Events and Visits
Examples of Playgroup, Pre-school and School Activities
Amanda visited Holy Cross Primary on the 17th of May, 2010. She ran two half hour sessions for the infants classes (Kindergarten to Year 2). Amanda first read Dave is Brave with the children, then played a game based on helping children learn to "Stop!, Think, Do". Finally, Amanda taught the song, Be Brave, whilst the children followed along with the actions.
The teacher-librarian commented:
"The activities were all appropriate to the audience. The children enjoyed it thoroughly."
Amanda visited Medowie Playtime on the 25th of February, 2010. She ran three different craft activities on the theme of feelings. Then she ran story time, reading Dave is Brave and teaching the children Be Brave.
At the end of the day, children were given a party bag containing a few trinkets, a postcard and a CD of Be Brave.
If you would like Amanda to come to your playgroup, preschool or centre and run a similar activity, contact us or see below.
Examples of Community Events
On January 16th 2010, we celebrated our first birthday with an activity day by the park. We had a range of children's craft activities, games and a table where the Learn to be Buddies products could be sampled and bought.
To view a slide show of what we did and find out more of what happened, visit here.
If you would like us to run a similar activity at your fete, market or other family event, please contact us.
Examples of Parent and Educators Workshops
On the 12th of July, 2010 Amanda ran a workshop for the Autism and Aspergers Support Group Inc Hawkesbury. It was an exciting night, with about 90 people in attendance. We had some great discussion. The topic was Understanding Bullying, Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Importance of Home-School Collaboration. According to the feedback forms from attendees, one of the hightlights was the question/answer session at the end of the night.
One teacher wrote about the night... "Well explained. A very approachable person."
A parent wrote... Thank you - wonderful! Empowering! Everything you said [was a highlight]! I loved hearing others' experiences of ther autistic child. I had never met other parents of Autistic children.Another parent wrote: "You gave me some great strategies. Enjoyed the way Amanda included the audience instead of just lecturing."You can purchase a booklet based on some of the information workshopped on this night in our store. You can also download a fuller report on how participants responded to the night here.
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On February 16th, 2010, Amanda ran a workshop on bullying at Hunter Connect, a support group for families and professionals caring for or teaching children with Autism and other developmental delays.
Abstract:
Teachers and parents are invited to come and hear about Bullying in Schools: What can we expect?
Bullying is an issue that many of us will face, either in our own lives or our children’s lives. Understanding the nature of bullying, as well as legislation, policies and procedures for dealing with it in the education system, is important for both parents and teachers. Amanda Gray, a special education teacher who now works at the University of Newcastle, will talk about the Commonwealth Disability Standards for Education 2005 and how it influences prevention, reporting and responding to bullying in schools and pre-school settings.
To find out more, click here. You can also purchase the booklet, Bullying in Schools: What can be we expect?, in our store.
If you want Amanda to come and talk to your support group, parents' meeting or staff meeting, contact us.
We have a range of ideas for you to choose from. These include:
- Amanda reading Dave is Brave to a group of children. For more information, download this pdf document.
- Amanda running craft activities, games, and a reading of Dave is Brave. For more information, download this pdf document.
- Amanda running a series of activities for a group of children. For more information, download this pdf document.
- Amanda running a stall at your next fete - where your school/service receives 30% of all sales.
- Amanda running a workshop or short seminar for a group of parents or staff on topics related to social development, bullying and/or inclusion.
Contact us to make a booking, or if you want to suggest a different event. Larger groups of children can be catered for - just let us know what you want.