Sound with the breath and sound with the poses will be shared along with some tibetan bowl ,chimes, wood shakers and rain sticks which the children will be invited to also share .
Much scientific research into the healing power and benefits of sound has been long proven, most notably by the best selling author of ‘The Hidden Messages of Water ‘ and leading Japanese scientist, Masau Emoto . He undertook experiments for years to prove that water which had positive words or beautiful lullabies, classical , relaxing music or tibetan bowls formed the most stunning crystals whereas water that was put near televisions, microwaves, pollution, negative words or heavy metal music formed misshapen , deformed crystals. Considering that children are made up of 75% water and adults up to 68% water, this is significant. Tibetan bowls are also proven to relax the pulse down to theta rhythm which is ideal for the body to be in the relax ,rest and repair state of the parasympathetic system.
There will also be a very mindful and deeply relaxing sensory/sound meditation to relax the body, be aware and present in the exact moment to promote rest, focus, concentration along with our bodies filling with the most amazing happy hormones ! Bliss !!
Cake and refreshments included. All ages and abilities welcome. Limited spaces available.
*Art Workshop Saturday 6th April 2109 2pm-4pm
*With Sarah Easter Collins
*Venue; The Therapy Chalet, Porlock Hill,Somerset TA24 8QH
*Cost £5
Sarah is a working artist based near Porlock. She loves to walk her two dogs Sid and Molly in the woods at Horner and up onto Dunkery Beacon , taking her inspiration from the natural landscape of exmoor : the trees, the spaces , the sense of space and wilderness. Her work can be seen in galleries in a number of locations in the South West.
She studied English and Fine Art at Exeter University and took her PGCE at Exeter. Prior to working full time as an artist, she spent 24 years teaching in the UK and in schools in Botswana,Malawi and Thailand.
In the workshop we will be using oil pastels and paint to create sgraffito images. Sgraffito is a lovely technique that involves drawing through the paint to uncover parts of the layer below.
Places are limited to just eight children, so early booking advisable. Bring an old shirt or wear old clothes as acrylic paints are very difficult to remove and we want everyone to enjoy themselves !
*Here is a little more information about Sarah : ” My work is based on personal journeys and remembered places. Painting for me is a reflective process,a return to those places and times that have burnt themselves into my memory,whether that of standing quietly in the empty space where the sea meets the sky, a moment of stillness watching the storm-soaked light or looking towards a flood of morning light through the hawthorn trees. I now live and work on Exmoor where the watery skies and constantly changing colours of the landscape area source of constant inspiration for me . I have previously lived in Botswana, Thailand and Malawi and I feel that the echoes of those wild and beautiful places are always there in my current paintings, by the sort of light and colours I am drawn to using, my love of big skies and my interest in certain plant forms – grasses, trees and wild flowers.
I work in mixed media and I am fascinated by what different combinations of media and materials can do. My work explores the variety of effects that can be created by building up layers of opaque paint with loose drizzles and swathes of flowing, transparent ink. Some parts of my paintings are careful and precise,created with quiet and careful deliberation,whereas other parts of my work are expressive and fluid,with paint drizzled, poured and brushed on with great speed. Sometimes I might sandpaper or hose certain parts off again as I like the idea of a painting having a history and the idea of being able to look back down through the layers of media to the earlier stages of a painting. ”
Sarah can be contacted at info@saraheastercollins.com and can be followed on Facebook for news, updates on her latest work and giveaways.
*Story Massage Workshop Sunday 28th July 2019 10am-midday
*With Mary Atkinson,Founder of Story Massage !
*Venue: The Therapy Chalet , Porlock Hill,Somerset TA24 8QH
- Cost £10 per child.
It is with huge excitement that we are welcoming the co-founder of Story Massage and author of several books including the five star rated “Once Upon A Touch” and “Healing Touch for Children”.
Mary will also be offering a one day FHT accredited Instructor Story Massage course on 27th July from the therapy chalet to parents, therapists, other professionals and to those who have trained with me also as an additional skill set to all I have shared. ( See under Massage Workshops for more details.)
Mary is an experienced complementary therapist ,author and tutor specialising in story massage and Indian Head Massage. She has over 25 years experience in education as a teacher, curriculum consultant and writer.She has also worked as an elementary Spanish bilingual teacher and her background prior to that was in journalism. Mary wrote the very first book in the UK about indian head massage, “The Art of Indian Head Massage “, and her many years of work in this field have taken her to schools, hospices and educational establishments the length and breadth of the UK.
We are so lucky to be having her !!
*Kids Aromatherapy Workshop 10th August 2019 2-4pm
*With Kelly May Twiss MFHT
*Venue : The Therapy Chalet, Porlock, TA24 8QH
Cost £10
A beautiful workshop exploring aromas with fully qualified aromatherapist and trained Rainbow Kids’ Instructor.
