Appealing to all the senses

The number of organisations seeking to incorporate sensory play into their setup continues to rise. This is in the context of a dramatic increase in both the range and scope of available resources, and it’s a significant uptake since dedicated sensory rooms first emerged in the early 1990s.

With computer controlled devices sensory play can now be tailored to individual’s needs using a range of media to create sound, light, smell and vibration at a much reduced cost.

Inclusion has lead to more children with special needs being educated in mainstream schools and practitioners who might not have considered sensory play as suitable for their setting have started to explore sensory activities to meet their pupils’ needs. Whether it is a dedicated room, a space allocated to sensory activities, or sensory activities incorporated into lessons, more mainstream schools are looking to develop their sensory curriculum and not exclusively for special needs children.

Theatre
Those of you unsure of the usefulness of sensory play in a more mainstream setting might want to pay a visit to your local theatre.

Theatres have a long tradition of using a range of sensory tools to stimulate and engage their audience (lighting, smoke, sound effects) and there are several theatre companies who specialise in offering inclusive productions for special needs children and young adults.

One such company is Oiley Cart who take care to ensure that their performances are tailored for their audience. Their production Something in the Air enabled wheelchair users to experience the sensation of birds flying, while Pool Piece involved lighting scent and bubbles being used in a hydrotherapy pool.

The way in which Oily Cart adapt a space to include children with complex needs offers valuable lessons for those seeking to explore sensory activities for mainstream children. Theatre can also influence the type of resources selected. For example, Sunfield School, Stourbridge, commissioned a sensory room using advanced stage lighting to cater for their students with complex needs many of which are on the autistic spectrum.

Of course many schools have undertaken the DIY approach, using their existing resources supplemented with some key items such as a moveable touch wall, lighting, tactile objects and projectors. Indeed this is an ideal way to see if your school is ready to take the leap into a bespoke room or area. It is also worth considering if your school is making the most of sensory play across the curriculum.

Multi Sensory Environments
Christopher Davies from the theatre company Bamboozle offers training on creating multi sensory environments (MSE) within the classroom as part of a whole school approach to developing sensory play activities. Christopher suggests a list of basic items idea for creating MSE in 10 minutes:

• Something to create height – a pole and base.

• Roll of corrugated card about two metres high – this is a little bulky to store but the advantages are considerable. It can be erected quickly and is self-supporting so provides an easy way of eliminating all the distractions in the room at a stroke and make a clean and clear space in which to tell a story, meet a puppet or pass round a precious object.

• Bag of fabric. Bed sheet size is useful as is having different fabric, such as blue satin for the sea, and a rough blanket for a cave.

• Camouflage net.

• Roll of newsprint.

• Collection of small natural objects – shells, pebbles, sticks

• An interesting wooden box.

• Small bags of wood chip and sand. Small amounts of these natural materials can add authenticity to MSEs such as the forest or sea cave very quickly and effectively.

• Carpet squares. Useful way of defining the space where you want students to sit.

Christopher’s list illustrates what can be done on a minimal budget but schools are often tempted to invest in sensory equipment but don’t invest the appropriate time and resources to train staff.

If you are looking to invest in a sensory room or space you can often negotiate training as part of the overall package, but it is also worth seeing what is available from independent providers.

The good resource providers take a real interest in meeting children’s needs and will want to ensure you have the correct resources and training to make the most of sensory play.

Getting Advice
For those interested in developing their sensory play provision visiting a dedicated special needs event such as nasen Live 2012 is ideal whatever stage you are at. Speaking to the providers face to face and being able to see the resources is a useful way to ensure that you understand the resources available to best meet your needs. You will also be able to see resources from several providers in one place and access the professional development programme that runs alongside the exhibition.

Finally don’t forget that there are a host of mainstream ICT devices that can be incorporated into your sensory play activities.

The Wii is almost ubiquitous in how it has been adopted by children and adults alike, but there is also the Xbox Kinnect, and the PS3 Move. Of course we have the ipod and the range of apps that can be downloaded and if you are feeling particularly flush the ipad2, other tablets are available!

Using mainstream products means that pupils can develop their skills using technology that is readily available to pupils at home or school.

To conclude whether you are spending a few hundred or a several thousand pounds on equipment or training the keys to success are the same. Ensure that you start with the needs of your pupils and not what the technology or products can do. Sensory rooms and resources are here to say and can have a dramatic effect on the quality of provision but to impact on learning it isn’t enough to provide the resources, they need to be part of the school’s overall vision to raise standards. So what are you waiting for? Your inclusive multi sensory environment is only ten minutes away from being created and wowing your pupils.

For more information
www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk
www.bamboozletheatre.co.uk
www.oilycart.org.uk
www.nasen.org.uk