"The IDEAL Way to Cook"

“The IDEAL Way to Cook: Food for Thought” cookbook sits on my desk, hot off the presses. A couple of years ago, friends of Adeline “Addie” Daabous, Executive Director of IDEAL WAY.ca, approached her with the idea of a cookbook. Not just your run-of-the-mill cookbook, either, but one that would contain all her recipes. (I had sampled Addie’s cooking, so images of a cookbook containing her delicious recipes danced in my head. I kept my fingers firmly crossed that she would agree to our request.)

Let’s fact it, any cook worth their salt keeps their secrets under lock and key. They may be willing to share their favourite recipes with their loved ones…but the entire community? In the end, Addie graciously agreed to donate all her recipes to charity: IDEAL-WAY Inc.

As Addie said, “Initially, I thought oh no, giving away all my secrets. When I realized it was for IDEAL WAY.ca, I could not resist. This is not “just” another cookbook. Its contents are uniquely different, in ways which will surprise and delight you, with proceeds going to a worthwhile cause. This book is dedicated to all the “special” individuals we support. May they be honoured and recognized for their wonderful gifts to your community.”

As I leaf through this cookbook that is more than a cookbook, I realize that it will not only become a favourite in my kitchen - ultimately stained with gravy, tomato sauce, and my personal favourite, chocolate - but on my coffee table, too. This is the kind of book that you read out loud to your children before bedtime, or share with visitors, for it’s chockfull of “heartwarming personal stories of joy and hardship,” as well as poetry, which “provides a window of insight into often overlooked capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities.”

The following is an excerpt from “The IDEAL Way to Cook: Food for Thought:

Welcome to Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability, to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. Michelangelo’s David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.

But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.

copyright 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Special thanks to Pearson Canada for without them, "The Ideal Way to Cook, Food for Thought" cookbook would not have been possible.

Parenting a Child with Special Needs, My View

This post was written by guest blogger, Sue Mayer, who publishes the blog “Sue Mayer – Special Needs Mom” at http://www.suemayer-specialneedsmom.blogspot.com/.

As I began to write this post, I couldn’t help but think of the many times I have wished that my children came with some type of manual. When I learned that two of them had special learning needs, I wanted that manual more than ever. I often told my Mom and my friends, “This isn’t the program I signed up for.” I always thought I would continue my career, help my children out with their homework and schooling, enjoy my hobbies, spend quality time with my husband and truly enjoy life…..and then I found out …as I like to say “Life Happens”.

"Life presents us with challenges. We can look at them as obstacles to be gone around or blessings to be found. They can either drag us down or lift us higher than we ever imagined."

When I found out my child had ADHD, Dyslexia and was Learning Disabled in Reading, Writing and Spelling, the idea of him also being gifted in other ways paled to the labels that defined his struggles. I desperately wanted to make the labels go away and just enjoy my child and make his journey something that he and I would both enjoy. I researched the diagnosis, I read volumes, I networked, and I explored the options. On our journey we have had successes and failures, we have worked together and fought against each other. We have had days that I’m sure we have made advances and days when I’m sure we are headed down the wrong trail. I’m not here to sugarcoat things, I am not going to tell you that each and every day I have found the blessing…but…each day, each situation, each struggle I try to remember the simple fact that he is my child and that there are blessings to be found. You may ask what blessings have I found….his persistence and determination is to be admired, his energy and creativeness I have often wanted to bottle and use myself, his ability to jump in without worrying about the consequences will serve him well in many aspects of life, his ability to overcome the obstacles and develop ways to cope is by far the strongest skill that will benefit him throughout his life.

After the birth of my 3rd child I learned he had Down syndrome. I searched and searched for that manual too. I knew I was headed on yet another journey and this one a road less travelled. I am happy to say my older son prepared me for this journey. I had already experienced the many frustrations, complications and consequences of having a child that is differently abled. What I wasn’t prepared for is how much more this child would teach me.

