The Bugs Bunny Builders Method

Wooooaaah, it's very windy outside! But there's a big problem: if it's too windy to have a picnic, how can you add joy, health, play and kindness into your day? Enter: The Bugs Bunny Builders Method. Let's break it down into simple, manageable steps to enjoy your day despite the heavy wind.

JOY - If you're out and about, you can do something simple and gentle to fuel your love of pleasure, such as going for a walk or getting a drink of chocolate milk from the store, then sitting in the car and enjoying every sip. If you're at home, you can enjoy some light activities you love while sheltering from the wind, including writing blog entries, doing light exercise or reading.

HEALTH - At home and out and about, there's no need for those horrible Biggest Loser type workouts and diets. All that's required is gentle exercise. There are lots of workout programmes for kids on BBC iPlayer and Youtube, be it Andy's Wild Workouts or a simple Joe Wicks PE session you'd find from 2020. If you're outdoors, a gentle, short walk would do you good, mainly out in nature. You're getting enough exercise and fresh air to stimulate your brain until it's awake. However, on days which are windy, you can write a short, simple list of healthy things for your picnic with your support worker, such as Pom Bears, pork cocktail sausages or Paw Patrol, Bluey or Peppa Pig yogurt.

FUN & LAUGHTER - If the town you're visiting has a local corner shop which sells a nice snack or a magazine, take a little walk there and see if it sells your favourite tabloid or edible. Who knows, there are lots of different choices. Magazines? They're in there! Beano, CBeebies, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig...they have them all. And as for the snacks, make sure to choose something healthy and light, like carrot sticks, ready salted crisps or that yogurt that has 'Paw Patrol' written all over. Don't do it when the car is jolting, but you can read the fun stories in the magazine to your support worker, or when you're at home, slip away from screens for a while and do the activities in the magazine. You can answer the little questions sprinkled throughout, like describing your best friends or what your favourite toy is. Magazines are on a roll!

CARING - If you have an Usborne Things To Make & Do book at home, don't be shy to give all the crafts and activities in them a try! Get the help of a support worker to get all the items you need to make these simple crafts, and then give them to your Mum as a surprise. The book Things To Make & Do For People You Love is a great example, as it contains lots of things to help you care for your loved ones - friends, family, love shows them all. If you're out and about, you and your support worker can go to a small shop and get something for a friend or a loved one - a colouring book, a cake, a novel they've wanted to read for so long....you name the gift, the shop you're in has got it. And if they haven't got it, well, you can try a different shop. Don't give up! And if you want to get something for your dog or cat or beloved pet, then there's plenty of shops that sell pet treats or toys at a low price. Treat your furry friend to their own little gift!

So these are just a few of the signs you need to stay healthy, play healthy and be joyful when the wind blows on a cold September day. By obeying these four principles: JOY, HEALTH, FUN & LAUGHTER and CARING - you're taming the wind with your own way of fighting back: the kindly happiness of human nature exists within you. I believe in you.

You can do it!