CHRISTMAS PARTY, Sunday 10th January 2010

On behalf of the Rainbowland Play Time Committee, we hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that the new year will provide you with much love, laughter and happiness.

To get the year started on a fun and happy note, we have planned a belated Christmas party for our Rainbowland families.

The details are below:

When: Sunday 10th January

Time: 2-5pm

Where: Greenwith Community Centre

Special Guest: Bozette the Clown at 3pm.

What to bring: Please bring your own drinks. We will be providing gluten and casein free party food for the kids. This caters for the children who are on the special diet as well as the children who don't havea any diet restrictions.

Who is Invited: Any family who has already attended Rainbowland Play Time, or any family who is interested in being a part of the group. Support people are most welcome, including friends and family.

RSVP: Allison at rainbowlandplaytime@gmail.com by Friday 8th January. If you can RSVP earlier, that would be most appreciated to help with catering.

The Rainbowland Play Time Committee are very much looking forward to celebrating the festive season with all our families.

HAPPY RAINBOWS

Sunday 22nd November Session is CANCELLED

Unfortunately, the session scheduled for the 22nd November has been cancelled due to illness. We hope to see many families at our last session being held the following Sunday on 29th November. Same time, same place.

HAPPY RAINBOWS,
Allison

SESSION UPDATES: 18th October - 1st November 2009

During the past 3 weeks, families have enjoyed the new bubble machine, that was kindly donated by Simone Rister, in addition to all the fabulous equipment availabe for us to use and supplied by the City of Tea Tree Gully.

We welcomed a new family, Filomena and Robert who brought along their gorgeous little boy James. Now we have 2 James', 2 Joshs' & 2 Jacobs'.... all starting with the letter 'J'.

Term 4 Rainbow Land Play Time Sessions & Family Registrations

The Rainbow Land Play Time Committee is excited about the move to the Greenwith Community Centre because of all the new opportunities it presents. We are now preparing for our exciting summer school holiday program that has been made possible due to the generosity of everyone donating to the Mayor's Charity Breakfast, being held in the coming weeks. We have lots of exciting activities planned, including movie days, a late x-mas party (2 weeks after X-Mas) and a trip to the zoo. Detatils are yet to be confirmed, but will be once we know how much money is being donated to us.

To be eligible to participate in our summer school holiday program, you must be registered with us. Registration is only possible by completing a Family Information Form. If you would like to register, you can either complete the Family Information form at a Rainbow Land Play Time session or email me at rainbowlandplaytime@gmail.com and I'll email or post one to you. You needn't belong to the City of Tea Tree Gully to be eligible and you don't even have to attend every week. All we ask is that you attend a session once every school term to remain a registered family. For the time being, we will be capping the number of families who can be registered with us to 25, but will review how this works because we want to be able to take as many families as possible.

Pease keep in mind that the siblings of the child with special needs are just as welcome and can also particapte in all of our programs. We also love it when our Dads come along. They are having a great time recently playing with the kids on the basketball court.If you are a family who has been wanting to attend Rainbow Land Play Time, but haven't yet made it, we look forward to meeting you in Term 4 and enjoying a wonderful summer school holiday with you.Take care and we'll see you next Sunday 18th October if you can make it.

HAPPY RAINBOWS
Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sunday 27th September 09

This week was a pretty exciting week because we had the pleasure of having professional photos taken by one of our wonderful Mums, Helen Howson. Although she was there for the purpose of taking photos of the committee for a magazine article, we were also fortunate enough to have individual photos and group photos taken. We had a lot of fun and ended up with some great shots. Thanks Helen so much and for giving us such a different Rainbow Land Play Time session.

We had five families attend, with 20 people in total (5 children with specific needs). The children were loving the photo shoots and willingly joined in. We got some gorgeous shots of some of the beautiful friendships that have developed as a result of Rainbow Land. We captured some wonderful memories that day and will share them with everyone during the coming weeks.

It was a lovely way to finish the term that was a little bit unsettling at times, but ended on a very positive note.

