Trifter

Tyson loves volcanoes and has been obsessed with them for the past month and a half.  I have had to become an expert on all the different volcanoes there are in the world, especially his favourite, Krakatoa.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that in my suburb there is a playground that has a volcano theme.  Tyson and Taj were both extremely excited about going to a volcano.  I knew that Taj would be fine as he literally has no fear.  Sure enough, Taj was off in a flash up a set of stairs and sliding down a slide quicker than you could blink.

Tyson, on the other hand, wasn’t so eager to go up the stairs and explore.  He just stood there, huge grin on his face but scared to go near the volcano.  I could tell that he was about to have a sensory overload, thankfully a big hug, a kiss on the cheek and taking mummy’s hand helped. 

The size of the grin on Tyson’s face was classic! Unlike Taj, Tyson wasn’t interested in climbing and the stairs and running around the paths of the volcano. He just wanted to look at it.  I did eventually get Tyson to climb the stairs and we did have a look at the very top.  Whilst at the top, though, Tyson started to freak out alittle bit.  This is because Steve and I have been explaining to him that volcanoes are dangerous and that they can do lots of damage.

The Volcano Park at Faulkner Park, Belmont WA, is an excellent place to take children with autism spectrum disorders.  There are different areas for the kids to play and it is all spread out of a large area.  There are two areas where water squirts up out of different holes, at different heights, all of it random.  Taj especially liked this, given that one of his obsessions is water.  There are also activities that are fantastic for improving gross motor skills.

Overall, I was very happy with the experience we had at Volcano Park.  It was a great morning and I look forward to visiting again.