Sam is very much like his brother but he’s been further enhanced with Down syndrome and a few other things. He is equally as persistent (some would say stubborn), he is creative, resourceful and extremely intelligent. He has further defined the lesson that all children, no matter what label they have been given, can learn….but they just learn differently. Since Sam is homeschooled, he challenges me every day to figure out the best way to teach him. He has often demonstrated to me that it is not his inability to learn but my inability to figure out how to teach him. Sam has taught me to slow down….so that he can accomplish a task, respond to a request, enjoy things in nature I would not have noticed (like the caterpillar, the buds on the trees or the first spring flower). Sam approaches each day with a smile and when he laughs it is from his heart and soul, he says “Hi” to everyone he meets, he always prays before he eats, he doesn’t want to do anything unless it is going to be fun. I’ve learned a lot from Sam. We also have our difficult days and situations and again I remember he is my child and I look for and acknowledge the blessings.

A child like Sam teaches a parent to appreciate each and every day, every milestone no matter how small is to be enjoyed and celebrated. Having to teach those things that come to a typical child naturally is no small task and can make for a very long day, but to see the progress, to watch your child do something for the first time on their own is indeed one of the best blessings in life.

Now getting back to my original life plan….after many years I have figured out that I’m still living that plan. Instead of a career, I have a job, but my true passion is working with my children and helping other families of special needs children. I’m not afraid to admit the pay isn’t as good but the benefits are amazing. The part about helping out my children with their homework and schooling wasn’t what I expected but learning to advocate for my children and personally taking time to teach them one on one when needed has been an experience I will never forget and will cherish. My hobbies have changed but I still enjoy them just on a more limited basis. I make time for my husband and I, vacationing together, having dinner out or going out on a Friday night to our favorite local hangout or sitting together and talking on the many rides to doctor’s appointments and evaluations. And as for enjoying life….it is not the life I had imagined but in many ways it far surpasses that life and I truly have learned to enjoy and embrace each and every day, to look for the sun behind the clouds and to remember that life’s challenges can come at any time but the key is to acknowledge them and learn from them.

What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?

"In community people care for each other and not just for the community in the abstract, as a whole, as an institution or as an ideal way of life. It is people that matter; to love and care for the people that are there, just as they are. It is to care for them in such a way that they may grow according to the plan of God and thus give much life. And it is not just caring in a passing way, but in a permanent way. Because people are bonded one to another, they make up one family, one people, one flock. And this people has been called together to be a sign and a witness, to accomplish a particular mission wish is their charism, their gift.

Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, p. 20


“Some days it's easier to say thank you world, thank you! Some days it's easier to look in the mirror than others. Some days it's easier to laugh at everything and feel the pure happiness of life. Some days it's easier to walk in your shoes and understand how you feel.”

Life & Art -- Misty Mawn.


Let’s face it, some days it is easier to look in the mirror than others. But, as the author pointed out in What Came Down Today,



“Joy is not something that you get handed, you have to seek it out. Today, in the midst of work and appointments and bill paying, and the general lub-lub of Monday, do like me and seek out something joyful.”

Or, to put it another way: "I chose joy rather than overwhelm and it changed everything," as Aprille Janes said in her blog post, "Choose Joy."

In a previous post, “Choose Joy”, my daughter wrote about the power of choice. One person who embodies joy, for her, is Robert Hajjar, Founding Director of IDEAL-WAY.ca. "Rob, who has Down syndrome, constantly exudes happiness and warmth. He doesn't waste time with negativity, but chooses, instead, to revel in life's gifts.” After making “a few small changes”, she was able to “experience what Rob must feel every day: a sense of contentment and appreciation for life.”

So, in a nutshell, what is Rob’s secret? To give you a clue, on the Sept. 12th - 13th weekend, in Hamilton, Ontario, Robert Hajjar was the featured keynote speaker at the Best Buddies National Leadership Conference.

After hearing Robert's inspiring words, Zack Langille, a 15-yr-old student, and a buddy, said, "I had a great time and learned a lot, but I was really inspired and moved by a man named Rob Hajjar. Rob Hajjar has founded an organization called IDEAL.WAY.ca. He travels to conferences, schools and such to teach people about others with intellectual disabilities. And to believe a man can do all of this, even having Down syndrome himself. It is amazing how much one person can change your life, and it is truly inspiring to know that anyone can.”

