A Story from the Central Ohio Outdoors Fall Gathering
Autism in the Woods
Last year, I let my friend's autistic son have as many stickers as he wanted while vending at the Central Ohio Outdoors Fall Gathering, a community I had never visited before. I was fortunate to have my friend accompany me for a day at my table.
He brought his kid, a young boy named Odin who seemed a little different from the other kids but was quickly transfixed u
pon looking through the countless stickers of flora, fauna, and fungi of our landscapes.
I knew before I got there that Odin might need extra help with certain things or struggle to follow directions at times. His father and I virtually body double (cowork) together, so I had heard a lot about Odin.
I came fully prepared for him to have AN ENTIRE accordion binder of my nature stickers to look through.
His dad asked several times if I was sure I wanted him to be going through my sticker binder, knowing he would simply ask me what every single featured species was.
I reassured him that I brought it just for him! I was happy to recite the names of the spring beauties, the wood sorrels, the morel mushrooms, and the beaver skulls over and over again.
He collected almost every moon, one of the few photos I didn't personally take myself but taken by a friend and supporter from the UK, Robert Simons.
Luckily, the moons are the easiest shape for my Cricut to cut out.
Over time, Odin got a little rambunctious, so I pulled out my next trick…books.
I had brought along with me my entire guidebook collection to share with event goers.
I asked if Odin liked bugs, but he did not, so we went with Animal Skulls of North America instead.
I remember smiling while glancing at him eating greasy potato chips alongside the event coordinators son as they happily munched atop their inflatable mattress, flipping through the many pages of skulls…turtle, rabbit, cougar...
On and on they went, two strangers coming together to explore a book with things they had never seen before and animals they had never heard of.
The event coordinator’s son ended up staying for hours, accompanying our strange little crew out in the woodlands of Zanesfield, Ohio.
I'll be taking a lot more spring pics this year for The Sticker Project! I have been busy making lots of sticker packs for upcoming fairs, adding in some of my springtime plants and mushrooms for the first time.
Each sticker pack comes with a scannable code leading to a virtual guide of each featured species found right here in central Ohio.
Are you a crafter, an educator, or a curious person? Lemme know if you'd like a pack of stickers or if you need a set for your classroom. 😄 You can find them at www.stagpath.com, and if you need more packs or have a special request, just reach out and I'd lovvve to help you!