HAPPY RAINBOWS,

Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sunday 20th September 09

The second week at the Greenwith Community Centre was just as enjoyable as the first. We had three families attend, with a total of 13 people (5 children with specific needs). It was wonderful to see the Kerin family attend again and to have the Howsons along for the first time at the new centre.

The younger children really enjoyed playing with the little roller coaster and riding bikes outside. Once again the basketball court was the most popular activity.

SESSION UPDATE: Sunday 13th September 09

This week was our first session at the Greenwith Community Centre. We had three families attend and welcomed another wonderful new family.... the Kerin Family. Carley & Shaun brought along their gorgeous sons James & Mitch and had fun with the rest of the group playing with toys, riding bikes outside and taking advantage of the massive basketball court.

My sons Jacob and Aaron were so worn out by the time we got home, I haven't heard a peep out of either of them and Kristie has been quiet as well (if only we had Rainbow Land Play Time to go to every day!!). I would expect Taylor and Ben would be the same with all the activity they joined in with.

We were also fortunate to have the City of Tea Tree Gully's Neighbourhood Development Team Leader, Maggie L'Estrange, visit the group.

It was a bit of a relief to get the first session back after a four week break out the way, especially because we are now using a different building. It will probably take a bit of getting used to, but I am sure after a small amount of time, it will feel like we have been there for ages. The basketball court was a big hit today, which was lovely to see.

Take care and HAPPY RAINBOWS

Allison xxx

Photos of the New Location for Raibow Land Play Time

I am so excited because I have been to the centre twice this week and I know everyone is going to love it. I took Jacob there today and he had the best time, even though we spent most of the time in the office playing with toys. I have posted photos of the Centre below so you can see what to expect when you arrive. Be sure to show your children the photos if you can so that they feel a little bit familiar with building when they get there.

The reason I was at the centre today was to complete a grant application to the City of Tea Tree Gully (with Lynne Ogbeide's wonderful assistance) for some resources and equipment for the social skills group. We are calling the group the Rainbowland Kid's Club. Fingers crossed we are successful with the grant because I have put down for some fabulous stuff that I know the kids will love. I will be brining a copy of the grant application and the resources and equipment I have asked for on Sunday so you can have a look if you want.

Because we have shifted venues, we no longer have our own tea and coffee supplies. I have to follow up if they still exist from when I purchased them for Sunnybrook. If you could please bring your own supply of tea, coffee and sugar and I will bring the milk for this week. I will do my best to sort out the supplies for the following week.

HAPPY RAINBOWS AND SEE YOU SUNDAY :-)
Allison xxx

Our First Session at Greenwith Community Centre is this Week

I am very pleased and excited to announce that Rainbow Land Play Time is recommencing at its new location at the Greenwith Community Centre this SUNDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 2009.

We hope that you will be able to join us and I hope that the families who have indicated they would like to come along for the first time make it also.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0400 006 165.

HAPPY RAINBOWS

Allison

Saturday 6th September 2009: Session is CANCELLED

I am soooo embarrassed to once again advise that playgroup won't be happening this week. Living day to day as I do, it didn't even occur to me that this Sunday is Father's Day. My first and immediate thought was to organise a BBQ for our fantastic Dads on Sunday, but realistically, I don't have time to organise it. Perhaps we should look at doing this next year. Our Dads are fab and I think it would be wonderful to celebrate how important they are to us together. Same goes for Mother's Day. I never go anywhere on Mother's Day, or if I do, it is just too much for me and I don't get to enjoy the day like I would really like to. We can explore these possibilities more if enough people are interested.

Rainbow Land Play Time is Changing...

After a 2 hr meeting (Helen & I represented the Playgroup Committee) with the City of Tea Tree Gully Neighbourhood Development Team, it was decided the Sunnybrook Community House is not suitable for our group. Because of this decision, there will be NO PLAYROUP THIS WEEK (29th August).

Playgroup will now be held on a Sunday between 1 - 3:30pm at the Greenwith Community Centre. We are excited about this development, but apologise to anyone who will not be able to attend because of the change to the day and location. We do, however, believe more family units will be able to attend because often sport on a Saturday prevents siblings and Dads from being able to attend, and even prevents whole families from attending. The main reason for the relocation is because of the security issues. I wish to thank everyone who responded to my request for something in writing about the security issues. It really did help to explain our situation at the meeting.