(In fact, Zack was so moved by Robert’s words that he created a group on Facebook: “Get Rob Hajjar on Ellen!” "Rob's dream is to one day be on the Ellen Degeneres Show, and I am trying to help him reach that goal. All I am asking is to click on the link, and apply him on the "how to be on the show" section of Ellen's website.”)

After hearing Robert’s inspiring words, what do I see when I look in the mirror? I see ability: the ability to choose joy every single day, rather than 'some days.' I also see a slew of post-it notes, with Robert Hajjar quotes emblazoned all over them.

“I do not let the negative into my life, only the positive.”
“Leadership is attitude.”
“I am proud of who I am, and what I’ve done.”
“Yes, I have a disability, but I ask you to see my ‘ability’.”
“Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”
“I want to inspire you to follow your dreams.”

Photo credit: Mark Ferguson. Photo taken at Robert's presentation, at the Community Living Georgina AGM

A Medley of Posts

Recently, Chris Brogan, a social media guru, collected some of his recent blog entries and posted them as “A Digest of Some Recent Posts”. He "wondered if there’s value in a digest of posts like this from time to time, such that you can read a whole bunch at once. Are any of these worthy of the best-of page? Is there any value at all in putting out the occasional digest post like this?
What’s your take?"

Personally, I loved the idea! Instead of slogging through his archives, keeping my fingers crossed that I’d magically come across some really useful posts, Chris read my mind and did all the work for me (and you). It was another reminder of why I like his blog so much. Chris is consistently helpful, and like a good executive assistant, he tries to anticipate our needs.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to shamelessly pilfer his idea and provide a digest of some posts (not necessarily recent) that I hope are helpful.

Dare to Live a Life of Adventure - Information on activities, and opportunities for experiencing high-challenge sports, for people with disabilities.

Horse Therapy - In combination with other therapeutic treatments, such as music or art therapy, service dogs, occupational therapy, intense early intervention (Applied Behaviour Analysis), speech therapy, and physical therapy, just to name a few, horse therapy can sometimes achieve amazing results.

Art as Healer - Information on art therapy, and various organizations that encourage the intellectually disabled to explore their creativity through art.

Music is the Key - Information on music therapy, and various organizations that use music to unlock abilities within a person.

The Magic of Dogs – Service dogs, and various organizations that provide them.

I Have a Voice – Information on book clubs for intellectually disabled.

Dare to Dream - Artists, musicians, and actors, who have placed no limits on their creativity, gifts and passions, and also happen to have Down syndrome.

Choose Joy, by Jennifer Lee – Musings on choosing to remain in a state of joy, no matter what the circumstances are in your life. Rob Hajjar, who has Down syndrome, constantly exudes happiness and warmth. He doesn't waste time with negativity, but chooses, instead, to revel in life's gifts.

If you think there's value in providing a collection of recent posts, let me know. And if you come across posts from other bloggers that stand out in your mind, pass them along.

What do you think about an entry on the Top 10 Recent Posts of your favourite blogs?

Photo credit: ME°°

Challenging Popular Myths About Autism

This post was written by guest blogger, Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, who publishes the blog “Asperger Journeys: Reports from Life on the Spectrum” at http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/.

Last spring, my family and I moved from our 22-acre farm in western Massachusetts to the center of Brattleboro. It was the beginning of a new life together.

Six months later, at the age of 50, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Far from being a moment of heartbreak, my diagnosis was a cause for celebration. For the first time, my life made sense.

I had always felt very different from other people. I had always had a sense of apartness, of otherness, for which I could find no explanation.

The subject of autism had always fascinated me, but the idea that I might be autistic seemed absurd. I'd gone to college, made friends, and worked full-time. I was married and raising a family. How could I be autistic? After all, autistic people were locked into their own, strange worlds, unable to communicate or function in society.

Or so I thought.