A Rainbow journey with Aromatherapy For Kids Workshop.
Fully trained by Giuliana as a Rainbow Kids, Instructor, Kelly has worked as an holistic therapist for over 15 years.She works from her beautiful room in the mediaeval village of Dunster on Exmoor. She enjoys working with many clients of all ages and her passion is now to share her knowledge that she has gained over the years ,to work with children as well as adults using touch therapy, mindfulness and aromatherapy.
this special workshop will take the children on a fun journey of discovery through the colours of the rainbow of essential oils. This will be a hands-on,interactive approach to learning about he benefits, uses and properties of these lovely oils.
As the children learn about each essential oil,they will build a rainbow bracelet made from lava beads which themselves have therapeutic healing properties. They will then choose their favourite oil which is doused onto the beads so that the children can benefit from the healing properties of the oil as long as they are wearing the bracelet.
The children can then take their bracelet away with a small bottle of their oil for top-ups.
The workshop will include a relaxing rainbow meditation and refreshments.
There will be an opportunity to purchase more of the bracelets on the day if you wish.
Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
*Pottery Workshop 18th August 2019
*With Helen Jones of Helen Jones Ceramics.
Venue:TheTherapy Chalet,Porlock TA24 8QH
Time: 2-4.30pm
Cost : £10 per child.
The children will design, make,paint and finish their own unique tiles to take home under expert guidance. Mindfulness, creativity, fine motor skills and magic all in one workshop ! And there’s cake and refreshments too as always !
Helen explains,“If you’ve ever pushed your hands into a piece of wet clay , you’ll likely have a sense of the therapeutic properties of the material. The physicality of the clay and its vast potential for creativity actively engage individuals both physically and mentally.
Working with clay is an activity that focuses on comforting textures, improved hand dexterity,better mood,elevated self-expression,allowing through a variety of exercises to discover new ways to understand and express thoughts and emotions.
Humans are all tactile creatures,but children especially are touchers,explorers and curious feelers. Utilising touch is a way for them to learn and to find comfort as well as a relaxed ,peaceful state of mind.Through engaging with clay the children will be able to improve their general health, well-being and mind-body-spirit, as well as cognitive ability and the articulation of positive feelings such as surprise, hope, satisfaction and joy.
Therapy practitioners have long lauded the restorative and meditative benefits of working with clay and creating ceramics.Studies show significant improvement in focus and self-expression.”
Helen’s Aim In The Workshop:
*1.To allow the children to at first use their abilities of touch by giving them a piece of clay to mould in their hands and to get used to the connection of feeling and of exploring with their own imaginations.Helen will guide them through rolling,pressing,shaping and showing them the potential of the malleability of clay and to engage with their thoughts.
*2.Helen would also like to show the children objects from her own collection of ‘treasures’ ; bark,pebbles,flower heads and leaves,patterned rollers and texture tools to name just a few),and how to be able to press objects into the clay and make patterns or pictures on a rolled piece of clay.
*3.Once the children have explored the feel and texture and become familiar with the properties of clay,they will make a tile each by deciding which textures or pattern imprint they choose to create a picture.Or they can alternatively go with the flow and just make shapes! Helen will then fire the pieces (stoneware stage 1 of firing). The children can then,if they so wish,continue to work on using colour in another session or paint at home or keep as a natural tone of clay colour.
Some more about Helen:
Helen Jones studied Art and Design at Harrow School of Art,working as a designer in London for 36 years developing corporate branding for retail giants and design for the music industry.
Since moving to Exmoor 9 years ago,Helen has continued her work in design but has recently rekindled her passion for ceramics and has found a creative outlet where she can experiment with design and media.In her own words,”From my first foray with clay I was smitten,with sleepless nights and a head full of ideas…it became my creative focus.”
As an avid collector of ceramics and textiles from the 1950’s and 60’s,her love of design and texture is reflected in her pieces. “I have an endless sketchbook of patterns and ideas to apply to my ceramics.I love experimenting with matt and gloss techniques,mixing glazes,throwing and building shapes reminiscent of these eras.”
Her stoneware vases and decorative vessels are a nod to these eras and sit comfortably in today’s interiors,be they contemporary or eclectic.Her work is constantly evolving and she finds inspiration from fashion,textiles,textures and living on the edge of the dramatic landscape of Exmoor National Park.
Children’s Workshops 2020
5 January 2020
Kids’ Yoga Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Time : 2-4pm
Venue The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse, Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead Somerset TA24 8QH
Cost ; £10 per child
Kids Reflexology Workshop with Margaret Titterrell.