The relocation of the playgroup will mean we will finally get the opportunity to implement programming, which I am particularly excited about. We have the basketball court booked for the last part of the session so the kids can run around and play ball, hopefully to run of all their energy before they go home (and hopefully strengthen their muscles, coordination & social skills at the same time). The court session will go from 2:30 - 3:30, allowing us time to pack up in the room at 3pm. We will work out how to manage this for children who don't like the court noise.

We are also looking for playgroup volunteers. We need two each week and they don't have to attend every week as we can put together a roster system. So, if you know someone who would like to volunteer, please email me at rainbowlandplaytime@gmail.com.

Lastly, the City of Tea Tree Gully staff have offered to help us with funding applications. This is fantastic because they often know a lot more about what is out there than we do.I would like to finish by saying that I am grateful to the CTTG for their responsiveness this week. They showed us compassion when it came to addressing our concerns and worked outside the square to come up with an outcome that not only meets the needs of the children's safety, but also their developmental needs in programming ideas.

♥ Allison xxx

THIS WEEK IS CANCELLED: Sat 29th August 2009

Saturday 29th August 2009 Session is CANCELLED.

I am sorry to say that Rainbow Land Playgroup is cancelled AGAIN this week.

Playgroup will now be held on a Sunday between 1 - 3:30pm at the Greenwith Community Centre. We are excited about this development, but apologise to anyone who will not be able to attend because of the change to the day and location. We do, however, believe more family units will be able to attend because often sport on a Saturday prevents siblings and Dads from being able to attend, and even prevents whole families from attending.

Please see THE ABOVE POST for further information.

♥ Allison

THIS WEEK IS CANCELLED: Sat 22nd August 2009

I am sorry to say that Rainbow Land Playgroup is cancelled this week. We are still trying to resolve security issues with the entrance door because more children a absconding each week (ironically mine are always in there!) and because there has been a confirmed case of the Swine Flu with a family who attended last week. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience if you were intending to go. Playgroup will be on again next week.

♥ Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 15th August 09

20 FAMILY MILESTONE :-)

With 6 families attending this week, we welcomed another 3 new wonderful families. This took us to the magic number of 21 Rainbow Land families. We had 19 people join us Saturday. It was so lovely to meet Holly, the two Zach's and Bailey, who all enjoyed their time playing outside together.

We were so lucky that we had the lovely warm weather on Saturday, and not the cold, wet and windy weather on Sunday. It is so lovely when we can get outside to play in the playground area. The older girls from the group enjoyed some quiet time inside drawing some very creative pictures, including pictures of rainbows and stars.

Until next time
♥ Allison xxx

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 8th August 09

We were blessed with another beautiful day again this week. There is nothing better than being able to enjoy the sunshine and having lots of natural light inside the hall!

We welcomed another 2 new families to our group this week. Nonni's son's Bailey and Finn had a lovely time playing in the sand pit, while Fiona's children Brodie, Alicia, Christine & Jennifer all enjoyed inside and outside play.

We are fast approaching 20 families who are members of our playgroup since March this year when the group first began. It is great to see that each family attends when it is good for them, whether it be almost every week or every now and again. It brings me much personal joy to know that we have provided a place for our families to go on a Saturday where they we can all surround ourselves by other beautiful families who completely understand what we are all going through. The best moments are those when we get to celebrate new milestones together.

Love Allison xxx

VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

I am very happy to announce we have an official committee for Rainbow Land Play Time. The committee members are:

Allison Dix
Helen Howson
Simone Rister
Frances Willson
Melanie Heaney

All these wonderful ladies bring their own unique talents to the committee aside from the fact they are wonderful and dedicated individuals who really care about the Rainbow Land Play Time's future and having much needed services for families living with autism in the community.