I've come a long way since then. In the process of understanding myself as an autistic woman, I've had to discard all of the myths I've ever heard on the subject. These myths include the following:

* * *

Myth #1: All autistic people are nonverbal and low functioning.

Autism is a spectrum condition. In the U.S., one person in every 150 is autistic, and more than half of all autistic people have Asperger's Syndrome. In addition, many people on the spectrum find themselves between the high-functioning and low-functioning extremes. In fact, some who begin at the more severely affected end of the spectrum can become higher functioning as they grow and learn.

Myth #2: Autism is a mental illness.

Autism is not a psychological disorder. It is a neurological condition in which the brain and nervous system are highly sensitive to sensory stimuli.

When the average person takes in sensory information from the environment, he or she intuitively filters it, prioritizes it, and responds in a purposeful way. For autistic people, sensory processing works very differently. The information comes in full force, without a great deal of filtering.

For example, I have almost no ability to filter auditory information. Anywhere I go, I hear a cacophony of sounds and voices, all at the same high volume. It is difficult for me to have a conversation with a lot of sound in the background, because for me, there is very little background. Any loud, crowded, unstructured situation causes me nearly immediate sensory overload.

I also experience the visual world very intensely. I am constantly scanning my environment, looking at numerous details, and attempting to order them into some sort of pattern. Because the visual world constantly changes, my ordering process never stops. It's only recently that I've realized that most people do not experience the visual world with the same intensity that I do.

Myth #3: Autistic people lack empathy.

Far from lacking empathy, autistic people often have an excess of empathy. However, because of our sensory sensitivities, we may not always be able to show it.

As a child, I was very sensitive and vicariously experienced the suffering of others. For example, in Hebrew school, we watched Nazi footage of what had happened in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. I saw films in which people were lined up at the edge of a ditch and shot. The empathy I felt for the people was immediate. I felt myself experiencing what they were experiencing, as though it were happening to me at that very moment.

For many years since then, I've been aware that when I walk into a room full of people, I enter into the emotional experience of everyone present. It's as though all the emotions come right through me. It all comes in much faster than I can process it, but I feel its impact. I become very disoriented, so much so that I have difficulty feeling or thinking at all.

My husband can usually tell when I'm having this experience. He'll say, "You're gone, aren't you?" to which I can only nod an emphatic "Yes."

Myth #4: Autistic people are antisocial.

Autistic people often have difficulties in communication because we are unable to intuitively read nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language.

I've recently learned that nonverbal cues make up about 90 percent of any conversation. Until my diagnosis, I had no idea that nonverbal language even existed. When conversing, I just hear the words. That's all. And because I just hear the words, I have to spend more time listening, translating, thinking, and responding than a neuro-typical person.

My response times are therefore delayed. People sometimes interpret my delayed response as a lack of interest. Under most circumstances, they are mistaken.

I don't it's possible for me to fully express what a longing I have to spend time with other people. However, a 10-minute conversation with one person can feel like a lot of work. A conversation with more than one person is nearly impossible. And when you add my sensory and emotional sensitivities to the mix, you get a person who requires a great deal of solitude.

Myth #5: Autistic people don't make eye contact because they don't care about what people have to say.

I find eye contact very difficult, but it has nothing to do with whether I'm interested in what someone is telling me. In fact, if I'm interested, I usually have to look away from the person in order to think clearly.

Over the years, in an attempt to mask my difficulties, I have developed a number of cloaking devices, including the ability to make and maintain eye contact. However, the skill does not come naturally.

Except for my husband and my daughter, I shy away from eye contact with most people, rather in the same way that I shy away from looking directly into the sun. When I look into a person's eyes, I have such a profound experience of the person that it's overwhelming.

Myth #6: Autistic people can't have families of their own.

Many autistic people are married and raising children. Both my husband and my daughter are neuro-typical, and I adore them.

Myth #7: Autistic people are puzzles with pieces missing.

The use of the "missing puzzle pieces" metaphor to describe autism is a source of great pain for me.

