This week most of the kids went on their school camp. Half of them went during the first three days and the other half went on the last 3 days of the week. So our numbers at OSHC were low because a) obviously most of the kids were away, and b) the days the kids came back most of the parents arranged time off work to collect kids and luggage early.
So Friday was Biscuit Decorating - we had our usual fruit platters but before afternoon tea time I had the kitchen table set up with lots of different colour icing tubes, sprinkles, sugar stars, choc chips, marshmallows...and the kids came in to decorate 2 biscuits each (rotating 6 kids at a time around the table) which they set aside to eat after their fruit.
I was so busy helping the kids with their biscuits and making sure the decorations didn't run out that I didn't take any pictures until the very end. The last kid to decorate his biscuits has been diagnosed with autism and he also has significant issues surrounding food and eating - he has some very specific peculiarities that we have managed to develop a mutual routine with at OSHC but this can be difficult to stick to at the best of times. So anyway, he was lurking around for quite a while watching the other kids decorate their biscuits, each time I asked him if he wanted to join in he stood back saying 'no, no, I'll just wait' and finally when everyone else had finished he said he was ready to decorate his own biscuits. So after a crazy rush for nearly an hour as 45 kids decorated biscuits, the kitchen was quiet and seemingly empty with just the two of us left, and he quietly decorated as I slowly started to tidy up around him.
Eventually, I looked over and asked how he was going and he said that he was good and had turned his biscuits into faces, then he pointed at one of them and said 'that one's you". I felt so honoured that he chose me as the inspiration for his food art, I had to take a picture and share it with everyone. It can be difficult working children but so rewarding when you connect with them - even more so when that child has a disability or some other factor that has a major impact on how they function and grow in their life.
So this was my warm and fuzzy moment for the week 😊
