Special Needs Children - Face Painting

For Special needs Children and Adults

Special needs children face painting: For anyone who face paints the public, you will from time to time come across people who have special needs. From the disabled to people with various skin ailments. So how should one handle this? Those who are makeup artists or cosmetologists have training to know which skin problems are safe and which are not. What about those new at face painting?

For everyone, open sores are a no-no, while eczema is ok to a point - but note that the skin may be irritated further by the paint. (this is another reason to use only a quality face paint) I recently discovered a natural product that works well for eczema and psoriasis. It is relatively cheap and in cases I have seen offers relief. This is a video testimonial from someone in my city.



What I recommend it to keep some Repcillin handy as it is available in smallish tubs, that one can carry in your face painters equipment case. Apply a little before painting your child's mom will be astonished once she realizes you have used a product that offer relief for her child's condition. The Repcillin is availble online from a reputable seller: African Cures, (based in the USA). There is thus no reason that someone with eczema or psoriasis, could not get face painted as long as they have no open sores. These conditions are not contra-indications for face painting, however always offer a skin test to the person. Test first on an elbow for an hour to see if they react to the paint and see if it causes them to scratch more.

For people in wheel chairs or with some form of disability, face painting is a great way of connecting with those around them. What a great opportunity for a face painter to brighten their day. All they are looking for is to be loved and treated with respect. It's a case of treat them how you would like to be treated in their situation.

A child with lice can easily and politely be diverted, by simply doing a quick design on the arm or maybe a temporary tattoo. Lice can be a problem for face-painters, since many face painters have long hair and are in close proximity to their clients.

As Denice Kelly, the owner of Squirrelcat Designs says:

"I also work with special needs children (I drive a special needs school bus, and have been to many, many different schools with many different children). So I'm well aware of all of the different problems that result for them as well. I love painting at the schools when I can - the kids love it and even the ones that can't tell you how much they enjoy it verbally can tell you with their smileand their eyes. I even have a sign (if anyone's checked my website you'll have seen it) on my website that says "Children with Special Needs are always welcome here". And I mean it!

I've seen and heard too many times a face-painter turn away a special child. That just STEAMS ME! I had an occasion where I was doing temporary tattoos and a family came up with a young man in a power . He wanted to get a tattoo on his cheek - so after making sure that it was what he really wanted and explaining that they didn't just wash off (speaking directly TO him, not to his parents) I ended up doing it and he loved it. He couldn't speak very well at all, but his smile and eyes showed me how much it meant. His mother came back over to me a little while later to tell me how happy she was that I had treated him like any other person. She said he'd been treated badly in the past and had been a bit down lately and I had made his day. :) Well didn't that just make MY day! Turns out - he was my age!"

I love this face painting story by Denice, since it really gets to the heart of what special needs kids and adults face.

Isithembiso Babies Home

Isithembiso is a home for abandoned babies. We run as a transition home (a place of safety) for children between the ages of new born to three years of age. Our home is a vision of Oxygen Life Church, wanting to make an impact on the community by taking abandoned babies into our care, loving and caring for them, as Jesus would!

We work hand in hand with welfare organizations and social workers, such as ChildLine and ACVV. The babies come to Isithembiso from the time they are abandoned due to abuse, HIV-Aids, poverty, death of a care giver, abandonment or several other possible reasons. They live with us until we, along with the social workers, find them new homes / families. These can be either permanent adoptive or foster homes. Our children live in a safe, healthy and loving family environment with our house mother and our care givers in our family home in Central, Port Elizabeth. We run the home purely on donations and are registered as an NPO.

Currently we are sponsored by Sovereign Foods, Annique (products), Oxygen Life Church and Old Mutual on a monthly basis. We have occasional donations from individuals, families and other companies / organizations in the city.

We have had the privilege of caring for almost 40 babies here at Isithembiso since our doors opened in November 2005 and we look forward to partnering with the King in seeing many more precious little lives restored!

For further details contact the home on 0027-41-581-5763 or Email isithembiso (at) oxygenlife.co.za

End of year Party

Isithembiso is a vision of Oxygen Life Church, wanting to make an impact on the community by taking babies affected and/or infected with HIV/AIDS into our care, loving and caring for them, as Jesus would, and ultimately adopting them into family homes where they will be both physically and spiritually cared for and nourished.

As a way of showing love to the kids a party was recently held in their honour to give the community and businesses a chance to donate and bring gifts to encourage the kids.

Here are some pictures from the Party.