Getting a decent sleep at night, eating healthily, and experiencing each day in a calm, enjoyable way might sound like a manageable approach to life.
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But in Kait Cummins' experience, so many children-and in turn, their families-find such a concept completely out of reach.
The Yarrawonga-based therapist has worked for decades helping children develop attributes such as resilience, patience, and leadership skills.
Her view is that guiding young people - such as neurodivergent kids who might be on the autism spectrum - is a far better approach than trying to do so when they've reached adulthood.
This is a central focus of a property that she and her husband, Marcus, bought at Wahgunyah-to run programs that help these families achieve their goals, as well as teach them life skills they may not learn otherwise.
Some of these skills include learning how to ride a bike, tie a knot, build a swing, cook, garden, feed the animals, light a campfire, or make their own billy cart.
For many, the "traditional therapy model" was not achieving what they desired.
Programs for kids, youth and young adults
Since buying the property, the couple has invested considerable time and capital to make Quondong a home for their Play Project programs.
It's not the first time Quondong has been used for such a role.
The property was owned by the late Australian performer Maggie Fitzgibbon and used by her for the Youth Off The Streets program for young homeless people.
Mrs Cummins said they wanted to be role models for these children, who have already begun taking part in programs at Quondong, including The Play Projects program.
"It has a real impact. It can be life-changing for some of these children," she said.
The Cummins have been running camps for children with disabilities and their families since 2016.
Central to that has been moving away from the "traditional therapy model" that didn't produce the desired results towards one that offered far more support for families, especially with pressing issues like "sleep and food and digital detoxing".
That led to them buying the property in March 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit "so it was a bit of a challenging time".
"We wanted to give a more immersive experience for the families to help work through some of those challenges," she said.
"We bought the farm with the intention of being able to run camps more regularly because we run them in Harrietville in September and April and in Yarrawonga in January."
But Mrs Cummins said the onset of the pandemic meant they couldn't run any of their groups or camps.
"We had to pivot a bit then into supporting the more vulnerable families with short-term accommodation and respite services right throughout COVID," she said.
"We started to work with young adults on daily living skills and developing independence.
'Let kids be kids'
"But also we wanted to provide a safe, inclusive place based in nature."
Mrs Cummins said more children and families needed to get back into nature and "let kids be kids".
"One of the beauties of getting out in nature is that it has such a calming impact on the body and the nervous system," she said.
"We wanted this property to let kids explore and be involved in making an impact. That's our key driver."
She said a lot of work went into maintaining a 140-year-old house.
"We didn't make any structural changes to the house itself, we just polished up the floorboards and gave it a good paint, while bringing the previous owners' visions with the gardens alive," she said.
'Creating that village for families'
She said the property could sleep up to 16 people between the historic homestead and the newly-built cottage, which made it the perfect place for parents to rest too.
"We want to create that village for families," she said.
"The more we can support parents to really develop skills for themselves and to be able to learn ways to integrate it into their lives, will make the parenting experience much more enjoyable."
She said new upgrades on the property, such as a sauna, hot tub, and ice bath, meant that it could be utilised all year round, not just for the playgroups.
"We hope to bring families and respite for health practitioners as well as retreats," she said.
"It's the perfect place for a getaway, only 40 minutes from Albury-Wodonga and close to all the wineries and beautiful little spots in town.
"It's great to be able to offer something a little bit different to people."
With a team of about 60 people across Australia, Mrs Cummins said the programs were a great opportunity.
"We're really mindful that for people in the country, a lot of us are isolated," she said.
The importance of early intervention
"The waiting list for traditional therapy is huge.
"Being able for us to tailor those programs to meet the needs of families, and remote support has been really important.
"But also to be flexible and have our children lead the sessions on what they want and need is also equally important and beautiful to witness and watch.
"I love what we do, and I'd love to be able to do more of it."
The program runs Monday to Wednesday, 10am-2pm, both weeks of the Victorian School Holidays at Quondong, Wahgunyah, with transport available from Yarrawonga if needed.
Mrs Cummins said she hoped to reach as many families as possible needing support and encouraged those interested to reach out with any questions at hello@theplayprojects.com.