We are yet to hold our first meeting, however, this will be soon depending on everyone's busy schedules. There is a lot for us to discuss and make decisons on, however, we will be sure to keep everyone informed.I have to say that the announcement of the committee is a great relief to me because these fabulous women will bring much more to the group than I could ever bring on my own.

I wish to thank them for their support over the past 5 wonderful months that we have been holding the playgroup as well as to all the families who are a part of our group and everyone else who supports us.

I would also like to specifically thank both Shelley & Ian Craig for doing such a wonderful job in helping me get the playgroup off the ground.

HAPPY RAINBOWS :-)♥ Allison

P.S. The fundraising / official opening dinner is now likely to be held early next year. I have finally received a response back from Sfera's about hosting it for us and so now at least I have something I can take to the committee to discuss. xxx

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 1st August 09

at 8:39pm on August 4th, 2009

Saturday 1st August 2009. We had 4 families attend again this week. We welcomed the Engelsma family. Cathy's sons, Reece and Tyson are just such lovey little boys.With a nice little group of 11 people, we decided to have a hot chip lunch.

The children all sat around a table and ate their hot chips and ice creams while us Mums chatted together (some would call it a Mother's meeting, but I say we are simply modelling social behaviours for the children). The session started out a bit chaotic (crazy bikes in the hall!), but turned out to be lovely, calm and socialable. I forgot to mention that Helen Howson dropped in for a quick hello because her children were home sick.

HAPPY RAINBOWS
Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 25th July 09

at on August 7th, 2009 at 8:31pm

Saturday 25th July 2009. The weather on this day was just perfect for playgroup. We had the best time playing together outside in the beautiful sunshine. It is so much fun being a child and going down the slippery dip, but don't tell anyone I did that! We had 4 existing families attend. It felt more like a twin playgroup than Rainbow Land with 3 sets of male twins all around the same age. We had 15 people attend in total. We all had such a great time. :-)

HAPPY RAINBOWS
Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 4th July 09

at 3:08pm on July 12th, 2009

Saturday 4th July was also a special week because Tony Zappia, Federal Member for Makin & Rainbow Land Patron, paid us all a visit. Many Mums took up the opportunity to have a chat with Tony, which gave Tony an insight into our lives and how the playgroup is run. He also got to see first hand how important groups like ours are to not just our children, but to the parents & siblings too. We are very grateful to have been visited by our playgroup patron. We again had 7 families attend playgroup last week, with a total of 21 people.

Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 6th June 09

at 3:07pm on July 12th, 2009

The 27th June was a very exciting week for the playgroup because we welcomed another three new families. Welcome to everyone new to the playgroup and thank you for sharing your Saturday with us. In all we had 7 families attend with 22 people in total.

Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 20th June 09

at 11:27pm on June 20th, 2009

Today we all had a bit of a crazy time (must have been the wind!), but we all enjoyed each other's company very much. We again welcomed another new family - Melody and her beautiful 6yo son Joeben. It was also a pleasure to have 3 wonderful visitors attend. Lee-Anne Black from Autism SA visited us again and handed out Australian Autism Handbooks to those who qualified for one. We also had Christine Beal attend, who is the speech therapist for Jacob & Aaron Dix. Then we had Louise Moon, who is currently studying to be a speech therapist - can't wait for you to be out there helping families next year Louise.In addition to the three visitors, we had 4 families attend, which included 7 children.The nominations for the committee have now closed. We will be announcing the committee members, their duties & responsibilities in the next week or so. Have a great week.

Allison xxx

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 6th June 09

at 7:06pm on June 13th, 2009

Today we had the best time at playgroup. We had a very special session where we had a little party to celebrate three birthdays. We had Chloe, who turned 11; Ebony, who turned 8 and little Josh, who turned 5. Happy b'day guys. You are all so beautiful..We had the highest number of families (7) attend today and we welcomed a new family with Jenny and little 2 yo Harper. Harper - we loved having you... you are a very sweet little girl.

It was also wonderful to see the Craig family. I can't believe how much little Archer has grown - such a little cutie. Ryliegh, you are growing up so fast too. Helen's Jacob was amazing today when he asked to go inside after arriving, which was such a wonderful milestone. Kristie and Taylor & Ben played beautifully together and really enjoyed the party. My little men Jacob and Aaron loved riding the new bikes for the first time.

Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 6th June 09

at 11:36am on June 7th, 2009

Yesterday was a fantastic day at playgroup. We had another 2 new families join us, which was wonderful. The children had a fantastic time riding around on the new wicked little bikes that have been purchased by the City of Tea Tree Gully for the group to use. It was so much fun.In total, we had 5 families attend with 9 children. Helen Howson & I will be presenting to the City of Tea Tree Gully Council this coming Tuesday in relation to the Federal Disability Parking Scheme review. If you are interested, you are more than welcome to attend the meeting in support of this initiative. I will be sending everyone a message with more information.

at 11:11pm on May 30th, 2009

Today we all had a wonderful time at Rainbow Land and we welcomed two new families. The children had fun in and outside. There was lots of activity in the sand pit, on the springy seesaw and inside with the bikes and little blow up ball pit.

The parents weren't without a good time. We had a good chat about public services for our children while drinking a nice cup of coffee.We had five families attend today with a total of 11 children.

Happy birthday for tomorrow Ebony and to Chloe for last week. We will be having a little b'day party for Ebony & Chloe in two week's time.Thanks Helen for taking such beautiful photos of the kids today.

You are such a sweetheart.

Allison

at 6:54pm on May 23rd, 2009

Today we welcomed Simone and little Josh to the playgroup. Josh rode a little bug bike, which was the first time he has ridden on a bike. Hi 5 to you Josh and congrats Simone. It was so lovely sharing such a wonderful milestone and sweet moment with you.We had 3 families attend today.

The weather was a little unsettling and so we spent a lot of time inside. We found a little blow up ball pit (without the balls) and put cushions in it. The kids felt really comfy in it and had a relaxing time just lying around.

Lee-Anne Black visited again today. It is always lovely having her there to meet new parents and to catch up with existing ones. Lee-Anne will be back again in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to confirm her next visit when we know for sure she can come. By the way, Lee-Anne got engaged not long ago and showed us her gorgeous engagement ring (envy!!).

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU LEE-ANNE AND CRAIG.

Allison

GROUP NOTICE

at 8:35pm on May 21st, 2009

I hope everyone is well and not having to suffer with any of the illnesses going around.Playgroup is on again this week and if the weather stays as beautiful as it was today, it will be a lovely day to have some fun in the sun.Lee-Anne Black, Autism Advisor from Autism SA will be at playgroup this week, so if you were wanting to have an informal chat with her, Saturday is a great opportunity to do so.

I was advised by Tony Zappia's office (Federal Member for Makin & Patron of the playgroup) that on Wednesday 13 May in the Federal Parliament House in the House of Representatives, Tony spoke of the Rainbow Land Playtime Group. This of course now appears as a permanent record in the Australian parliamentary Hansard. Tony's assistant will be sending me a copy of the record and so I will ensure I share it with you then.

Kind Regards & Stay Well.
Allison

at 6:16pm on May 9th, 2009

It was so wonderful to be back at playgroup this week. We had three families attend and had a fantastic time playing with the children, drinking coffee, eating nibbles and relaxing in eachother's company. It was a perfect opportunity to discuss our children's therapy needs and the exciting opportunities coming up for the playgroup. Because it was overcast, we spent our time inside, utilising all the fab toys supplied by council for us to use.

Don't forget to think about the fundraiser at the end of the year - Tony Zappia, Federal Member for Makin has accepted the invitation to be our Playgroup's Patron, which is really wonderful and exciting for us all. Tony had previously jumped at the chance to officially open the playgroup for us and so this will now happen at the fundraiser.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL MUMS

