The young voices group aims to give children and young people (aged 9-25) who use Demelza services a chance to share their views, meet others and have fun!
Be seen, be heard
The young voices group aims to give children and young people (aged 9-25) who use Demelza services a chance to share their views, meet others and have fun! There are events throughout the year for young people to meet and talk through their thoughts. It is facilitated by Andrew, Children and Young People's Engagement Officer.
Video tour of Demelza Kent
This video was filmed and edited by a Demelza young person from their perspective.
If you would like more information then please email the family engagement team at family.engagement@demelza.org.uk. To find out more about Demelza services you can visit our How we help page.
Activities and resources
From 7-13 August it's Afternoon Tea Week which celebrates the great British tradition of drinking tea, eating scones and catching up with your loved ones. I'm sure you'll be able to find some tea and cake at Demelza if you're coming to visit or you could celebrate with a sensory activity using rice and a tea set.
It's the summer holidays! What do you have planned? Picnics, seaside holidays, soft play, swimming, Demelza activities... Let us know by creating your own summer journal! You can write it, draw it, video yourself or put it together using symbols. To make your journal you can use a notepad, paper, paints, pens, video, photographs or download the handy template below.
Did you know that it's World Chocolate Day on Friday 7 July?! It's a special day celebrating chocolate... sounds good to me 😋 The specific date was chosen as it is believed to be the day when chocolate was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. If you fancy getting involved then select the button below to find and choose a chocolatey recipe to make (or just make sure you eat some chocolate). Yum!
We hope that you have been enjoying and staying safe in the warmer weather. This week marks the first day of summer (officially) on the 21 June! This is known as the summer solstice and it's the longest day of the year, which means we get to enjoy more hours of sunlight than any other day 🕐 To mark the occasion we've found a fun activity for you to try... making your own suncatchers using tissue paper!
There are lots of feelings you might have about going back to school next week. Maybe you're excited to meet back up with your friends and see your teachers. Or perhaps you are starting a new school and you feel a bit nervous. That's ok - to help you feel more prepared for your new adventure, why not decorate your school supplies? Try adding your name to your bag, pencil case or water bottle.
You can use stickers, markers, personalised textbook covers and other materials to make them your own and get you excited about the return to school.
On Tuesday 26 September, it's International Day of Languages. The day celebrates the range and diversity of languages spoken throughout Europe. To celebrate we asked Creative Therapies Assistant Leanne to put together a video in Makaton. If you would like to see more videos like this then let us know by emailing the family engagement team.
To celebrate Dyslexia Awareness Week (2-8 October 2023) create your own fingerprint character! Dyslexia is a condition that makes it hard for some kids to read, write and spell because they might mix up letters, have trouble with sounds in words and find it challenging to remember words and their order, but it doesn't mean they're not smart, and with special ways of learning, they can get better at reading and writing.
Although having dyslexia may present some challenges, the British Dyslexia Association want to celebrate your talents and what makes you uniquely you.
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is a British holiday on November 5th where people celebrate by lighting fireworks and bonfires to remember the foiled Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
There will be lots of firework displays to celebrate and some young people may not like fireworks due to the loud noises and bright lights, which can be overwhelming and distressing for them. If you'd still like to celebrate but would prefer not to go to a display, you can watch firework simulations or videos on YouTube. If the loud noises are too much then why not mute the video and play music instead whilst enjoying the spectacle?
From 13 - 17 November it is World Nursery Rhyme Week. Founded by Music Bugs and launched in 2013, World Nursery Rhyme Week promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education. Nursery rhymes are excellent teaching tools and can help to develop: language and literacy skills, numeracy skills and social, physical and emotional skills – they are so much fun!
Check out the World Nursery Rhyme Week website for free resources including nursery rhyme animations, lyric sheets and activities to go with each rhyme.
The festive season is full of wonderful scents like gingerbread, cinnamon, pine, vanilla, citrus and pumpkin spice! This fun festive sensory activity will allow you to enjoy each one and guess which one is which. All you need is:
- Clear jars
- Cotton balls
- Essential oils or extracts
- Glitter (optional!)
