Just Bee Children's Centre

09/08/2021

Irish summers... when it's too wet for the playground.. the playground comes indoors☔☔☔🌈🌧🌧🌧

27/05/2021

Beautiful morning for some play in the sand😎

We brought along a bag of miniatures which extended our sandplay for much longer than if we had just had our usual buckets and spades.

Highly recommend throwing in some figurines, cars, trucks etc. when packing the beach bag.

Great for tapping into the unconscious, engaging in open-ended play and letting the imagination and creativity flow.

Here's hoping Mr. Sun is here to stay 🏖

21/05/2021

See Instagram ‘Sensory Play’ highlights from Elaine Fagan ()

17/05/2021

A lovely visual to remind us about self-care. Research has shown that when we engage the senses, we bring ourselves back to the present moment... the here and now

Today our little island takes another step towards opening up and normality resuming 🌎🇮🇪

I've been speaking with so many people, myself included, who are feeling anxious about leaving the safe cocoon we had to build for ourselves in order to venture back out into the big bad world again.

While this is something we have dreamed about, it's also a little terrifying and scary and that's okay.

This week, more than ever is the time to prioritise self-care.
Build it into our day, yes we will be leaving lockdown behind, but we can choose to take the nice parts of our lockdown routine with us.
Make a promise to yourself to build self-care into your week this week and I promise it will be worth it.
💖💖💖

11/05/2021

The last few days in our house have been all about processing an unexpected trip to A&E.

Playing doctors... reading books with doctors.... recalling every minute detail of the experience over and over.

Luckily Ava wasn't the only one to hurt her foot... meet Cora, Ava's most favourite doll who went to A&E to have her foot xrayed too... having Cora there was a great distraction and made her feel slightly less frightened. She and Ava have been making sense of things and recouping together ever since!! 💕

08/05/2021

Rainy morning fun☔

What is with this weather recently? As if this latest lockdown isn't lingering enough, it seems we now have to wait a little longer for summer to finally arrive😎

This morning we made a batch of playdough for something different to pass the hours until the storm clouds passed and the sun broke through.

Before we knew it we were enjoying a animal birthday party, complete with candles and what seemed like 500 million repetitions of 'Happy Birthday to You'🎁🎈🎉🎂
This was followed by dancing, twirling and lots of movement...
Two hours later I wondered where the morning had gone, a much nicer alternative to the usual battles that ensue when kids naturally get tired and bored indoors.

Playdough is one of those sensory play ideas that always amazes me!! So quick and easy to make yet no matter how many times we do.. the experience is always so different!

I also find the homemade variety engages children so much more than shop bought... and also for longer!! As you can guess... children love the sense of mastery that comes from making it themselves.

If you fancy giving it ago to pass a rainy hour you will need:

- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp oil
- a couple of drops of food colouring or paint

Mix it all in a bowl, add more flour if too wet, more water if too dry and let the magic unfold.

23/04/2021

Enjoying a morning coffee in the sun and taking 5 minutes out to check out this little gem of a book I found 📚

Recently I'd begun to to notice my little girl saying "sad mammy" multiple times a day which was making me feel a little uneasy.

After tuning into this for a few days and focusing on her triggers I realised that "sad mammy" covered a multitude... any feeling of discomfort she was experiencing was described in this way.

Hungry.. "sad mammy"
Bored in the car... "sad mammy"
Tired... "sad mammy"
Frustrated... "sad mammy"

I quickly realised she doesn't have the vocabulary to name what she feels and experiences in her body. This book is going to be so useful to extend her vocabulary and open up conversations around her feelings and emotions. I have a funny feeling it will be making its way into my play therapy room too!

Happy Friday... Enjoy the sun🌞
Elaine x

18/04/2021

STAR BUY ⭐
Couldn't recommend this toy sink from highly enough. It's inexpensive, comes with a battery operated tap for waterplay/role play. The blue sink itself works great as additional wet sandtray, sensory tray etc.
This morning we used it for red lentils, dried kidney beans and barley.
A perfect addition for any playroom!
#

16/04/2021

Todays job- tackling food refusal through play and exploration.
Well guys... the magic of play. I've a two year old here who point blank refuses to eat breakfast cereal. Today we made stacking towers using cheerios.
Not only did we practice sorting, counting, turn taking, the use of fine motor skills and so much more... but as if by magic guess who was munching away, tasting and trying, as we enjoyed some play time together💫💫💫
The stacking towers then became a game of monsters and aliens💖 Sure beats the constant morning battle of "please can you just try one bite"

If you fancy giving this a go you will need....

-cheerios
-pasta - linguini or spaghetti
-playdogh
and lots of time to explore🥰

03/04/2021

Happy Easter everyone🐰🐰
I am currently on maternity leave and enjoying precious time with my two little ladies but will be back taking play therapy and supervision enquiries soon. Stay tuned for more information 💖

20/01/2018

Very impressed and heartened to see children being catered for so thoughfully here. Little touches around every corner😊

29/09/2017

What a lovely start to this sunny Friday morning. Baby massage @ Just Bee😊

22/09/2017

Calling all mums and dads. 5 week baby massage course starting next Friday 29th Sept in Kinsealy Co.Dublin. Incredible introduction offer not to be missed!!! Pm me for more information...

22/09/2017

Some new arrivals at Just Bee. What was your favourite book as a child?

29/08/2017

We now offer Baby Massage courses for you and your little bundle of joy. Classes available in various locations. Contact us for more details.

24/08/2017

https://medium.com//surviving-the-first-days-at-school-d63e4f8ead73

So, in what seems like the blink of an eye the summer has been and is almost gone. As September rapidly approaches so too does a very big…

12/08/2017

Attending a workshop on anxiety in childhood & adolescence. Always great to pick up new ideas to use in the playroom

11/08/2017