Allison

Group Notice

at 8:10pm on April 23rd, 2009

NO PLAYGROUP ANZAC DAY OR SATURDAY 2ND MAY

Shellee & I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying the school holidays.Unfortunately, playgroup is cancelled for Saturday 2nd May as Shane & I are taking our delightful family on a holiday to Nanu Farm on Hindmarsh Island for a bit of a break. I will have a good look at their facilities and let you know if it ‘autism friendly’ in case you were wanting somewhere close to take the family for a short holiday.Playgroup will most definitely be on the following week from 1 – 3pm and so we look forward to seeing you all then.Take care and enjoy the rest of the school holidays. Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 4th April 09

at 11:37am on April 5th, 2009

Yesterday was such a wonderful playgroup (although I missed my sons & hubby because they were sick). Six families attended, including two new families who joined us for the first time. We were very fortunate to also have Lee-Anne Black, an Autism Advisor from Autism SA and Melanie Heaney an SSO from my daughter's school - St Joseph's PS at Tranmere. Our visitors meant so much to the group as it signified community support for what we do. Lee-Anne and Melanie both plan to visit us again, which is absolutely wonderful.The children had a FUN time colouring in Easter Eggs and Easter Pictures as well as the usual activities of playing on the playground, playing with the toys, riding the bikes and tumbling on the mat and cushions.

Reminder: No playgroup during school holidays or on Anzac Day.

Cheers, Allison

Playgroup Cancelled for 28th March

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, Shellee & I have had to cancel playgroup for this week - the 28th March, because Shelley has prior commitments and I am not well from a yucky cold (along with all kids!). I believe there are new people coming along next week, which is very exciting.In the meantime, take care and don't forget to join Narelle's FB cause called 'Support Autism Schools in Australia' found at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/244254?m=3f1cca43 if you haven't already. If you have already joined, it would be great if you could raise awareness of this issue by inviting your friends and loved ones to join also. In around 2 short weeks, Narelle has already got more than 300 members. This is fantastic and just goes to show how important the issue of schooling is for our children in this country.Have a great week and we hope to see you next week on the 4th April.
Allison :-)

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 21st March 09

at 9:29pm on March 21st, 2009

Although there was only my family at playgroup today (with respite carer on tow), we had a lovely time relaxing and playing together while enjoying the facilities, equipment and toys available to us. The wonderful thing about this playgroup is that if there is a reason you can't make it or you simply feel like a quiet day at home, there is no obligation to go. The playgroup is designed to be there when you need some special time with your family, while mixing with a group of wonderful people who really care.If you have thought about coming along, but haven't quite made it yet - we would still love to meet you and have you join us when you have a free Saturday & are feeling up to it.Take care and have a wonderful week. Allison
P.S. There is no playgroup on the Easter weekend.

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 14th March 09

at 3:21pm on March 15th, 2009

Yesterday's playgroup session was lovely. Shelley & I weren't as nervous this week because we were comfortable with how things went last week and all the families knew eachother. We had fun drawing on butcher's paper on the floor and tumbling on a mat with big cushions. We also had fun with playdo and playing on the playground and in the sandpit. The parents (including the dads) especially enjoyed the yummy coffee! We've become a wonderful extended family. Allison

SESSION UPDATE: Sat 7th March 09

Today was great. Thanks to everyone who turned up. It was wonderful to see all the kids mixing together, regardless of their personal situations. I know I had a wonderful time and I hope all the other parents did too. A big thanks to the dads who went. It is so wonderful to mix with other families, share stories and just be together.

A big thank you to everyone who has become a member of the Rainbow Land Play Time FB Page. Your support really helped Shellee & I to have the passion, motivation and drive to get everythinig organised for the first playgroup session. We both really appreciate you.

Looking forward to next week - I know my kids are. See you then. Allison

First Session From Ian (7th March 09)

What an awesome afternoon. The fact that so many children wanted to stay on after it had finished is very encouraging. Ryleigh and Delaynie have said they had a great time and can't wait for next week! Archie is dead tired, but had a ball. And Neyp found a future spouse, so he is happy, and having a very restless sleep because of it.

First Session From Shelley

I think today was a HUGE success. Thanks to all of the families who turned up, what a great turnout for our first week. By the looks of it from Simone's message, we will have at least one more family next week. I hope that everyone had a good time and found it to be beneficial. I know I am looking forward to getting 4 very tired children off to bed very early tonight......yippee!!!!!!