By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
The Bierman Autism Center on Rosemary Street opened its doors to the public last Tuesday evening for a sensory-friendly Field Day Funfest. Children of all ages, both on and off the autism spectrum, delighted in participating in this action-packed evening filled with a variety of exciting and engaging activities.
The list of activities included a bubble station, face painting, a coloring station, animal yoga, summertime sensory stations, pinwheel making, and an obstacle course.
Upon entering the center, families were greeted by staff members who offered them a center map and a checklist. If each child participated in the various stations, they were to check off the station on their list and receive a prize of their choosing before leaving the center.
The first station was the bubble station. The sensory-seeking friends who attended the event enjoyed chasing, popping, and dancing in the mess of bubbles that floated through the air at the entryway.
Next, the children entered the face-painting station, where they could choose from a variety of options, including a rainbow, a fish, and an ice cream cone, among others. This station was followed by a coloring station, where the children could choose from a few different summer-themed coloring pages.
The children then headed to animal yoga, where they tried their hands at a variety of animal-themed yoga poses. This room contained a small jungle gym and a few yoga balls, allowing the children to climb and jump either before or after their yoga stretches.
After animal yoga, the children moved on to the summertime sensory build, which was filled with kinetic sand and a variety of beach toys. The little guests enjoyed the feeling of the sand between their fingers as they watched it fall through their fingertips, dug, or built sandcastles. This station proved to be a fan favorite as the children elected to spend a lot of their time there.
Once the children finished building their sandcastles and creatures, they ventured over to the pinwheel crafting station to put together a functional pinwheel using only paper, a straw, glue, and pipe cleaners. This activity truly engaged some of the older children, though most of the younger ones seemed to prefer playing with the variety of toys in the bins throughout the room. The employees encouraged all the children to explore the different rooms and enjoy themselves.
Finally, all the children in attendance enjoyed the obstacle course held within Bierman's motor-play area as they chased one another and zipped through the obstacles.
To cool off from this fun-filled evening, children were invited to choose between making an ice cream sundae or cooling off with a popsicle. As families were heading out, the children were allowed to pick from a wide selection of prizes for completing the field day.
It is remarkable how many activities were packed into a short time frame, and it was evident that all attendees left with smiles on their faces and new memories with their family members.
For more events like these, be sure to check out the Bierman Autism Center website: https://www.biermanautism.com/location/needham-ma/.