To create the jars just soak the cotton balls with the different scents and add each of them to a sealed jar. Leave them for a few hours and then come back to guess which scent is which! Add glitter inside to make it even more festive ✨ Let us know if you got them right by emailing family.engagement@demelza.org.uk.
Do you know about Disability Pride Month? It happens in July and has been celebrated in the UK since 2015. It's a time to raise awareness about disabilities, have positive conversations, and celebrate the diversity of the disabled community. There's even a Disability Pride flag (pictured).
Use your colouring pens and the template (or sketch from scratch) to design yourself as a superhero. Think about what powers you would have and which colours would represent these and then get started! Don't forget to come up with a symbol for yourself (usually in the middle of costumes). If you still have time, you could also draw the villain you will fight against!
Eid ul-Adha, also called the Festival of Sacrifice, is a special celebration for Muslims. It marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and is a time when families and friends come together to be thankful. On this day, Muslims dress in new clothes, offer special prayers, and remember the story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) who was willing to sacrifice his son for God.
It's a time for delicious food, exchanging gifts, and visiting loved ones, teaching us about gratitude, sharing, and love for others. If you'd like to find out more about this special festival then you can watch the video linked below.
From 7-13 August it's Afternoon Tea Week which celebrates the great British tradition of drinking tea, eating scones and catching up with your loved ones. I'm sure you'll be able to find some tea and cake at Demelza if you're coming to visit or if you could celebrate with a sensory activity using rice and a tea set.
At the recent Family Fest events celebrating 25 years with Demelza we asked you to let us know what Demelza meant to you... put it down it words, or draw something that makes you think of us. If you didn't get a chance to take part or you didn't attend the festival then please send us your thoughts. All you need is a bit of paper and a pen. We'd love to hear what young voices think! ✏️
As this week marks the first day of autumn we have found a fun scavenger hunt. Print out the scavenger hunt list and take it with you when exploring your local area to find the autumnal items listed. We'd love to hear more about what you find. If you would like to share make sure to tell us at the next Demelza event you attend or email us.
Autumn is a great time to get crafty! There are so many colours, textures and themed-activities to make use of. Here are our suggestions for some autumnal crafts you can get up to...
🍂 Leaf rubbing: Collect leaves of different shapes and sizes and then place the leaf under a piece of paper and rub it with a crayon or pencil to create a beautiful imprint.
🎃 Pumpkin decorating: Get yourself a pumpkin and carve it! If you want you could even add paint or glitter.
🍁 Create your own autumn collage: Collect colourful leaves, conkers and seeds and stick them together on a piece of paper.
👻 Cotton ball ghosts: Glue white cotton balls onto black paper in the shape of a ghost. Add googly eyes and a mouth for a cute and spooky effect.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a major Hindu festival celebrated in India and by Hindu communities worldwide. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. To celebrate you can decorate your house with these pretty paper diyas (oil lamps)!
Happy Diwali 🕯️🎆
Happy Hannukah! Hanukkah is a Jewish festival of lights. It focuses on family and friends (sharing gifts), the lighting of candles, singing, playing games, and eating Hanukkah foods. The festival lasts for eight days, and in 2023 will start on the evening of this Thursday 7 December, and end on Friday 15 December. Share the Hannukah story by downloading this colouring page to bring it to life.
The winter solstice is like a special day in winter taking place on Friday 22 December when we have the shortest day of the whole year. It happens because the North Pole leans away from the sun. People celebrate by snuggling up in warm blankets, drinking hot chocolate and enjoying the winter lights. If it's not too cold, then we suggest going outside to see all the festive lights that people have put up on their houses. 🌟❄️
Demelza's Elmer the Elephant
In April 2023 we were gifted an Elmer the Elephant and we asked for your help to influence the design! We had lots of designs submitted and then artist Jill Busby used all of them to make our fabulous Elmer.
The elephant travelled around our sites in September and will settle at Demelza Kent.
Make sure you go and visit the colourful elephant next time you visit. 🌈 Thank you so much to all the young people who submitted their designs!