Date : 19 January 2020
Time: 2-4pm
Venue : The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse, Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
Cost: £10 per child
Margaret is a fully qualified reflexologist of 23 years standing and has worked with children,adults,families,in hospitals and hospices. She is also fully trained by myself in Indian Head Massage for Special Needs and Advanced level Functional massage and is a qualified Rainbow Kids Instructor. She is a registered member of ITEC and the SFH.
This will be a tremendously fun, exciting ,easily accessible and relaxing workshop with a meditation to begin with and then exploring just how amazing it is that our feet contain a map of our bodies and health …it’s like magic but it’s science !Gentle massage will also be included so for non Rainbow /new children a short medical form will need to be completed .I feel really honoured that Margaret has been able to come all the way from Bampford, Devon, to share such a special afternoon with us .
Beautiful drawings and illustrations for each child to take home to practice from …. and cake as always !
Mindfulness,Meditation and Guided Journey Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 16 February 2020
Time: 2-4pm
Venue : The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse, Porlock Hill Somerset TA24 8QH
Cost :£10 per child
A magical,relaxing,sensory and immersive afternoon journeying and visualising. Sound therapy and aromatherapy ‘baths’ before and during our journeys along with exploring the vibrations of sound and breath work. refreshments and cakes included.
Kids Yoga Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date : 23 February 2020
Time : 2-4pm
Venue : The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Somerset TA24 8QH
Cost: £10 per child
Exploring and having fun with kids’ yoga poses, yoga games, meditation, breathing techniques, breath work with sound and mindfulness activities. A very chilled afternoon….cakes and refreshments included.
Kids Yoga and Yoga Story Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date : 5 April 2020
Time: 2-4pm
Venue : The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
There are so many different ways to create, express and communicate. In this workshop we shall be not only having fun with yoga poses, sound and breath work , we shall be creating our own yoga stories. Imagination, teamwork, creativity, movement, mindfulness and inclusion all rolled into one !
Mindful Games and Crafting Workshop
Date: 9 April 2020
Time: 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
Cost: £10 per child.
This workshop will delve into the art of mindfulness,gratitude and expression through creating and making our own mindful games and activities. Children love seeing their ideas in print and to spend that mindful time really creating, focusing and producing. It is very empowering and boosts self esteem, concentration, imagination and focus. Everything is done as a team with everyone pooling ideas and feeling valued… life skills being built for the future.
Story Massage Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 31 May 2o20
Time: 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
Cost:£10 per child.
Touch crosses all barriers… language ,ability, different or special ability and speech. As I always reiterate, 80% of communication isn’t speech…. so here is a wonderful afternoon to learn story massage touch, invent some of our own story massage techniques and put them into games and stories. Every child no matter their ability or confidence, is included and will leave feeling part of a team …feeling words, getting inside them, having fun with them ,in a new and explorative way. For those who “feel a bit funny ” about touch or who find it difficult to sit still, touch combined with storytelling is a wonderfully soporific and relaxed introduction. The results always blow me away ! This workshop is very much about learning different ways to express and communicate, to delve deeper into our imaginations and creativity and to boost confidence and self esteem.
Storytelling Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date:19 July 2020
Time: 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead,TA24 8QH
Cost : £10 per child
There is something deeply magical about being told a story and something even more magical about writing them ! In this workshop the children will use a variety of mediums to tell stories…. story cards, story dice, our beautiful hand painted story pebbles, items collected from nature or hidden on a trail ….the possibilities are endless ! It’s all about imagination, mindfulness, play, exploring words, not always getting the outcome you planned, thinking on your feet, emotional and social skills as well as sowing the seeds for some very important life skills as we build stories together… Storytelling also massively stimulates those all-important happy hormones and coping chemicals so some very chilled children will be having the most gorgeously delicious time !
Kids Yoga and Relaxation Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date : 26 July 2020
Time; 2-4pm
Venue : The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
This workshop will include exploring the poses, introducing them into games and short stories, exploring breath work and breath work with sound as well as meditation and mindfulness stories,cards and activities. Sound therapy will also be explored .
Den Building Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 2 August 2020
Time:2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead,TA24 8QH
Children haven’t had a proper summer holiday until they’ve built a den !! In this workshop we are going to do just that in the woods which run alongside the therapy chalet , locating the ideal spot, sourcing the raw materials and working as a team to build the best ever den in Somerset if not the world !! Fresh air, imagination, physical activity ,mindfulness, focus and teamwork all rolled into one heavenly afternoon ! There might even be a camp fire ……..
Mindfulness,Meditation & Guided Journey Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 9 August 2020
Time : 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead,TA24 8QH
Cost:£10 per child.
