THE LIVING RAINFOREST: Family friendly experience for autistic kids (Newbury)

A great half day out for families and autistic children who love the world of mini beasts and reptiles!

Intriguing mini beast

Looking for turtles in the pond!

Watching the chameleon changing colour was a magic moment

Exploring the rainforest walk

THE LIVING RAINFOREST

Berkshire, England

We visited the Living Rainforest with our two autistic children along with their nonna, uncle, cousins and a close family friend. It was only a 10minute drive from East Ilsey - where we were staying for a long weekend. (You can read my blog on Autism friendly activities for Families in Berkshire here.)

Despite ranging in age from 15 months to 75 years (!) we all found something to enjoy during our trip. It was easy to find our way around (and stay together) as visitors are asked to follow a mostly one way route through the different regions.

SENSORY MOMENTS

Although the site is small the Living Rainforest packs in a surprisingly high number of plants and animals. The little ones loved the rainforest zone with its misty rainfall which was extremely sensory and working hard to hunt for the more exotic creatures like iguanas and crocs. Finding the sloth was a particularly exciting moment!

There was also plenty of interesting information about the habitats and different animal species on show to keep the adults engaged. As big fans of Andy's adventures on the BBC, the boys were also particularly excited to see their first mudskipper!

WERE STAFF FRIENDLY and WELCOMING TO OUR AUTISTIC CHILDREN?

The staff were very kind. Particularly the young man on one of the hands-on science tables in the communal learning / dining space. He patiently explained the table and was very relaxed about the children's handling of the display items, encouraging them to really get involved in their own way. I was very impressed by him and his welcoming approach to engaging with our autistic children.

WAS THE VENUE ACCESSIBLE? DID IT CONSIDER AUTISTIC CHILDREN SPECIFICALLY?

The venue is physically accessible to people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility and they have recently installed a changing places toilet.

However I feel they could do more to support families / children with hidden disabilities e.g. providing a visual story, a sensory pack or quiet place for families. We were surprised by how challenging our youngest son found it to be around some of the animals displays, and there was nowhere for us to go other than outside in the cold to help him calm down. A visual story of what he would be seeing may have helped reduce this anxiety.

However our older son coped fine and really enjoyed the experience of following his map around the different rainforest zones.

WHAT WERE THE FACILITIES LIKE?

The communal spaces are starting to look a little old and tired and there was a very uninspiring cafe that offered nothing for people with dietary requirements. However on the up side they didnt seem to care that we took our own snacks to eat - which always makes a day out more affordable.

At the time of our visit (October) the kids outdoor play area had seen better days, was in need of repair and was not a great space to sit out in, even if the weather had been nicer.

DID WE HAVE TO QUEUE? WAS IT BUSY?

We visited early on a Saturday in October (not half term) and it was not busy. There was only one payment kiosk, but from the length of the outdoor entry way and indoor corridor it looked as if queues could form in busier seasons For info on peak times I would suggest contacting them directly. They do run a timed entry system and the website does display available tickets for each time slot which is always helpful in ascertaining how busy it is likely to be when you arrive.

The site is a series of linked rooms, so it is possible if one space becomes overly busy to simply move on or even go back to a quieter zone. It was nice that they were not too strict on making people walk only in one direction.

DO THEY OFFER DISABLE CONCESSION ENTRY PRICE

Yes, they do. At time of visit there was a £1 reduction in price for a disabled child and an accompanying adult carer was free of charge (proof required). There were also a number of family ticket arrangements available so you would need to work out the most cost effective tickets for your set up.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND THE LIVING RAINFOREST

Visiting the Living Rainforest was a great way to spend a morning with our autistic children and they really loved discovering the exotic animals they had previously only seen on TV. The staff were kind and we felt comfortable doing what we needed to do to meet our children's sensory needs.