Before my diagnosis, I used to feel that I had pieces missing. Once I discovered that I had Asperger's Syndrome, all of the pieces of my life started coming together to form a coherent, recognizable picture. For the first time in my life, I felt whole.

Myth #8: Autistic people have low intelligence.

Autistic people have different levels of intelligence, just as neuro-typical people do. The test used for measuring intelligence makes a profound difference in the outcome of the assessment.

In a 2007 study, autistic children and neuro-typical children took two IQ tests: the WISC test (which relies on verbal questions and responses) and the Raven's Progressive Matrices test (which measures the ability to do high-level abstraction and complex reasoning).

Not a single autistic child scored in the high-intelligence range of the WISC; in fact, one-third scored in the low-intelligence range. However, one-third of the autistic children scored in the high-intelligence range on the Raven's. Autistic and neuro-typical adults were tested as well, with the same results.

Myth #9: Autistic people do not enjoy life.

For some autistic people, this statement is true, just as it's true for any other group of people. However, many of us find great joy in our loved ones, and we can focus like a laser beam on our special interests for hours on end. My family, my friends, my art, my music, my writing, and my community work are constant sources of joy and satisfaction.

Myth #10: Autism is a disease in need of a cure.

This statement is the focus of passionate debate.

Like many others, I do not consider autism a disease. As researchers at the Swiss Brain-Mind Institute wrote in a 2007 article, "The autistic person is an individual with remarkable and far above average capabilities due to greatly enhanced perception, attention, and memory. In fact, it is this hyper-functionality which could render the individual debilitated."

At present, there is no cure for autism. I understand why some people on the spectrum might want a cure. Being autistic, even at a high-functioning level, is very difficult. For people on the severe end of the spectrum, the condition can be truly disabling.

Personally, I do not want to be cured. Autism makes me who I am, and it has given me many gifts. I am sensitive, empathetic, and artistic. I see great beauty in the world, and I feel its injustices very deeply. I am very direct in my speech, and for that reason, people intuitively trust me.

I would not want to be different. I am proud of who I am. It has taken me 50 years to discover the truth about my life. In the time remaining to me, I plan to mine that truth for all its worth.

* * *

Photo: Dr. Hans Asperger.

Thank you, Rachel,

Kids Can Make a Difference

Christine, a mom of four kids (one with Down syndrome), responded to last week's post - "Summertime, and the Living is Easy" - with some wonderful suggestions for parents (or grandparents, caregivers, etc.) who are looking for more things to do together as a family. She said, "I am always looking for more things TO DO. And, many times, I have a few nieces join my "biological summer camp".

A few things we have done are:

1. visited the elderly in nursing homes. We bring homemade cards for them, and fresh cookies;
2. cooking and baking lessons for the kids. Great learning experience in measuring and following the instruction on a recipe. The greatest reward is eating what you made!
3. write letters to friends and family. For those who don't have e-mail, send those wonderful works of art that are hanging around in your home."

It occurred to me that Christine is teaching her kids how to make a difference in the world. And by making these activities fun, her children will forever associate being generous with having loads of fun. By the time they edge into adulthood, they will be eager to create their own projects, or join with others to create a "more just, sustainable, and socially responsible world."

Matt Certner, 18, was inspired to found the Sports Clinic for Special Needs. Matt was best friends with Mikey. They had known each other for years, but when Mikey was diagnosed with autism, Matt noticed a difference in the way Mikey was treated. "Particularly when he would try to play sports. Either the coaches would be too competitive to let him really participate or the kids would be callous."

"Matt wanted to let kids like Mikey have a chance at an even playing field if they wanted to play sports. Matt started with one clinic in his hometown in New Jersey with volunteers from his high school, but in 2 1/2 years, the nonprofit group has expanded to six in the state, helping approximately 100 special needs kids and their families. The kids play soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. Like any other sports clinic, the kids get uniforms and trophies. Matt is going to Duke in the Fall, but plans to continue his work.