The children will enter a magical world of the most beautiful guided journeys and sensational visualisations … including some with gentle sound therapy, immersive and sensory sound effects, music and evocative smells. The therapy chalet will be transformed into an Aladdin’s cave of magic, relaxation, immersion and stories. Soothed and wrapped up in all this deep relaxation on every level, every last tiny cell of the brain and body revitalised, the children will be levitating home ……..
Nature and Crafting Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 16 August 2020
Time 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead,TA24 8QH
Cost : £10 per child.
Children love being outdoors and yet increasingly they are being made to feel it is somehow separate from them or something to be fearful of. In the first half of this workshop we are going to really explore nature and then in the second half return to the therapy chalet to make the most magical and wonderful crafts from what we have collected. Fresh air, mindfulness, connection with nature , creativity and imagination are all explored and enjoyed as a team.
Kids Cookery Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date:24 August 2020
Time 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
Cost : £10 per child
So SO excited about this one !! Being part Italian and extremely proud of my roots, the children and I are going to make our very own gnocchi from scratch along with a big delicious sauce !!
Rolling gnocchi balls with my Nonna and Great Nonna as a girl was just the most glorious experience, not just unleashing a life- long adoration of cooking but also that love of a simple mindful activity and the sharing of stories as we rolled and rolled, totally absorbed in our task. I always found it to be like a little miracle the way the little air dried gnocchi would float to the top of the boiling water like little hot air balloons when they were done !! I still do ! If the weather is good, we will cook our homemade food over the fire pit in the garden. (full precautions and safety measures in hand naturally !)
One of my ex-students ,Eva, who I used to massage at a nearby large college,who happens to have autism and Downs Syndrome along with a shared passion for cooking and creating, will be joining me to show the children how to make and bake some muffins for desert!! She is just wonderful and is so excited to have this opportunity to help me host a workshop,particularly as with all the funding cut backs she has been left with such little chance to grow and express her talents. So I am hoping this is just the start for her !!!
Kids Art Workshop with Millie Cooper
Date : 1 November 2020
Time : 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet,Glen Halse,Porlock Hill,Nr Minehead,TA24 8QH
Cost:£10 per child
Beautiful, creative, mixed media , paint and resin workshop with the very talented Millie Cooper who has even sold some of her art in Hollywood ! She will kill me for sharing that but she is amazing and we are so so lucky that she is coming to share her knowledge and gifts with the children. I cant wait to see the therapy chalet in expressive delicious uproar as the children create and explore with no limits as to what they can achieve with art !
Christmas Sensational Meditations and Relaxation Workshop with Giuliana Wheater
Date: 20 December 2020
Time : 2-4pm
Venue: The Therapy Chalet, Glen Halse, Porlock Hill, Nr Minehead TA24 8QH
Cost : £10 per child.
This utterly magical and transportative workshop in the therapy chalet as the nights draw in early will be set under my beautiful silver birch trees hung with stunning silver and glass ice crystals . It will be like Narnia with just the trees for lighting,a (safe0 roaring fire crackling, the softest furry throws , fleeces and beanbags, the scent of cedar and pine … and big fluffy lined socks ! Onesies and Christmas jumpers welcome as we enter a truly beautiful world of journeying with sounds, scents and stories …..
*( Date TBC) Outdoor Nature/Forest workshop*
*Venue: The ancient trees and river of Horner Wood on the National Trust Holnicote Estate,Somerset*
With Thea Holly, a fully qualified teacher with a B.Ed in Special Educational Needs, who taught for both Avon Education Authority and Somerset Education Authority. Thea also spent seven years working in Child Care with various children’s charities. Thea is the author of “Listening To Trees” and has loved spending time amongst trees and nature since childhood. She is also a qualified aromatherapist as well as a Reiki and Sekhem therapist/practitioner of many years, standing.
Thea says, “Energy and the spirit of nature is all around us ; in our gardens, in the countryside we walk in, in the streams and rivers that wander through our land and in the air that blows through the trees. Our workshop will introduce to the sheer magic and energy of nature .Nature is so happy to share with us if we allow it to .”
So come along and enjoy being grounded in nature, filling yourself with wonder and connectedness and letting your bodies and hearts soak up all that wild freedom and wisdom. In an increasingly isolated and digitalised world, returning to nature brings such adventure,bonding and grounding.
Cost £10.... wellies, waterproofs , snacks and drinks advisable to cover every eventuality !
MAGICAL MEDITATION For Children
Monday 15th May 2021 5-6pm GMT
Zoom workshop
With Giuliana Wheater
Just £5 per family
So completely FABULOUS for mental health, physical health, mental clarity and focus, perspective, emotional intelligence and stimulates better,deeper sleep, energy, productivity, creativity as well as anxiety and stress.
Soft, immersive, sensational journeying with sound, breathwork and magic ! All ages and abilities welcome !
Please email me at info@therapiesforspecialneeds.co.uk
