HAND AND SKY PROJECT
2026
MARCH
** More Good News **
We have been awarded a grant from
Compass Well-Being Charity
This is to offer our
Hand and Sky Program in North East London
Working in a School and a Children's Centre
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JANUARY
Good News!
**New funding awarded from Islington Giving**
"Hand and Sky Journeys with PMLD Infants and Friends"
Start date: Wednesday 15th April
We will be running this group Mat session at
Golden Lane Children's Centre
Every Wednesday Morning
10.am-11.am
With early year PMLD children
together with their parents/carers and other family members
The program will incude:
Therapuetic Touch, Sound-making, Movement, Story-telling and Child-Centred Play
( See info below, Program 2)
Parents find information about this program on a leaflet at the Children's Centre.
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HAND AND SKY PROGRAMS
PROGRAM 1: For children on the Autistic Spectrum and with additional communication, sensory and emotional challenges.
Place: Children's Centres, working in individual weekly sessions in a six week program with a child and parent/carer. Parents/primary Carers can invite other family members to attend if they wish. Schools in a termly program with Early Year, Reception or Primary age children accompanied by a Teaching Assistant.
How it works
* Together we compose a performance, child, family members and practitioner
* It is child led and the stories we enact come from the movement, ideas and play of the child.
* The adults present hold carefully to simple roles in order to witness, narrate and validate the child in his/her showing.
* We use music, word, therapuetic touch, movement and quietness. Adults learn about careful timing to allow the child's story to be shown.
* We are all involved in holding this space which becomes a safe place for exploration for the child and for family members or staff.
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Program 2: For Children with PMLD, genetic, motor and medical conditions.
Place: Schools and Children's Centres working individually or as a group in termly programs with Early Years, Reception and Primary age children and accompanied by a Parent, Family Member, Friend or Teaching Assistant who learns and practices alongside the Practitioner.
How it Works
* We begin with Therapeautic Touch. We let the child settle into this touch and we notice our own breathing in relation to theirs. We see how their muscle tone may change as their breath deepens when they enjoy the touch.
* The session may begin to look like a dance duo becoming more dynamic and generating a sense of fun as we explore rocking, rolling, spinning, falling and sitting up.
* We may bring in sound-making, song and stories to accompany the rhythm of the session.
* We end by returning to a simple quiet touch.
... ... History ... ...
PILOT PROGRAM 2018:
"Awards for All" Grant funded through the National Lottery.
Richard Cloudesley School, Islington: April 2018- March 2020 and June 2021-Dec 2024
The program was adapted to work with children with PMLD and Teaching Assistants
Swiss Cottage School, Camden: April 2018-March 2020
The program worked both with children with PMLD and with children on the Autistic Spectrum and TAs
Supported Jointly by The National Lottery Community Fund and The Community Chest: a partnership between Islington Council and the Cripplegate Foundation.
Later programs Supported by the Richard Cloudesley Health Grant and further Community Chest Grants bewtween
2023-2025
These programs were held at Hornsey Road Children's Centre through SEN Family Saturdays Club, a parent-led club for children on the autistic spectrum and later as a weekday after-school offer for early year and primary age children and family.
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CONTEXT
These programs grew out of fifteen years experience in Special Schools and Autistic Units in Mainstream Schools in Hackney where Ruth developed this model whilst working as an Independent Practitioner.
This out-reach work was inspired by our Charity's beginnings in a Garden in Islington London which we created together.
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