"I don't do it for resume status. Ever since I was young I wanted to give back. I love it. I love the kids." "

But if making a difference on such a grand scale doesn't appeal to your child, there are plenty of ways he or she can lend a hand to help those in need. In fact, it's often "small changes that make a big difference". At Kids Can Make a Difference, they have a handy What Kids Can Do page that's chockfull of ideas about how to get involved.

Their fundraising ideas include:

1. Bake Sale
2. Neighbourhood Flea Market
3. Costume Ball
4. Read, Dance or Walk-a-Thon
5. Talent Show
6. Art Show
7. Poetry Reading
8. Community Auction
9. Car Wash
10. Birthday Donations

As Emma Smith, 20, said about her experience volunteering for Oxfam: “Due to volunteering I have met some amazing, like-minded teenagers from all walks of life who live hundreds of miles away from each other… In fact, volunteering has encouraged me to question my life in the UK and see the world from entirely different perspectives… I encourage anyone considering volunteering to do so. Regardless of the amount of time you spare, your help will definitely be valued and it really does change your life.”

What about you? Share your experiences and your ideas with us, please.

photo credit: by terryooze

Summertime, and the Living is Easy

When you hear the word summertime, what comes to mind? For some people, "summertime conjures up images of full-blooming nature, fluttering butterflies, and nighttime crickets. It also reflects sweltering sheets, stagnant heat, and restless nights where flipping over a cool pillow is the only way to survive."

Others would rather bask in the memories of getting up at the crack of dawn to fish in their favourite "secret" spots, or revisit the city campground/park, where they would canoe, kayak, or go tubing.

For me, "summertime" and "fun" go together like burgers and barbeques. My memories of summertime during my childhood are drenched in sunshine. It obviously must have rained, from time to time, every year, but when I close my eyes and think of summer, I can only remember spending most of every day in my bathing suit, running through sprinklers, trading homemade Kool-aid popsicles with friends, and playing hide-and-seek by the hour. During the seemingly endless days of summer, we swam, rode our bikes, and picnicked on the beach with friends and family.

As a parent, however, some of my memories of summertime are a little less idyllic. I remember scrambling for activities to fill the endless rainy days at a cottage. Not being particularly "crafty", I would dig out old Christmas cards and magazines (to cut up), jigsaw puzzles, and the ever-reliable standby, movies from the local library.

So when I came across Terri Mauro's (About.com: Special Needs Children) article on Fun Things to Do Today, I dearly wished this list had been available about 10 years ago.

One of the fun activities on her list that looked "cool", if you'll pardon the pun, was ice cube paintings. This is a craft for young and old alike, and you'd need very little in the way of supplies. A box, a piece of paper, Jell-O or Kool-Aid (she also suggests powdered tempera paint) and an ice cube. Put them together, and voila, an instant fun activity for a rainy day.

One enterprising mom uses water to entertain her child, but knowing that her autistic child loves nothing better than turning on faucets throughout the house, she capped the faucets she didn't want turned on. In order to keep the water bill manageable, she bought a small plastic pool.

"Once it is filled, I put plastic milk jugs in it with the ends cut off or holes poked in it so that when filled with water, they make different types of water formations. AND, invest in a small fountain, a little second-hand one that you could quite happily put into a fishtank, is enough to circulate the water and make them believe that they are getting running water.

What you are actually doing is recycling the water that is already in your small pool."

The National Autistic Society said, "As with all children, children with autism have a wide range of likes and dislikes. Shields (1999) has compiled a list of toys that have been demonstrated as being popular with young children with autism. They include toys which are visually interesting (e.g. bubbles, shape and colour matching or sorting toys, jigsaws, Jack-in-the-box, lego, videos: especially Thomas the Tank Engine, Pingu and Disney); books, especially those with flaps or items to touch, puzzle books, word books, etc.; physical activity toys: e.g. swing, slide, trampoline, rocking horse, ride-on toys, climbing frame, football, etc.; games to play with other people: e.g., tapes of singing and dancing games, picture lotto, snap, Connect 4, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, chess; and computer software to develop vocabulary; factual software."

What about you? What do you do with your kids, or what did you do with your parents, on rainy days?

Photo credit: Neil MacDonald